I have 3 Jean Paul Instruments, an AS 400 Alto, TS 400 Tenor, and a TR 430 Tumpet and I could not be happier with any of them. Outstanding values. Rob, you are absolutely right in your evaluation of the sound.
I started playing sax last April and bought the Jean Paul based on high reviews and haven’t been disappointed. I’ve probably got well over 1000 hours on it already (yeah, it’s an obsession) and so far nothing major has gone wrong with it. Every once in awhile I have to retighten the screw that holds the octave mechanism in place on the neck. Not a big deal and when/if it really starts bothering me I’ll use a little bit of lock tight on it. My biggest complaint is also the transition from low C# to B. My pinky actually tends to jam under the roller between those two keys. So playing Pink Panther is out until I can figure out how to make that transition smoother. The transition between C and D#/Eb is a little awkward but with practice the transition goes pretty smooth. I also started playing the Jody Jazz Custom Dark last Fall and have really been enjoying it. Overall, I’d buy a Jean Paul again without hesitation. In fact, I’m thinking about buying a tenor eventually and will definitely consider the JP based on my current experience with their alto.
Great to hear that Rob. I found the left hand pinky keys a bit tricky too but that’s only a minor thing. Good combo with the JJ Custom Dark. I think I would like to try the tenor too!
A Sax School student here, Nigel, and thank you SO MUCH for doing this review. It's thorough and you cover all the details! The comparison with the two Yamahas is awesome!
Have the AS400 alto since June. 43 year pause after playing top end Yamaha alto and tenor for 7 years. Knew I didn't want a bright sound. Didn't want to spend a lot in case I couldn't hack it at age 61. Jay M on TH-cam being a sax mechanic weighed heavy in purchase decision. Practice daily. Love the dark sound. My embourature is good now with nice sound. Yes, with small pinky, C sharp, B, B flat no fun, but with practice OK now. Main goals now may be to increase physical exercise for better breathing. In a few months will try a Yamaha 280 and if it is easier to put air through the horn, get one. If table keys are easier, a bonus. Love your work. Love your sound!
1st, thank you for the wisdom you pass along. 2nd, You confirmed my discovery of Jean Paul!I have been blown away by the outstanding customer service at Jean Paul. It would be a long story, but their instruments are top quality and make it possible to own them given the price. Then they back it up with top notch customer service. Their saxophones are awesome! They also have a professional grade sax at a great price, I now own that after the GREAT experience I had with the AS-400 and their customer service. I will be buying a Trumpet from them in the future. I live in California, and they ship for free! They would be my go-to as a parent. I am in my 60s so I know good customer experience when I get it. Keep up the great stuff, you help lots of us!
For all beginner sax players like me, I researched until the reviews lead me to Jean Paul. I was about to purchase the AS-400 sax from their website. But then I wanted to see if anyone else had it cheaper than $569.00. I stumbled upon Costco and they are selling a Jean Paul AS-600 CM intermediate for…….wait for it…….$469.99. It comes with the Jean Paul case, portable music stand, cork grease, neck strap, mouthpiece w/cap and ligature and cleaning cloth. I ordered it on 2/14/22. Was supposed to deliver on 2/23/22, I received it on 2/16/22. I’m super pumped about getting it so soon. Ready to drive my dogs crazy until I can actually play a tune. Just wondering if you would be interested in testing this model out for perspective buyers.
@@TheRosadojp Well JP, it’s promoted as an intermediate with a cheaper price than the beginner. By me being a new sax player not sure what the difference is, but the fact that it’s an intermediate with more for the price which is cheaper. I think for anyone trying to save money, that’s the difference.
I’ve been playing the JP alto for about 3 months now and I’m absolutely loving it. Not that I can compare it to anything else with it being my first sax but it’s so easy to play. I upgraded the mouthpiece at Christmas to a jodyjazz jet 6 and a power ring lig and a legere sig 2 reed and it sounds even better now.
I’ve had the alto and tenor for over two years and they are both working perfectly. I did have to have the tenor adjusted when I got it but I called them and they immediately sent me to one of their techs who took care of it in 15 minutes. I keep the both as my backups now. I now play a Yanagisawa tenor and a YAS62iii for my alto.
The Jean Paul AS400 is great. I got mine from a veteran charity for my PTSD therapy. Although am finding it hard to get to the high D! Must practice more I know, but would be great if there was a You Tube video that could help explain how to do it. Especially when I'm really a beginner. Much Peace & Love, Dr. Stuart Griffiths
I started with this JP AS-400 and really liked it. I noticed one of the rods was slightly sticking out of the end of the keys and contacted Jean Paul about it. They couldn't have been nicer or faster about resolving the issue. Great support and an excellent beginner horn at a phenomenal price!!
I've had this horn for over two years and I think it's great. Play it every day. I have a Selmer alto and a Yamaha Tenor and I choose to play the JP-400. I had a minor problem early on where a key guard came loose on one end. Took it to a shop near me and Jean Paul reimbursed me for the work I had done. I like the dark sound. Makes me wonder what the newer Pro model is like. Love hearing you play... thanks.
Hi Nigel, you make any sax sound great! I've had my Jean Paul now for about a year and a half and I still find it a remarkable instrument. The tone is good from top to bottom and the intonation is pretty fair. I'm also playing a Legere reed with a Selmer mouthpiece on it and I find it is versatile for whatever style I am playing. Mine came with a high F# key and even some fancy engraving on the bell, something you don't normally see on a cheaper horn. Don't know if you know this but the Jean Pauls are made in China but are shipped to the shop in the US where each horn is gone over by their technicians to adjust and line them up so each horn is optimally setup out of the box.
For the last month I have been absorbing so many videos on choice of a beginner's sax and today I too the plunge for the Jean Paul AS-400GP. Deliver to Australia for a total cost (including import tax and delivery) of AUS $1017 (US$726 / UKP 579). Too many great Sax players giving good reviews on this Sax and it really sounds great. In regards to the comparison I love the 62's sound as being the best and the 23 and 400 also sound brilliant in their own tone. Looking forward to its delivery which will be very close to my birthday and anticipating the challenge of learning my very first musical instrument at an age in the early 50s! Thanks for the wonderful video.
I agree overall that the Jean Paul is a great value. I have a tenor that plays well. There was a problem with the spring tension that would not be good for a beginner as they were very stiff and erratic in tension. There was a burr in the mouthpiece end of the mouthpiece that had to be removed to correct sound and intonation. Other problems were a rib that was not completely attached and pivot screws that were off center. As a repair tech, I was able to correct most of these problems and have a very good sax for the money.
This is my first saxophone (Jean Paul AS400) with which I am happy with the exception of that (low) middle C kEy- it’s very awkward for my baby finger to reach.
I use a Jean-Paul AS400 and love it !! I live in ecuador so I'm kind of limited but its been my main horn for years now. Try a Vandoren A45 on it , brings out the Sanbornishness , me likey lots !!😉🎷
If they use the same mouthpiece and reed as you do here, the sound will be the same. It has a much warmer tone than often is heard, so I guess it will be well suited for solo playing. It makes a slight, but very pleasant contrast to the background music. Both the Yamahas have a tone that seems to be heard more as their sound is clearer. The YAS-23 blends perfectly with the music, and so does the YAS-62, but that tone is “rounder”, so it is obvious that it is of a far better quality. For beginners I think it will not be necessary to have that expensive instrument, the YAS-23 will be fine, because I guess you must be an experienced player to make it sound so you can hear the difference.
Great presentation of the JP and your Yamahas. Been considering a JP curved soprano as well as the Pro Eastern curved soprano. I'm working with a local pro sax guy who has work with a fellow point of concact who overseas the production of the Pro Eastern horns to buy beginner/intermediate saxes for his students. Wish I could have a comparrison session the be able to play the JP and the Pro Eastern side by side to compare before buying. I too have heard from several online sources that the JP is a great horn as a second/back up instrument.
I have had the Tennor version for the last two years and when I play it it sounds better that the Yamaha I had so I only play the TS-600 tenor now. their customer service was second to none tbh, the sound quality is fantastic from the Jean Paul Range for the price and stands up well, hard to justify thousands more against one of these i think.
I'm learning on a yamaha alto but have wondered about the Jean Paul tenors. I knew the alto's sounded good and assumed the tenors did as well but my real question was would they hold up. You saying you've had yours for 2 years is awesome! I might have to give it a go.
The YAS-62 sounded the best. It had a bigger, more full sound and the altissimo just screams. The YAS-23 had a slightly bigger sound than the Jean Paul, IMHO. The JP sounded good, albeit a bit muted and slightly darker. Not a bad horn. Most probably worth the investment for a brand new student horn.
I like the shootout and subscribed. I thought the JP sounded better than the Zebra which seemed quite thin to me. The 62 was awesome, round and full. But as someone noted until you are really good playing it won't make any real difference. I am trying to decide between the AS 400 and the low-end Pro JP...
I’ve also got the JeanPaul PRO 860 in the studio at the moment and that’s an amazing value sax. I’d check it out too. I’m playing it in this video: th-cam.com/video/JmGgpPHEmZ4/w-d-xo.html
I had a Purple Logo tenor that was a total dog it played fine high and middle registers but when you got below low D it sucked. I took it to 3 different repair guys and none of them could fix it. This has really put me off towards these horns and I got ripped off on it. You sound great bro and i met you about 5 years ago on princess in the atrium when i was playing in the showband.
Sir, I am from India, my age is 64, I am a beginner, which saxophone should I purchase? Jean Paul AS 400GP or AS 400 Intermediate student. please help me. Thank you very much.
Hola, me gustan mucho sus vídeos Si me pudiera sacar de una duda Estoy entre el Jean Paul AS-400 y el Conn Selmer AS711 prelude. Nose cual es mejor o me convenga más.
I’m not able to hear any differences between the instruments, but I didn’t expect it either. Isn’t is so that the sound is made by the mouthpiece, the reed and the player. The newer instruments made in China seem to be of great quality. But what is the difference between this “student” saxophone and a professional saxophone. Are they selling the same instrument for different prices? I have a Selmer Mark VI tenor and an almost new Conn Selmer Prelude. Can’t tell the difference in any way.
I can't notice a difference between the three of them. The pro model may be a bit crisper but if I listened without watching the video I wouldn't notice.
well you sounded like you on them all (no surprise). Very little tone difference to my ears especially with the backing playing....from a listening point of view there would be no point buying the YAS62 at huge extra cost. The AS400 didn't seem to sing the same as the others when you were on palm keys and above, but that could be because you not so familiar with it. So would you sell your YAS62 and go with this?... or is there something in the playing experience of the YAS62 that the AS400 doesn't have???
Great question Ang. I won’t be swapping my 62 for it because there is (to me) definitely a big difference in the playing experience between the two. That is to be expected - the 62 is a pro level sax that’s 5 x the price. But…the AS-400 is a great choice for a starter / intermediate sax.
@@McGillMusicSaxSchool Yes I agree. I have a Trevor James horn 88 which is excellent for the money but doesn't compare to my Yani 902 alto from a playing experience.
I have 3 Jean Paul Instruments, an AS 400 Alto, TS 400 Tenor, and a TR 430 Tumpet and I could not be happier with any of them. Outstanding values. Rob, you are absolutely right in your evaluation of the sound.
Great to hear that Christopher.
I started playing sax last April and bought the Jean Paul based on high reviews and haven’t been disappointed. I’ve probably got well over 1000 hours on it already (yeah, it’s an obsession) and so far nothing major has gone wrong with it. Every once in awhile I have to retighten the screw that holds the octave mechanism in place on the neck. Not a big deal and when/if it really starts bothering me I’ll use a little bit of lock tight on it. My biggest complaint is also the transition from low C# to B. My pinky actually tends to jam under the roller between those two keys. So playing Pink Panther is out until I can figure out how to make that transition smoother. The transition between C and D#/Eb is a little awkward but with practice the transition goes pretty smooth. I also started playing the Jody Jazz Custom Dark last Fall and have really been enjoying it. Overall, I’d buy a Jean Paul again without hesitation. In fact, I’m thinking about buying a tenor eventually and will definitely consider the JP based on my current experience with their alto.
Great to hear that Rob. I found the left hand pinky keys a bit tricky too but that’s only a minor thing. Good combo with the JJ Custom Dark. I think I would like to try the tenor too!
A Sax School student here, Nigel, and thank you SO MUCH for doing this review. It's thorough and you cover all the details! The comparison with the two Yamahas is awesome!
Cheers David. I hope it was useful.
Have the AS400 alto since June. 43 year pause after playing top end Yamaha alto and tenor for 7 years.
Knew I didn't want a bright sound. Didn't want to spend a lot in case I couldn't hack it at age 61.
Jay M on TH-cam being a sax mechanic weighed heavy in purchase decision.
Practice daily. Love the dark sound. My embourature is good now with nice sound.
Yes, with small pinky, C sharp, B, B flat no fun, but with practice OK now.
Main goals now may be to increase physical exercise for better breathing. In a few months will try a Yamaha 280 and if it is easier to put air through the horn, get one. If table keys are easier, a bonus.
Love your work. Love your sound!
Thanks for sharing. Glad you’re enjoying your AS-400.
1st, thank you for the wisdom you pass along. 2nd, You confirmed my discovery of Jean Paul!I have been blown away by the outstanding customer service at Jean Paul. It would be a long story, but their instruments are top quality and make it possible to own them given the price. Then they back it up with top notch customer service. Their saxophones are awesome! They also have a professional grade sax at a great price, I now own that after the GREAT experience I had with the AS-400 and their customer service. I will be buying a Trumpet from them in the future. I live in California, and they ship for free! They would be my go-to as a parent. I am in my 60s so I know good customer experience when I get it. Keep up the great stuff, you help lots of us!
For all beginner sax players like me, I researched until the reviews lead me to Jean Paul. I was about to purchase the AS-400 sax from their website. But then I wanted to see if anyone else had it cheaper than $569.00. I stumbled upon Costco and they are selling a Jean Paul AS-600 CM intermediate for…….wait for it…….$469.99. It comes with the Jean Paul case, portable music stand, cork grease, neck strap, mouthpiece w/cap and ligature and cleaning cloth. I ordered it on 2/14/22. Was supposed to deliver on 2/23/22, I received it on 2/16/22. I’m super pumped about getting it so soon. Ready to drive my dogs crazy until I can actually play a tune. Just wondering if you would be interested in testing this model out for perspective buyers.
Why’s the difference from the 400 and 600?
@@TheRosadojp Well JP, it’s promoted as an intermediate with a cheaper price than the beginner. By me being a new sax player not sure what the difference is, but the fact that it’s an intermediate with more for the price which is cheaper. I think for anyone trying to save money, that’s the difference.
Sounds great. A door opener for someone on a budget. No matter what you spend, you gotta put in the work. You provided a great example.
I’ve been playing the JP alto for about 3 months now and I’m absolutely loving it. Not that I can compare it to anything else with it being my first sax but it’s so easy to play.
I upgraded the mouthpiece at Christmas to a jodyjazz jet 6 and a power ring lig and a legere sig 2 reed and it sounds even better now.
Nice one Lewis. That sounds like a great combo!
I have the tenor, have been playing it for about two years, and I love it!
Cool, great to hear that.
I’ve had the alto and tenor for over two years and they are both working perfectly. I did have to have the tenor adjusted when I got it but I called them and they immediately sent me to one of their techs who took care of it in 15 minutes. I keep the both as my backups now. I now play a Yanagisawa tenor and a YAS62iii for my alto.
Nice one Vladimir. Great to hear JP’s backup support helped you quickly.
The Jean Paul AS400 is great. I got mine from a veteran charity for my PTSD therapy. Although am finding it hard to get to the high D! Must practice more I know, but would be great if there was a You Tube video that could help explain how to do it. Especially when I'm really a beginner.
Much Peace & Love, Dr. Stuart Griffiths
I started with this JP AS-400 and really liked it. I noticed one of the rods was slightly sticking out of the end of the keys and contacted Jean Paul about it. They couldn't have been nicer or faster about resolving the issue. Great support and an excellent beginner horn at a phenomenal price!!
Great to hear their support helped you out Deborah.
I've had this horn for over two years and I think it's great. Play it every day.
I have a Selmer alto and a Yamaha Tenor and I choose to play the JP-400.
I had a minor problem early on where a key guard came loose on one end.
Took it to a shop near me and Jean Paul reimbursed me for the work I had done.
I like the dark sound.
Makes me wonder what the newer Pro model is like.
Love hearing you play... thanks.
Thanks for watching - great to hear your experience with the JP has been good. I’d like to try the pro models too!
Hi Nigel, you make any sax sound great! I've had my Jean Paul now for about a year and a half and I still find it a remarkable instrument. The tone is good from top to bottom and the intonation is pretty fair. I'm also playing a Legere reed with a Selmer mouthpiece on it and I find it is versatile for whatever style I am playing. Mine came with a high F# key and even some fancy engraving on the bell, something you don't normally see on a cheaper horn. Don't know if you know this but the Jean Pauls are made in China but are shipped to the shop in the US where each horn is gone over by their technicians to adjust and line them up so each horn is optimally setup out of the box.
That’s good to know. Makes sense too - mine had definitely been well setup before shipping across to the UK.
For the last month I have been absorbing so many videos on choice of a beginner's sax and today I too the plunge for the Jean Paul AS-400GP. Deliver to Australia for a total cost (including import tax and delivery) of AUS $1017 (US$726 / UKP 579). Too many great Sax players giving good reviews on this Sax and it really sounds great.
In regards to the comparison I love the 62's sound as being the best and the 23 and 400 also sound brilliant in their own tone.
Looking forward to its delivery which will be very close to my birthday and anticipating the challenge of learning my very first musical instrument at an age in the early 50s! Thanks for the wonderful
video.
I agree overall that the Jean Paul is a great value. I have a tenor that plays well. There was a problem with the spring tension that would not be good for a beginner as they were very stiff and erratic in tension. There was a burr in the mouthpiece end of the mouthpiece that had to be removed to correct sound and intonation. Other problems were a rib that was not completely attached and pivot screws that were off center. As a repair tech, I was able to correct most of these problems and have a very good sax for the money.
That’s interesting Don.
Wow the JP sounds really good. I wonder how it would stand up to a lot of use. However it must be a contender for people new to sax.
I bought one last year and have well over 1,000 hours on it and so far so good. Nothing major.
This is my first saxophone (Jean Paul AS400) with which I am happy with the exception of that (low) middle C kEy- it’s very awkward for my baby finger to reach.
Hey Catherine. Check your neck strap height and arm position if you’re struggling to reach that C# key.
I agree!!! I first thought it was just me! Thanks for this piece of advice to both of you!
I use a Jean-Paul AS400 and love it !! I live in ecuador so I'm kind of limited but its been my main horn for years now. Try a Vandoren A45 on it , brings out the Sanbornishness , me likey lots !!😉🎷
If they use the same mouthpiece and reed as you do here, the sound will be the same. It has a much warmer tone than often is heard, so I guess it will be well suited for solo playing. It makes a slight, but very pleasant contrast to the background music. Both the Yamahas have a tone that seems to be heard more as their sound is clearer. The YAS-23 blends perfectly with the music, and so does the YAS-62, but that tone is “rounder”, so it is obvious that it is of a far better quality. For beginners I think it will not be necessary to have that expensive instrument, the YAS-23 will be fine, because I guess you must be an experienced player to make it sound so you can hear the difference.
Thanks Lillian.
The 62 sings more freely to my humble ears. Great review.
Thanks for watching
Great presentation of the JP and your Yamahas. Been considering a JP curved soprano as well as the Pro Eastern curved soprano. I'm working with a local pro sax guy who has work with a fellow point of concact who overseas the production of the Pro Eastern horns to buy beginner/intermediate saxes for his students. Wish I could have a comparrison session the be able to play the JP and the Pro Eastern side by side to compare before buying. I too have heard from several online sources that the JP is a great horn as a second/back up instrument.
Hi Randy, yes that would be an interesting comparison for sure.
I have had the Tennor version for the last two years and when I play it it sounds better that the Yamaha I had so I only play the TS-600 tenor now. their customer service was second to none tbh, the sound quality is fantastic from the Jean Paul Range for the price and stands up well, hard to justify thousands more against one of these i think.
I'm learning on a yamaha alto but have wondered about the Jean Paul tenors. I knew the alto's sounded good and assumed the tenors did as well but my real question was would they hold up. You saying you've had yours for 2 years is awesome! I might have to give it a go.
Great to hear you are digging the tenor Nick!
The YAS-62 sounded the best. It had a bigger, more full sound and the altissimo just screams. The YAS-23 had a slightly bigger sound than the Jean Paul, IMHO. The JP sounded good, albeit a bit muted and slightly darker. Not a bad horn. Most probably worth the investment for a brand new student horn.
I like the shootout and subscribed. I thought the JP sounded better than the Zebra which seemed quite thin to me. The 62 was awesome, round and full. But as someone noted until you are really good playing it won't make any real difference. I am trying to decide between the AS 400 and the low-end Pro JP...
I’ve also got the JeanPaul PRO 860 in the studio at the moment and that’s an amazing value sax. I’d check it out too. I’m playing it in this video: th-cam.com/video/JmGgpPHEmZ4/w-d-xo.html
I had a Purple Logo tenor that was a total dog it played fine high and middle registers but when you got below low D it sucked. I took it to 3 different repair guys and none of them could fix it. This has really put me off towards these horns and I got ripped off on it. You sound great bro and i met you about 5 years ago on princess in the atrium when i was playing in the showband.
Hey nice to meet again! Sound like you had a rough ride with your purple logo Yamaha. I’ve always found them to be super consistent.
@@McGillMusicSaxSchool it was a total dog trust me and I got ripped on it
The difference between them was noticeable, but not drastic. I would rate the sound: best 62, 2nd JP400 and last the 23.
Cheers Rob. Great to hear your thoughts.
Sir, I am from India, my age is 64, I am a beginner, which saxophone should I purchase? Jean Paul AS 400GP or AS 400 Intermediate student.
please help me. Thank you very much.
Hola, me gustan mucho sus vídeos
Si me pudiera sacar de una duda
Estoy entre el Jean Paul AS-400 y el Conn Selmer AS711 prelude.
Nose cual es mejor o me convenga más.
Thanks. Glad you find the videos helpful. I’m a big fan of the JeanPaul - great saxes and really good customer service.
I’m not able to hear any differences between the instruments, but I didn’t expect it either. Isn’t is so that the sound is made by the mouthpiece, the reed and the player. The newer instruments made in China seem to be of great quality. But what is the difference between this “student” saxophone and a professional saxophone. Are they selling the same instrument for different prices? I have a Selmer Mark VI tenor and an almost new Conn Selmer Prelude. Can’t tell the difference in any way.
Does the gold version sound any different to the brass? Gold is £600 & brass version £525... why the £75 price difference?
Let's face it Nigel, you could play an old sock and make it sound like a 'dry martini' (ala Paul Desmond)...
Well I don’t know about that!
I can't notice a difference between the three of them. The pro model may be a bit crisper but if I listened without watching the video I wouldn't notice.
That’s interesting David - the AS-400 does have a good sound.
I bought the Mendini by Cecilio atro for beginners is it a good first saxophone.
Nigel, maybe I missed it, but what Jody Jazz mouthpiece opening and reed strength would you recommend for beginners? Thanks :-))
After you tested Better Sax , now what's your final opinion about the student level ones. Do you still stand for a Jean Paul or a Better Sax .
I just have one for a week
Brilliant! Come see us if you would like some help learning. Saxschoolonline.com
Can you gig out with this sax?
Sure Frank, it plays well.
As the saying goes, "You sound like you!"
well you sounded like you on them all (no surprise). Very little tone difference to my ears especially with the backing playing....from a listening point of view there would be no point buying the YAS62 at huge extra cost.
The AS400 didn't seem to sing the same as the others when you were on palm keys and above, but that could be because you not so familiar with it.
So would you sell your YAS62 and go with this?... or is there something in the playing experience of the YAS62 that the AS400 doesn't have???
Great question Ang. I won’t be swapping my 62 for it because there is (to me) definitely a big difference in the playing experience between the two. That is to be expected - the 62 is a pro level sax that’s 5 x the price. But…the AS-400 is a great choice for a starter / intermediate sax.
@@McGillMusicSaxSchool Yes I agree. I have a Trevor James horn 88 which is excellent for the money but doesn't compare to my Yani 902 alto from a playing experience.
youd sound like you nomatter what saxamaphone you shoved your mouthpiece on..
Jean paul sounds like a toy!
You think so? I’m also testing their pro alto and soprano at the moment - watch out for those reviews. They are very interesting.
@@McGillMusicSaxSchool The Yamaha one sounds the best, my opinion.