What are my other options for a student saxophone for my child?
When talking strictly ‘country of origin’, Paris, Germany and Japan are not the only great options; Taiwanese saxophones can be great, more affordable options as well. Taiwan has recently become the ‘Lexus’ of the saxophone market. They aren't necessarily the BMW or Mercedes of the industry but they are producing some very high quality saxophones for both the student and professional level. They are burning the trail through the industry and I believe that within 10 years that they will be manufacturing saxophones for most of the major brands in the entire world. I can say this with confidence knowing that German and Japanese made saxophones, who are now considered to be some of the best in the world, not even 20 years ago, were wearing the same "cheap sax" label that Chinese made saxes have today. Taiwanese made saxophones have recently broken free from the "cheap sax" label within the last 10 years and are continuing to move closer and closer to taking a spot with what is called, the "Big Four" (Selmer, Yanagisawa, Yamaha and Keilwerth saxophones); and all but one have student saxophone models being manufactured in China.
Now the same is true with Taiwan as any country that manufactured saxophones, you can find some good ones or some bad ones, so there is always a risk. Here is some ‘insider’ information, if a company wants to have a saxophone made for them from a Taiwanese factory, they can spend anywhere from $300 to $2,000 for an alto saxophone with "made in Taiwan" stamped on it. Your risk can be minimized by some doing some good research and investigation.
What are the major differences between high quality Taiwanese and Chinese made saxophones?
From looking at them in pictures you may not be able to tell any difference at all. These differences can only really be noticed once the sax has been played, taken apart and examined. The major difference is going to be the alloys used to make the keys, and body of the saxophone. Most Taiwanese saxophones are going to have a higher grade alloy, which in the end will resonate better and have a fuller and clearer tone. Taiwanese manufacturers also give you more options in the alloys, such as titanium, silver, gold brass, German brass, etc.; which all have been known over the years to be better sounding. Another difference is going to be in the overall quality of the other core materials. A saxophone is not just brass, but there are other materials such as felt, cork, screws, pads, springs, adhesives, pearls, etc that make up the final saxophone product; and the quality of these materials has a direct affect on the initial playability of the saxophone as well as the longevity of the instrument after being played over and over again.
Even so, a company building a saxophone in China has the option to choose a very high grade material, as well as a lower grade material.
Here are some good points to look for in this area:
- Stainless steel or blue steel springs will last longer, even better, some offer gold plated springs.
- Saxophone pads are a big part as well and look for name brands like Selmer, Pisoni, or even Roo Pads. Everyone says they have Italian leather pads, but see if they can be specific with the actual brand being used.
- Felts vs. cork, some newer sax companies use an abundance of felt where cork has traditionally been used. Personally I prefer cork (or a synthetic cork) to be used whenever there is a key footing touching the body of the sax, or a key touching another key. There are some few exceptions for this, but overall for the longevity of the sax and the precision on the setup and adjustment, a cork, or cork like material, will do better in the end.
- Pearl key touches vs. Synthetic key touches. Personally, when playing it is really not very noticeable if the key touches (the pearls, or jewels placed on the points of the keys where the saxophone player places his fingers) are made of pearl or a synthetic or plastic material but overall, the consensus is that higher quality saxophones come with real mother of pearl for key touches. Now, Yamaha only uses real pearl for their very top end saxophone and even their very expensive intermediate models that sell for over $2,000 do not have real mother of pearl. I only tell you that because, Yamaha makes a great intermediate saxophone, but it does in fact come with plastic key touches.
- Adjustment screws and post screws are very tiny but important parts of a saxophone. Screws that are cheap and poorly made will not enable you to keep your saxophone in adjustment or repair over time. This is something to consider and can easily help you determine the quality of a saxophone.
