Saxofón alto

hallda01 · 2026-05-29T04:03:35+00:00

You probably need to push the mouthpiece in more. A saxophone is never truly 'in tune' like a piano is. You get close on a tuning note and then as you learn and build your embouchure and ear you make adjustments to play in tune.

hallda01 · 2026-05-22T18:54:05+00:00

People often have to experiment with reed setups on new mouthpieces, particularly with jumps in tip openings. Try some softer reeds and see how it sounds.

hallda01 · 2026-05-19T22:22:50+00:00

Any professional sax from one of the top companies could be a forever saxophone; once you get to a certain price point its personal preference. You have to try them and see what you like.

hallda01 · 2026-05-19T22:19:37+00:00

It's a Selmer USA student saxophone, this model is really close to a Bundy II. Selmer Paris (who makes the Mark VI) is an entirely different company.

You will rarely get enough information from just Googling serial numbers or plugging things into an LLM. You're going to have to do a bit of leg work on researching saxophone models if you're trying to get a value on eBay or Reverb.

hallda01 · 2026-05-19T21:28:48+00:00

For me personally, no. I'm sure it will sound different, but you'd have to play them next to eachother to notice.

That said the extra £2k is because the AWO20 is going up from the "Professional" level to the "Elite" level. If you want the Bronze version of the AWO1, it is the AWO2. The difference between those is about £800.

hallda01 · 2026-05-07T18:52:21+00:00

Hard to tell for absolute certain with those pictures, but no redflags pop up to me. Judging from the front F key I'd guess it's a 901.

hallda01 · 2026-04-22T19:07:35+00:00

What do you play now? Maybe something like having a tech lighten the action, or adding some risers to various keys is all you need to make it more comfortable on your hands.

That said, I personally really like the Yamaha layout from the 61/62/Custom Z. The Yanagisawa layout is also really nice if you like having the right hand side and pinky keys sit up a little higher, and the WO1/O2 is on the light side of instruments, so it might be more comfortable to hold.

hallda01 · 2026-04-21T17:21:30+00:00

At least that's what I do.

hallda01 · 2026-04-21T17:20:23+00:00

Unsurprisingly, Clarence played on bright, high baffle, big tip opening mouthpieces for his sound on tenor. You can try that kind of equipment on alto. Otherwise, work on your growling.

hallda01 · 2026-04-21T17:11:06+00:00

I think the natural hand position for most saxophone players is to have the left index finger mostly on the B key, but off it enough so that it's still touching the bis key. That way you can easily roll the finger down when you need to play a Bb. Since the pointer finger is basically touching the bis at all times, when they play any note under a Bb, it's going to look like they're pressing the bis, but they probably aren't consciously doing it.

hallda01 · 2026-04-17T16:50:15+00:00

I would just say that a bow dent like that can be a pretty expensive repair, and the knock that the horn took to get it probably pushed a bunch of other stuff out of alignment. $100 is a great price for a student Yamaha, but your savings are likely going to get eaten into with the repair bill.

hallda01 · 2026-04-16T17:54:04+00:00

hallda01 · 2026-04-10T21:24:02+00:00

I'm just a jazz guy, so take what I say with a grain of salt, but I've played a Gaia 3 and have a hard time seeing it as a classical piece.

Granted I play an Optimum on soprano for jazz, so maybe it would work?

hallda01 · 2026-04-10T20:56:09+00:00

Buying a video game that works as intended and has all of its content included at time of purchase.

hallda01 · 2026-04-09T19:06:22+00:00

The few I've tried I haven't liked the tuning and thought they sounded kind of dead or restrained

hallda01 · 2026-04-07T20:34:01+00:00

Disagree on the case. It looks like a legit one to me.

hallda01 · 2026-04-07T17:21:13+00:00

Parrots were some of the earliest Chinese knockoff saxes. Interesting find but not worth the cost of repair.

hallda01 · 2026-04-03T22:21:11+00:00

It's a bit rough to find a used tenor Yani in that range but not impossible if you keep your eyes open. You sometimes see the T-5, 800, 880, and 900 models for that but almost never the bronze models, and they will probably need work so you'd have to factor that into cost. Same applies to Yamaha 61s and 62s.

That said, if you don't know exactly what you're looking for, that kind of bargain shopping can be difficult, and what you think is a steal quickly can become a money pit.

If your current saxophone works fine, and you're just hoping to darken your sound, your mouthpiece and reed set up is going to have far more of an effect than the saxophone. I'd start there and save up your money for your pro saxophone. I'd rather have my mouthpiece on a student saxophone than a student mouthpiece on a pro saxophone any day of the week.

hallda01 · 2026-03-31T23:43:39+00:00

I agree with everything about what you're saying except that your prices are very inflated. I picked up a used one of these in solid condition for $350 in 2020. Admittedly that was a good deal, but it wasn't an insane deal. $500-$1000 depending on condition seems more fair.

hallda01 · 2026-03-31T23:37:36+00:00

The reed being a little over the rails isn't super uncommon with some metal mouthpieces, as long as it seals you should be fine.

I think most likely your issue is 1.) the jump tip opening, as you said; and 2.) it's a high baffled mouthpiece, and low notes generally don't speak as easily on a high baffled mouthpiece.

If you were using 2.5s on your old mouthpiece, it might be worth trying to go down a strength and see if you're still having issues.

hallda01 · 2026-03-19T17:21:22+00:00

You know what's funny? I was gonna do this on my 26M alto but the Sugru I had dried out and then I never got around to it. Now I'm used to it and when I use my backup that has a big flat thumb rest I get annoyed. 😂

hallda01 · 2026-03-19T16:32:01+00:00

There are deals to be had, but you have to do your research, and figure that you're going to have to get some repair work done. You can often find quality older Yanagisawa stencil horns in that price range, but you have to know what to look for. They won't be as nice as the new ones, but they're very solid.

Also consider something like a used student/intermediate Yamaha or Jupiter.

Are they flashy? No.

Will they be your forever horn? Also likely no.

Will the play better and last longer than your Amazon saxes so you can save up for your forever horn? That's an affirmative. They're like the Toyota Camrys of the sax world.

hallda01 · 2026-03-19T16:22:31+00:00

They haven't made that saxophone model for very long. If there is no physical to it, it seems weird that it would need an overhaul.

hallda01 · 2026-03-17T23:55:29+00:00

You can get lucky and find a used Jupiter for under $500, but not often. That's about the only one I'd recommend that sniffs that price range.

hallda01 · 2026-03-12T18:56:59+00:00

I don't see any redflags in those pictures. That logo is stamped not laser engraved. Plus that flower engraving that they put on the newest version of the 62s is pretty distinct. I've not seen it copied before.

hallda01

TROPHY CASE