3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
OK for the price. Not professional., October 11, 2007
This review is from: SS-100
I bought this soprano sax on ebay ($120 incl S+H) as a scratch and dent instrument from Simba products. They shipped it quickly. It looked great and felt heavier than I expected. As a retired music teacher and long time sax player I was initially impressed. It is my first experience with a soprano saxophone. I bought some decent reeds (F. Hemke #2)and tried it. I tried the curved neck first. It would not fit into the sax body as it was too big. so much for quality control. I tried the straight neck next and it did fit into the body. However, I was disappointed that I had to struggle so much to get a consistent sound on every note in a two octave scale. I found that if I faced down and pushed the instrument away from my body it sounded better. I suppose this creates a straighter air column. If you are a clarinet player this will feel weird at first. I tried two other mouthpieces but went back to the one supplied as it sounded the best. Yesterday I purchased a Yamaha 4C mouthpiece that improved dramatically the ease of playing, consistency, sound quality and intonation. The sound quality so far is a little thin but the more I play it the better it sounds. The key action of this sax is a little noisy and uneven but if you are not a professional it should not be an issue. Intonation is acceptable with most (90%) notes in tune while a few are a few cents sharp or flat. I would recommend this instrument for an experienced player who does not expect to play it in a professional situation. It is not for the beginner as I feel a beginner would be frustrated with the issues I mentioned.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
