*Almost* Perfect: Jean Paul AS-400 Review | The BEST beginner saxophone for $500?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ก.ค. 2024
- Get the Jean Paul AS-400 ►► jeanpaulusa.com/r?id=sttct8
Jean Paul USA Website ►► jeanpaulusa.com/r?id=bhnbo1
Check out Lesson 1 on TH-cam ►► • Beginner Saxophone Les...
In this video, Jeremy reviews the Jean Paul USA AS-400 by performing a thorough playtest (including 3 mouthpiece comparisons), a breakdown of what's included in the case and sharing his honest thoughts on whether this saxophone would be suited for a beginner.
Check out the entire Jean Paul USA saxophone range
Alto Sax (AS-400) ►► jeanpaulusa.com/r?id=sttct8
Tenor Sax (TS-400) ►► jeanpaulusa.com/r?id=or0bnv
Soprano Sax (SS-400GP) ►► jeanpaulusa.com/r?id=kkeij4
Baritone Sax (BS-600) ►► jeanpaulusa.com/r?id=o4hkno
PRO Alto Sax (AS-860) ►► jeanpaulusa.com/r?id=0vbo66
Chapters
0:00 Introduction
3:25 Unboxing
4:30 What's included
6:16 First impressions
8:15 What I don't like
10:10 The playtest
12:35 Playtest reaction
13:15 What I'd like to see
14:52 Final thoughts
Questions about anything in this video? Please leave them in the comments section below!
If you enjoyed the video, please hit the 'thumbs up' button and subscribe to SaxTuition TH-cam channel for more great saxophone content.
#saxophone #jeanpaulusa #saxtuition
What did you guys think about the Jean Paul AS-400? Are you looking to buy one, or do you already play one? Leave your comments down below! Special thanks to Jean Paul USA for providing this saxophone for the SaxTuition review.
I got my JP AS-400 2 1/2 years ago. A very nice swab was included. The cork grease had their name on it.
This is my first saxophone. I enjoy playing it, and the tone of it. You are right about the transition from low Eb to C. I think I can modify mine to make it easier.
Great review and subscribed!
The first time I heard of a Jean Paul alto Sax was in 2002. A band student said his uncle bought it for him around $400. Nice weight keys were very similar to my Yamaha pro model! The tone was warm and played easily! I was amazed that there was an instrument so good for so little.
My name is Gordon Finlay and I’m a.retired public school music teacher. Thank you for your TH-cam show love your content and accent!
I changed the mouthpiece for a Yamaha and upgraded the reeds to Vandoren (on your advice) and the sound improved out of sight, game-changer for me :-)
Thank you for including different mouthpieces in your playtest. I will be ordering a Yamaha mouthpiece ASAP. Overall, this is the best and most thorough review of this horn I have seen.
Happily I don t need a beginner saxophone but I appreciate your valuable advice to the people and the friendly and easily understandable verbalization- it is also really good for non native english speakers.
🎷 Very helpful vid, thank you SaxT! I've played alto for almost 50yrs. The Mk VII that I bought brand new in HS (1980) is my only $1,200+ horn. More recently I bought intermediate level soprano and (wait for it) sopranino saxes that play remarkably well for sub-$1,000.
JP's AS-400 garnered so much good press I bought a JP TS-400 tenor last year simply to have one on hand. A few months ago I got 911'd to play tenor at a big band gig, and I was relieved to discover the JP TS-400 tenor to be a perfectly capable gig horn, even more so for this first-time tenor player!
🎅 This year Santa had supply chain issues and only recently procured my longed-for JP AS-400SP alto. Silver saxes are like unicorns, and I'm so excited to be getting one at JP's price point.
i just found a Jean Paul AS-600 CM for 469.99 at Costco. It even comes with a sheet music stand. How cool is that!
What do you purchase was an AS-600CM. All the reviews are on the 400. What is the difference?
i really appreciate the constructive criticism as well as the tips for buyers/players on aftermarket solutions for the issues you raised, it's very thorough and useful
not a player yet but i'm very seriously considering this sax after the reviews and playtests ive heard. i love that dark sound! the yamaha mpc definitely improves the sound to my ear.
I've got the silver model and although I'm a newbie, the roller action on the right hand pinky keys seems to work fine. I don't have experience with any other alto to compare it with
HI, I would like to know the difference between Jean Paul brass and silver alto sax. What’s so special with silver sax? I would like to purchase one, but can’t decide on brass or silver. Please advice me. Thank you!
Ps. Loving the video, good explanation and great quality.
I purchased an alto last week and received the horn two days ago. I am totally satisfied with
the response and the craftmanship of this horn. I bought mine on Ebay and it was a factory
refurbished horn. This horn looks brand new and there are no apparent blemishes. The case
and accessories are brand new, the horn looks brand new and it plays great. I am not a pro
by any means. As a retired band director, I needed a horn to use for demo purposes as I
teach private lessons in the schools. This is the way to go without breaking the bank.
$400 for a sax like this is a great deal for such a solid horn. I would totally recommend this
horn for beginners and intermediate players as well.
Really leaning toward buying one of these. Need to find a patient teacher near my home and then will seriously consider Jean Paul.
My son is learning to play sax with a Jean Paul AS-400, he has 11 months of formal distance classes and I consider it a good saxophone for beginners. I'm from Mexico and I bought the saxophone two years ago through Amazon USA. This is a bit of what he has learned th-cam.com/channels/keij7mF3AZS3eDyC3cx93w.html
I am interested in purchasing for my grandaughter, would be a good start.
I tried the Jean Paul but ended up going with a Yamaha YAS 280. BTW, will we be seeing a follow up course to your beginner series?
This is strictly intermediate that's cheaper than the starter sax. No brainer. Maybe the keys are at 6mm like you were discussing in the video. This video helped me greatly, because I'm 54 and looking for a new hobby. First time trying wind instrument. I was either trumpet or baritone treble clef.
I dunno man!
I can’t say thank you enough.
You give me trust, and I will definitely consider this when buying my first one
In 1971 I went to rayburn music in Boston looking for a horn. I got friendly with Emilio Lorenzo before he was famous. He sold me a used mark 6 for $350. He customized it by lowering and balancing the action because I told him that I wanted to sound like Stan Getz. Getz had Emilio work on his horn exclusivly. He even shipped him his horns for work and when in Boston he stayed at Emilios house. I got decent playing Brazilian music quietly. Getz 's high range would be very thin and shrill at times. I wonder if that had to do with the pad lowering ?
Looks like the roller keys you described as being difficult to operate smoothly, are designed with much smaller, rounder shaped tabs on the tenor model. Could this help things at all? Thank you for the video. I'm thinking of getting back into the sax after a very long hiatus.
I bought this saxophone at the end of 2019 as my first saxophone. I did notice issues switching between the Eflat to C key, but wasn't sure if it was just because I was a beginner. Now I know it's not just me. Overall a great buy. I'm happy with my purchase. I also got the As-4 mouthpiece for free when I bought the saxophone during a promotion.
Good to know! Yeah It would be very hard to pick that up if you’re a beginner, since you wouldn’t know any better at the time. Thanks for sharing 😊
Does it still perform as well cause I’m worried that if I buy one it’s gonna end up like an empty tin after a few months
@@nyancs7098 I’m a new player since April of this year so I don’t have experience with other models. I bought the AS-400 and over the last 7 months easily have over 500+ hours on it already (Yeah, Covid really did a number on my business and I had a lot more time on my hands). It performed well when I bought it and continues to perform well. I agree with the C/Eb key transition. No problem coming up from C to Eb. For me it becomes an issue if I have to quickly rock between the two keys. Going down from Eb to C can be smoother. I also have a problem going from C# to B/Bb. My pinky actually jams at the roller and I have to be really cognizant of that transition in order to make it go smoothly. But overall I’m very happy with the purchase and if I had it to do over again I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another Jean Paul. Very good quality, especially for the price point.
@@SaxTuition hi, I have purchased your saxtuition beginner's course, but am unable to find any ebooks. I have no clue where it could be. I checked email verifications. My download folder shows nothing more than video lessons.
What do you think of the ss860 ?
I received my AS400 in the same packaging as your video shows. It came minus the reed, cloth and cork grease. The included mouthpiece is devoid of markings and the ligature screws are stripped, and don't tighten. I also don't like the amount of play in the keys. Otherwise for the price I'm happy with the quality.
Thanks for the comment! That might be something worth chasing up with Jean Paul? Because even on the website they definitely say that stuff is included.. and the ligature not tightening is a pretty major issue too.. Glad you were otherwise happy with the sax though 😊
@@SaxTuition Thanks Jeremy, I tried contacting them with my concerns, but have not received an answer. As I'm in Australia, it's not feasible to return it.
@@Robyn19fnq Hey Robyn - a Jean Paul rep has reached out to me in regards to your situation specifically, and said to contact them at support@jeanpaulusa.com - hopefully they can sort it out!
How is the intonation?
I got the silver tenor, i want to upgrade the mouthpiece. When i get the yamaha 4c mouthpiece, do i need the yamaha ligature as well?
Nope, the ligature that came with the Jean Paul mouthpiece should fit just fine!
Try the Eastar. You can roll its rollers fine and the price new? £180 UK or about the same in US dollars
Hello Jeremy, I'm looking to purchase my first saxophone to learn to play and i've been watching your videos to give me a intro to how to play sax but I've yet to make a purchase cause I'm torn on what to choose. I found 2 saxophone for the same price of 400, one is a vito sax from the 80's in excellent condition and the other is a jean paul as400 which is also in excellent condition. Would you choose a yamaha made vito from the 80's or the jean paul as400? thank you
Both are really great options! It’s so hard to pick, but since the AS400 you mentioned is also second hand, I would probably pick the Vito 😊
The AS-4 is not on the silver plated version as you said in the video. Did they send that due to you being a reviewer? I want to order but noticed that in the website it came with a “standard”.
Hey JP! Thanks for the update. Since making the video, I believe Jean Paul have made a couple of changes to their pricing and inclusions on these models. The safest option is to check with what the website says at the time of purchase, or reach out to them directly just to be sure.
I received an AS-4 mouthpiece with the standard lacquered AS-400 but yes - it’s my understanding that I received this mouthpiece to be included in the review.. Hope that helps 😊
Try a clark fobes debut mouthpiece
I've seen some quite negative TH-cam videos about the Jean Paul saxophones.
Also, getting spare parts for them in Australia is difficult too, I believe.
Get a second - hand Yamaha.
I want to have your teaching on how to play a saxophone
Is that the same recommendation for the Tenor version
Hey Russell, I haven’t tried the tenor version unfortunately, but based on what I’ve seen and read it has the same ergonomics and build quality, so I’d feel comfortable recommending it 👍
How does the key height compare to Yamaha YAS 23, 26, and 280?
I found the key height to be almost identical between the 26 and 280 straight out of the box. The 23 happened to have slightly lower key height, but as it dates back to the 90’s it’s only because it had been set up that way by a repairer 😊
Considering the cost of a Jean Paul AS-400 is around 800euro in Europe and a Yamaha YAS-280 is around 1000euro would you still recommend it over the Yamaha?
That’s a tough call! If you’ve got the extra 200 euro spare, I would *personally* go for the Yamaha, but if you’re on a tighter budget, you won’t be disappointed with the JP 👍
Thank you for your demo of the Jean Paul alto. Truth to tell it sounds squeaky though perhaps squeaky in a pretty or sweet sense. There can be absolutely no justification for any manufacturer of any product to compromise the quality of the product. Other reviews of the instrument list key slackness, shoddy placement of key corks and of course excessive pad heights. All manufacturing and assembly defects must be set right regardless but one that would be just impossible to set right are the pad heights. Most instruments have the pad heights at around 9mm or about the thickness of an ordinary pencil. If the pad heights are brought down to what might be taken as the standard, the total pitch of the instrument would drop and the octave would be shot. While the octave seems to be pitch perfect, there is absolutely no body to the sound which seems to have been sacrificed to obtain projection so beloved and yearned after by rock and hard jazz professionals.One outstanding and superb design feature is the incorporation of flute type adjustment set screws in place of the antediluvian clutch corks. I am no professional saxophonist and my involvement with wood winds has been limited to the refurbishing of these f or over fifty years and as may be understood hundreds of instruments have passed thought my hands and I do consider myself at least partially qualified to pass judgment over instrument performance.
I suspect the thin sound is more to do with using tiny beginner mouthpieces than anything else - if he played the horn with his usual setup it'd probably be a bigger, warmer sound.
@@lukasalihein As one who has been engaged directly in the refurbishing of saxophones for more than fifty years, I have to state in truth that none of the modern instruments have that full bodied sound of the vintage pieces. In particular the vintage Conn tenor was taken as the gold standard against which all other brands were judged vis a vis full bodied sound.At the present time there is just one brand that may possibly lay claim to a full bodied sound and that is the large bored Rampone . Not even the highest impedance mouthpiece would be able to produce the sound of the vintage pieces. The thin narrow bodied sound is what is beloved by modern saxophonists as these are highly centered, highly penetrating and projecting and are highly responsive and it is these qualities that are required for rock, funk, and hard jazz.
The days of the classical jazz ballad are over unfortunately and so there is no more need for the full bodied sound required by this type or music.
@@vivianastridge2167 Well, as someone who has been playing jazz professionally for 20 years I agree that most modern horns are focused/brighter than Conn etc, but also know for a fact that the mouthpiece is at least an order of magnitude more important in determining the sound than the horn is.
@@lukasalihein I totally agree with you when you state that the mouthpiece plays a very important factor in the final acoustic output of the instrument. Besides refurbishing saxophones I also manufacture all types of mouthpieces. I do not have a line but build these according to the players specifications. I myself mostly play on a Conn and vintage Keilwerth with the highest possible impedance mouthpiece and do obtain the sound that I like. What I would dearly long for is a demonstration bringing out this lush full bodied sound on any instrument of your choice using a ballad as vehicle and absolutely no pyrotechnics and with of course the appropriate high impedance mouthpiece which are as rare as hen’s teeth presently except for those I make.
@@vivianastridge2167 Here you go - this is a YTS 23 and a Link 6* mouthpiece, Vandoren Classic reeds. What do you mean by high impedance mouthpiece? th-cam.com/video/3-vV-G_-u0c/w-d-xo.html
Why is the video out at 4:40 am(where I am). Why am I awake rn?
It’s one for all the insomniacs out there! Now go ahead and get some sleep…
Yamaha mouthpiece sounds best . The 5C is good too and a little more open for Jazz playing
I have a Soundsation salxs-20....yes...Soundsation...italian. made in China. I cant compere but i really like it! I have some video with me play a solo on youtube. It cost ca $800.
With otto link tone edge 5 mouthpiece
Nice horn for the price.
I've read the pads are cheap and will need costly replacing after the first year.
is it really silver? or imitating
Price is now $700+ w tax… it should be great as that’s not exactly inexpensive… pretty nifty that the reviews are all priced at $500… doesn’t instill a ton of confidence in the quality of what was sent to reviewers vs what you might actually get…. A 30% increase in price within basically days is a little crazy honestly… especially since the name brands are coming down in price… I think I’ll continue ordering the one that’s less than 1/2 the price and move into a decent name brand in time… appreciate the info….
Hey Robert! I did notice that the price recently went up, and I’m not sure if that’s a permanent increase or if it’s related to supply chain issues (COVID etc).. I will reach out to someone at JP to try to find out. Personally, I’ve noticed the prices of the name brand saxes actually go up in recent times, so I’m not sure which brands you’re referring to that have gotten cheaper - however I’d be curious to know your experience. All the best with your new sax!
Que es mejor ,un jean Paul usa , o un ,apollo Saxofón , Forfavor ayudenmeee ,no tengo. Mucho presupuesto
Mi hijo está aprendiendo a tocar el saxofón con un Jean Paul AS-400, tiene 11 meses de clases formales a distancia y lo considero un buen saxofón para principiantes. Soy de México y compré el saxofón hace dos años a través de Amazon USA. Esto es un poco de lo que ha aprendido th-cam.com/channels/keij7mF3AZS3eDyC3cx93w.html
I've heard from an instrument repair technician that Jean Pauls had the same soft-metal mechanisms found in most cheap saxophones (or instruments in general), but they were "better built" using that same soft metal compared to other cheaper ones. I bought one of those cheap instruments in the past, and suffered the consequences. After reading that statement from a repairman, I did not think it was a worth-it risk, although I only saw one repair technician make that statement. I ended up saving my money and bought a different budget-brand Tenor saxophone from someone who has excellent customer service, great return policy/warranty and has the instruments made in the largest factory in the world (same factory which makes parts for Yamaha, Conn-Selmer, etc). It was a worth-it investment, although the price was more than a Jean-Paul Tenor Saxophone. One thing a professor told me is that cheap brands use "Pot metal". That is a part of the reason why they are extremely soft and easy to bend. Pot metal also makes the instrument hard to repair due to the low melting point. I do not have experience in identifying "pot metal" in instruments, only that if you look in the bore, and you can see brass, it's not pot metal. Has anyone taken their Jean-Paul to the repair technician and was told that the metal is really soft?
Good video but you look SO much like Seth macfarlane
Seth Macfarlane’s put a bit of weight on didn’t know he could play Sax either
You can buy on ebay the yamaha yas-21 for 200 or 300 bucks used in good condition, and the sound and good quality sound ,you will be amazed. And very well tuned japanese sax.