Hi everyone!

I have recently been on a mad search for the perfect yet resonably priced saxophone for my 6th grade band student.

You'd think this wouldn't be that hard there are hundreds to pick from on ebay alone. and lots of them are really cheap!!

But......and there is always a but.....I have learned a lot in my search for the perfect saxophone and thought it might be helpful if i were to pass on what i've learned.

DANGERS TO AVOID

There are some NEW saxophones on ebay being sold at really low buy it now prices (under 250.00) some come in fancy colors others will try do decieve you with saying "new saxophone" "selmer care kit" but do not tell you the brand of the saxophone. You should probably stay away from these instruments, most of these are cheaply made from china instruments which cannot be repaired or serviced if something goes wrong and tend to be hard to play in general.

A lot of these even say "BAND TEACHER APPROVED" which is not nessesarily the case......My sister is a band director and she is the one that told me to be aware of these cheap knock offs......these poorly made instruments may not last the whole school year, she calls them disposeable band instruments. Check with YOUR childs band director to see if they prefer any particular brands.

Please be careful of the listings that say "new alto saxophone with selmer or yamaha care kit. These are trying to be missleading, they make you think it must be good because you hear a name brand, but its only the care kit which are things like cleaning cloths and brushes etc. not the actual instrument. most of these don't even tell you the brand of the instrument itself. And if they aren't willing to tell you in the listing what brand the intstument is then it probably isn't a good one.

THE GOOD SAXOPHONES TO LOOK FOR:

1. SELMER OR SELMER BUNDY: THIS IS ONE OF THE TOP MAKERS OF SAXOPHONES OUT THERE AND ARE AMERICAN MADE IN INDIANA. THIS IS A LONG LASITING HORN, AND CAN BE REPAIRED AND MAINTAINED BY ANY OF YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SHOPS. IT IS BETTER TO BUY A USED BUNDY AND HAVE TO HAVE IT SERVICED THAN BUY A NEW CHINESE SAX YOU WILL HAVE TO THROW AWAY IN A YEAR OR TWO.

2. YAMAHA: ALSO VERY GOOD STUDENT SAXAPHONE AND ALSO FIXABLE IF ANYTHING GOES WRONG AND A VERY POPULAR CHOICE FOR STUDENTS, IT'S THE MOST RECOGNIZABLE NAME OUT THERE.

3. YANAGISAWA: I HAVE BEEN TOLD THIS BRAND IS UP THERE WITH THE BUNDY AND YAMAHA AND IS ALSO AMERICAN MADE. I DON'T KNOW ALOT ABOUT THIS ONE BUT HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT MOST ALL AMERICAN MADE INTRUMENTS ARE REPAIRABLE AND SERVICEABLE AND ARE WELL MADE TO BEGIN WITH.

SAXES TO STAY AWAY FROM:

SELMAN: This looks a lot like Selmer and you might think it's a typo but it's not, BE CAREFUL, its another cheaply made knock off a new SELMAN retails for under 300.00 usually, and a new Selmer or Bundy reatails for over 1000.00. I have been told that you should not buy a new saxophone for less than 500.00. Any new saxophone selling for less than 500.00 is probably very poor quality, and there are a lot of these selling on ebay so be careful. Pay very close attention to the listings and read them very carefully. Also read the feedback carefully, some of these sellers who claim there cheap sax is band teacher approved have negative feedback about people buying it and having their band teach tell them the truth about it.

BORG: A BRAND THAT I BELIEVE SAMS CLUB AND WAL-MART CARRIED. ALSO A CHEAPLY MADE HARD TO PLAY INTSTRUMENT.

ANY LISTING NOT WILLING TO TELL YOU A BRAND NAME, THEY JUST SAY "NEW LAQUERED FINNISH ALTO SAXOPHONE" AND  IF YOU CAN'T FIND ANY MENTION OF A BRAND OR MAKER IN THE LISTING, THAT'S BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT TO TELL YOU. BECAUSE IT'S PROBALY FROM CHINA.

VICTORY ELITE: THEY HAVE BUY IT NOW PRICES OF 175.00 FOR A NEW SAXOPHONE. THAT CAN'T BE GOOD.

CECILIO: THESE ARE USUALLY THE ONES THAT COME IN FANCY COLORS....AND USUALLY HAVE BUY IT NOW PRICES OF UNDER 200.00 ALSO NOT A GOOD IDEA.

Musical instruments are an expensive investment and should be researched before making the final purchase. And i don't even come close to pretending that I am some kind of expert on the subject. I'm just passing on the information i have found out and been told by more experienced and educated people.

THESE ARE ALL MY PERSONAL OPINIONS AND OBSERVATIONS.

IT IS ALWAYS WISE TO CONSULT YOUR CHILDS BAND DIRECTOR BEFORE PUCHASING AN INSTRUMENT, BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY.

ALSO THIS REALLY IS ONE OF THOSE TIMES THAT "YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR" AND "BRAND NAME REALLY DOES MATTER"

THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ MY GUIDE AND HOPE IT HELPS IN YOUR SEARCH FOR THE PERFECT SAXOPHONE.