Cheapest Sax on Amazon VS My Professional Alto Saxophone
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 พ.ค. 2024
- #bettersax #saxophone #amazon
Jay Metcalf compares the cheapest alto saxophone on Amazon versus a professional Yanagisawa alto.
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Do I play the Sax? No.Did I still proceed to watch the whole video? Yes.
same
Do I play the alto saxophone?Yes, I do. Did I watch the entire video? No, I didn’t, I skipped some parts.
Same
Me right now
Same
Bad sax is like bad pizza. Even when it's bad, it isn't THAT bad.
I wish he'd given a warning and a pause before the listening comparison so we could scroll away from the video to do a truly blind test.
@@RateMySkillbridge Ong it does
If you can say that, then you haven't had truly bad pizza.
No it's not. Bad pizza is BAD. Everyone knows it's bad. Most people don't have the trained ear to hear how a professional compares to a novice so to them it's all the same.
The Collective Matter of opinion, I guess. I was thinking by “bad pizza”, he meant “cold pizza”. Q
I think the professional sax handles the quieter notes noticeably better, the dynamic range just felt very smooth to me by comparison. But the Amazon sax still sounds great.
I don't have the ear for this, but looking away from the screen and listening, I could not actually tell the difference. They are both beautiful sounding instruments.
thats crazy.
jokes on you, i can make the $4500 sax sound like a fisher-price toy
Like the saxoboom?
What you said!!!
I can make it sound like a dying cow
@@adwitiyadixit don't say that saxoboom is the biest (bi-est)
I can make it sound like I killed a goose!
I once bought a pair of Chinese white gloves and they came bundled with a sax.
lol!
ftw
My Doctor put on a rubber glove & I don't want to talk about it.
hahaha epic
One time I bought a sax and it came with gloves
Yani is WAY more mellow and smooth. But for a beginner the cheap sax sounds just as good as any student model I've heard and they usually cost more than $300!
Mellow and smooth is a good description. I was going to say it had a cleaner tone, but mellow and smooth is a fitting description.
@@TrevorDennis100 i agree, personally the cheap one sounded a bit raspy but it sounds good for what its worth
You know what, Brother... I've been playing music (keys, bass, drums, baritone, and tuba) for a long time, and there's one thing I've learned. I have seen many players try to get the same tone from cheap stuff versus high-quality instruments and I've discovered this... It's all about the player. Honestly, you made that $270 sax sound really good, as I closed my eyes and just listened. I truly couldn't tell the difference when you switched between the two !!! A great player is simply that... a great player. Facts 🎷😎
Never played the Sax. Never listened to Sax. TH-cam: This is perfect for you my man.
check out sonny rollins live show called saxophone colossus, anything by stan getz, john coltrane, jackie mclean, coleman hawkins, sun ra, and as for contemporary recommendations, karl denson and kamasi washington are killing it these days.. peace ✌🏼 🎷
oh shit, CHARLIE PARKER too lol...music is a gift
Mood
lordmattu666 lmfao same
Wow! The exact same happened with me!
I wasn't looking for a saxophone but I am drunk and that's a bargain
So did you buy it?
@@davidMax19 no, I didn't. Which is lucky for the neighbors
Lol this is to much
On gagne de l’argent
You should buy one. LOL.
Hey Jay: Thanks for this entertaining video. The budget sax may be a relatively good deal-but I suspect the real determining factor here is you! I've known other great players who could pick up mediocre instruments and make them sound wonderful. In other words, sheer experience can often compensate for what an instrument lacks. So I don't know how many of your subscribers who order something like this will get comparable results. Still, fun show!
Nice job. I agree with Zeppy, Jay. A (former) local music store owner used to amaze me by making any guitar sound better than it had any right to sound.
Honestly, biggest difference I heard was in the warmth of the tone. Yani was a more warm tone with deeper depth of sound. Very surprising, indeed.
The expensive sax clearly sounds better, but the Amazon sax is WAY MORE than enough to learn with and get very proficient
I’m learning on a Yamaha sax but I’ve done my grade 1 but I wouldn’t risk doing it on a cheap sax x
Exactly what i was thinking listening to it with good earphones.
But price/performance the cheap win and is enough to get started
Yeah, I was about to say the same. The Amazon sax sounds good. Like, plenty good for a learner. A new player will not outplay that instrument. The expensive sounds real nice though. Better resonance, richer, less "breathy".
I started with a bufet crampon and then went to selmer super action 80 series 2
For someone who doesn't have the tools to perform the adjustments at the beginning, is this still a suitable starting instrument?
Quarantine days.
Me: know nothing about saxophone.
Also me: watching this video with serious face and judging like a professional.
Turkic İstanbul I’ve watched this video before (under better circumstances), but I think I’m going to check out this sax or something close to it to keep me and my mind busy! :)
Thanks for the vid. I’m thinking about checking this one out!
Today I bought the yamaha venova with knowing nothing about play sax
...and for this reason alone , I call you brother ! lol
@Akar Acharya I hate prejudiced people like you. How do you know he/she is Muslim? Go see a doctor.
I played a sax for a few years as a kid in high school. I didn't keep up with it after high school, because they've always been an expensive instrument to own. Recently while browsing Amazon, I came across a few musical instruments, which made me wonder if Amazon might have a Saxophone as well. I was shocked to see how cheap you could get one, like this one in your video. I'm 45 now, and it's been over 25 years since I played, but I'm enjoying learning again :) Thanks for the comparison, your Yanagisawa is amazing, and clearly a better sound, but the Lazarro I ended up with is good enough to practice with for now :)
I had to stop in elementary school because we walked a long way and it was just too heavy for me (rental in the suitcase). My partner bought a Glory from Bezoz for me because I keep talking about how much I wish I could try again at 39 here I am beginning again thanks to TH-cam University! 😂 LOVE the content!
I got a cheap one for about $100 3 years ago, mind you it was slightly used. They claimed one of the lower pads leaked but it was a simple adjustment from someone who had no clue what they were doing to fix it. And it still plays absolutely beautifully today. As beautiful as it looks. Boight it for my son to get into band before the pandemic hit and ruined everything. Now i play it instead and its wonderful. Point is you dont have to ve rich to have beautiful looking and sounding instruments.
Me: I have never once searched anything on TH-cam for any kind of instrument
TH-cam : difference between a cheap sax vs professional sax
Me: WTF ok I’ll watch some of it
Same here haha. Def watched the whole thing
Exactly what happened to me dood
*watches all of it*
Same happened to me
Also me: Now I want a saxophone!
As the saying goes: “Any sax is better than no sax.”
you know 10 mins ago I read where you wrote " “Any sax is better than no sax.” and I actually just took it at face value, like that was a direct saying. It may be and old joke in some musician circles, idk. It's a bit odd that I didn't think of what is probably a play on an old saying about sex. So maybe it's an old joke about an even older saying, idk any of that. I'm just saying oddly I didn't think of any of that, or get the joke or the reference, even though that is all sorta pretty immediately plain to me anyway. I think I was in the headspace upon reading it, that literally any sax is better than no sax, because I was in a moment of appreciating some tastefully and well played sax. And I don't often listen to that. So then 10 mins later I was still here and read that saying again and took it more as probably intended. Also, maybe any sax is better than no sax when it comes to these modern instruments. But it is definitely not true that any sex is better than no sex, lol. Maybe sex with yourself, lol.
People say that? =/
eltouristoduo I thought it was a missed opportunity in terms of titling your TH-cam video. I still enjoy a good pun / double entendres / play on words. I’m always amazed by how flexible the English language can be and I don’t think people appreciate the way in can be constructed to have multiple meanings.
Btw, your video randomly popped up in my recommendation. Even though I don’t play the sax, I watched your video!!! Very educational and entertaining...
unless it's sax from your dad.
No sax is better than any sax. Worst instrument ever.
I love the fact that he was honest about the link, no playing around straight forward and at the end of the video after he made sure that we will enjoy and see the difference
I've been playing Alto sax 47 years and I honestly couldn't tell the difference. Duribility will be the difference. They are more duriible than they used to be I've read. My 2saxes from 06 and 09 from a cheap Chinese company wouldn't hold up and were in the shop a lot. But surprisingly sounded good.
I've been playing instruments for around 50 years also. I heard no sound quality difference either. I also suspect if it were a blind folded test, those who swore the expensive instrument sounded better would likely claim the budget instrument sounded better or, in the absence of potential visual bias, would claim no sound quality difference.
Yes, these days, the budget instruments are far superior than they were 10 years ago. Most of this has to do with manufacturing improvements with automated computer controlled production equipment.
Hand-made attention to detail has been replaced by far more detailed computer automation. So, we'll continue to see far more superior instruments emerge in the budget range.
Eventually, the only differences between a high-end instrument and a budget instrument will be the material types used as precision is becoming a common given among all grades.
The professional one obviously sounds better, just not $4,200 better.
Hi Waylon
A lot of that price difference is not just for the listener, but the player. It's harder to get a good sound and show good technique with a student model horn.
Yeah I can understand a price increase just from the quality but not that much of an increase.
@jon kenny Why not? Quality is not just from using better materials, but the precision workmanship that goes into it.
It's no different from the difference in price from some particle board table from Wal-mart and a finely made table made of real materials from Ethan Allen. You get what you pay for.
And how did you measure that? In my opinion it sounded $10,000 better...
2015: no intentions of searching up a sax
2016: no intentions of searching up a sax
2017: no intentions of searching up a sax
2018: no intentions of searching up a sax
2019: TH-cam recommendations:
Same
some device connected to the internet either heard you talk about a sax or you typed in saxophone somewhere and bam, it comes up as a recommend
Same I have never ever searched up a saxophone on any of my youtube accounts for about 5 or 6 years since ive started using youtube and i dont even play a band instrument and im logged onto my youtube account not even as a guest or something and this pops up?!?!?
ahahah
Same at first I wanted to play alto sax but I got trumpet instead.
Great demonstration but I couldn't tell the difference and I had my eyes closed. Love your program
Honestly the saxophone doesnt really matter that it is expensive or not, as long as it is not damaged and it works perfectly fine, it all comes down to a good Mouth piece, reed and ligature (from what I've heard)
I can't tell. I got my Chinese headphones on Amazon.
Now that's funny~!!!
:'D :'D :'D
Had to run to bathroom to pee. Died laughing.
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL !!!!!!
genius
omg I was scrolling through the comments when he was playing and didn't even realize he swapped saxes
Bill Li same
Same here. And people are saying the professional one sounds a little better. If you werent looking like us, you might not even realize
Totally agree... Happened to me also
I was expecting to notice the change but no...never
god it gets worse.... swaped saxes ???? this is like a threesome.
Same
I rather enjoyed the playability on both. While there were sound variations in the 2, there was nothing substantial to warrant pricing, at least to me. What is quite more interesting is if the masses didn't realize the price difference they wouldn't notice the sound difference. Thanks again for your comparison it was GREAT!
That's also have i feel, if i didn't know which were which i would have thought it was the same
Sound and playability are two different issue and if you never play this instrument then you cannot comment on playability. Playability is how much an instrument allowed itself to be played without giving you a hard time. True even a bad instrument can sound good if you put an humongus amount of energy and efforts in it but from such instruments we run away.
Surprising good.. cause your a good player. The the expensive one is more smoother,brighter better tone and timber in the lower register...❤
I feel like the professional one sounds a little more warmer and softer
The higher notes on the alto sax sound less horsey too.
@@notnilc2107 They're both alto
@@ashmack6231 Not gonna deny that I'm a dumb ass piece of shit but my reasoning in saying the cheap sax wasn't alto was cus the video never mentioned that it was alto. I kinda just assumed that "alto" was a brand of sorts, kinda like stradivarius violins.
@@notnilc2107 ok sorry but have you ever played in a band or played an instrument
@@prodbysteexy I played Hot Cross Buns on a recorder in primary school once. Does that count?
4500$ was richer, 270 was buzzier.
But still epic value for 270
The 270 does produce a bit more in the upper frequencies (some might call that buzzier) The 4500 produces less in the upper frequencies (some might call that warmer) The fact that the 270 stays on pitch and overall sounds pretty good makes it an absolute bargain. Would also make a good second or third instrument for the accomplished. I am not a real musician, but a mixer so who notices sounds most people would never notice( to a fault quite often)
@@2wrdr I wonder how much of the quality has changed through the digital conversion. I suspect the Professional Sax probably sounds even better in person.
@@draconicepic4124 I'd be curious to see it tested blind. I tried not looking at the video, and there's a few times, where I thought he'd switched instrument and hadn't. Also, if this was with the cheap mouthpiece, there's no doubt in my mind that this sax, assuming it can last a long time with proper care, can carry any one wanting to learn to play for a couple of years, or until they decide if they want to invest in a high quality instrument. And at 270$, that's almost a steal. When I learned to play, around 15 years ago, the cheapest sax I could find new was around 450, didn't sound as good, and had way more rattle in the keys.
Just to be clear, I haven't played in over ten years, and I was never more than an amateur player, so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but if I wanted to play again just for fun once in a while, I'd definitely jump on the occasion and buy that amazon sax.
And i wonder how it affects the player.
Next time, try without knowing wich sax you play.
In any case, a saxophone always come from a factory. So you cannot doubt the differences are "minor", unlike violins or clarinets, wich can come from luthier, using very specific woods, and crafting techniques.
I compared the sounds to, listening to music on the radio vs bluetooth. Basically what you said.
That’s so amazing, I watched it with my grand-nephew who is a freshman in high school. He’s looking to upgrade his sax and this was definitely an eye opener. Thx for sharing
What matters is the person behind the sax. You're great mahn! I thought my instrument was bad but now I've realized that it's me who's wack.😢
The cheap one sounds sharper, brighter. The expensive one sounds smoother, warmer. If that makes any sense.
Exactly, pro alt sax is like for low sexy Jazz while Amazon alt sax sounds more Growling, for Rock music. As a guitar player I'd definitely prefer Amazon version for bad-ass solo keys firstly, but both are amazing for collection.
th-cam.com/video/fCPglgwmzuk/w-d-xo.html
Exactly what I was thinking. The Yanagisawa has a warmer, smoother tone to it for sure. The cheap one is a bit...tinnier?
I hope it makes sense. I thought the same thing.
That's most likely because the brand is aware more beginners (starting to buy better saxes) start with cheap ones, since they won't have the best embouchure it needs to be made sharper.
Since nobody does Im going to say it: The cheap one sounded like ass
As a saxophone player myself of 20 years, I was actually shocked as to how good that cheap saxophone sounded. I would never have thought of buying a saxophone on Amazon... my niece and nephews are beginning to play instruments in school and this is something I will definitely tell them about.
At lower price ranges there's virtually no difference between cheap AliExpress stuff and slightly more expensive music store bought one. Perhaps the quality control varies more at the lower range but that's it (at least in my experience)
Hi I have a question for Gmon750 if they don't mind? I am 58 and want to learn to play the Sax . How difficult and how long would it take with the desired hours put into the practice. Regards Allan
@@allanedwards2490
Sorry to barge in when you asked another for an answer, but here is mine, I hope you don't mind. To get "good" at the saxophone you have to make it a part of yourself. The journey to learning how to express yourself through the saxophone is fun and amazing. There is no need to put an amount of time one should practice or how many years it will take to be able to perform. The trick is to play it every day. At some point in the day pick her up and play. If you can't play that day try to watch videos here or listen to some of the legends who have picked up the horn before you. The better you get and more you understand time will melt away as you're playing. Before you know it you'll have practiced for hours. So don't worry about the amount of time to play to get good. I guarantee if you pick up your saxophone every day with the intention to learn you'll get good.
@@rhewt01 awesome Matthew i really appreciate your advice and support. I sing, play guitar and am 58 years old. Decided with my son 21 years old to do this together for fun. Music is just a hobby and for the shower lol. We look forward to doing this.
Yea it’s a great price especially for beginners and kids in school
You make both Sing. Love your playing and all the feels.
I have a sax for 4 years and No i carnt play i just love the look of all my instruments on my wall guitars, Banjo, drum set etc etc a complete shopaholic i closed my eyes and listened to you and........didnt notice any change in instrument, but thank you, your amazing
The gloves are for protection, practice safe sax kids!
Lol, very good
+1 internet
safe but horrible for sax playing. in marching band our really thin gloves always clipped my little bflat key ruining my beautiful marching band blast :(
Lol
Lol
Forgot to add, a massive advantage of these imports is that it allows more people to gain access to a musical instrument which can only be a good thing.
Very true!
as long as the instrument is built well enough not to be a discouragement.
that would of been a game changer in the 1800s
Mike Smith so true. There are a lot of kids I see in my school who can’t afford the expensive quality instruments. These cheaper ones work great as a cheaper starter horn.
I'm impressed with the Amazon sax. It's not the Yani, but yet impressive. As a repair tech of over 35 years, I'll be honest I've never worked on one of these but would think I might be seeing some come in the shop. Some techs won't work on them, but with more and more out there we might have to accommodate our customers. I worry about keys breaking easily. Key mechanisms can be refit, tone holes faced properly, etc...but all comes with a price. If there are any techs out there reading this, and have worked on these, please chime in and let me know what you think. Thank you!
Thank you so much for this review. I'm looking on getting one for Christmas.
The inexpensive sax sounds better than I thought. The professional seems to have a warmer volume to it.
I just hear a higher volume with the one that costs more money.
If you listen again you can hear the volume is higher on the expensive one.
The cheap sax dose sound really good.
Seriously impressed with that Amazon sax. The professional sax sounds "creamier" than the amazon one, but not by a night and day difference
It's like the difference in a $200 Mongoose and a $4,000 Santa Cruz
Corey Chick Right! I was thinking the same thing.
yea .. the expensive one sounds more mellow than the cheaper one
my concern would be more durability/build quality. I would check the reviews to make sure it doesn't fall apart after a month.
@@TS-fh9sd damn good point.
The lacquer on cheaper instruments is very thin and delicate, your sweat will eat into the lacquer eventually wearing it right through. The idea of the gloves is to try and keep your sweat off the lacquer. Also these instruments are aimed at the lower end marching band market where they do often wear gloves, so you not only protect the finish but you can practice for how you'll be performing if it's a gloved marching band. It's meant to be an all in one kit, you get the straps, cleaning tools, gloves etc.
Higher end instruments tend to not come with any accessories, assuming someone spending that kind of money will want to personalize their accessories more.
Thank you so very much for this. My nephew needs a saxophone for school, but my sister is on a budget, and I think you have saved our bacon!
The saxophones sound like 720p and 4k respectively. The cheap one's clearly acceptable but not exceptional like the pro sax. I'd buy it.
Excellent way of describing it. The cheap one is less clean and clear, but it's not so wrong as to be unusable.
@@JT-be5tv especially considering the fact the theres a 16.7x difference in price.
Couldn’t describe it any better.
good enough for new player or for school
For the price the cheapest is good
I’ve taught for 25 years and every beginning student eventually thinks a pro horn will make them sound tons better. I’ve always said as long as a sax is in good condition it’s almost 99% the player that determines the sound. Great video ! Tnx
I think what great gear does is make you want to constantly play it.
Cheap garbage given to new students is normally uncomfortable to hear, hard to keep tuned well, and itchy to play.
At that, you're better buying or acquiring a beat-up whatever than getting garbage that's new. :)
I can say that about drums and such. I know jack about horns.
I have had cheap stuff last close to 20 years with minor mods. (Squire bass got a re-fret...feels better to play) imo:)
same goes for any instrument. hendrix could make a squier strat sound enormous, i'm sure. bonham could do the same for a set of pearl exports. head's up: it's not that your instrument isn't versatile, YOU'RE not versatile!
I couldn't agree more. There are slight differences in tone between the two saxes but a good player can make just about anything sound good
BUNDY II with a good mouthpiece and reed combo for the win.
@@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 Well it depends on the instrument.
With drums quality matters a lot, even an uneducated ear can make the difference, especially with cymbals. No matter how good you hit a crash, if it's a poor quality one, it will irritate your ear. Even the best drummer in the world can't make a bad cymbal sound decent.
However with some other instruments it's more about the player, than the quality of the instrument. Experienced players can make even the worst quality instrument sound decent.
Yes. Yani's sound is deeper, richer, and smoother. But the Amazon's is amazing for the price.
Thank you, I use this Ammon-saxophone since two years, I'm very glade and happy.
Oh well I'm a professional musician and there is a BIG difference between them..
*the price*
explain
@@jfkesq one costs $270 and the other $4500
The freaking price. I'm pro too.
Ilyaboss2006 Well it’s a great starter sax
The sound difference is massive too... Plus you can hear him struggling with the chinese horn...
$270: slightly more brass in the sound, a little less smooth in the note transitions (obviously not the fault of Jay) but overall good sound
$4500: way smoother and more buttery timbre, notes glide really well in quick figures
I mean, if you’re making professional grade money in music, go for the minutiae that make a better instrument any day.
I Prichard yes! I was trying to find the words but that describes it perfectly.
Also, the amazon sax has a buzzy character to its tone which plays somewhat well with how he plays it
ultimategotea yeah! That’s the brass in the sound i was talking about. Definitely not off-putting, but there’s a definite increase in quality when you can tell that every note in the $4500 sax was as smooth as could be when its supposed to be.
okay no hate i hear literally no difference, the only difference is either save money or spend 3400 extra dollars on a "better" sax instead
@@thanhtruong9672 ho do you say no hate then immediately tell him to shut the fuck up like wheres the logic in that
Great vid Jay, thanks! The Yani had more lower frequencies coming through - well, just more frequencies or harmonics so had a much juicier, pleasing to the ear tone. It was more noticeable at the lower and higher ends of the sax. Having said that, the Amazon sax seems to be great value. I wonder how it would stand up to heavy playing over 18 months?
I’ve wanted an alto sax for a long time but it’s hard to get into it with limited knowledge and a lot of musicians go off of preference. I think ima just take a swing at the Amazon sax to learn the basics and build up from there. I’m definitely combing this channel up and down 👍👍
I think this demo shows us that it's the player not the horn.
Erica the Magnificent! Definitely a mix of both
And mouthpiece and reed is what makes the difference
Sometimes it also depends on the positioning of the neck and how it is attached to the body.
Thank you Yo Ho
Amen, to my ears virtually very little difference!
"Listen carefully with your headphones or good speakers"
Me with earplugs that work only on one side from a 2009 Blackberry
HAH
My earphones came from th e 90's walkman... with 1 working ear...
@JRT that's not broke, just lazy. You've probably spent more on one meal or crate of beer recently than a decent pair of headphones costs
😂😂👍🏼
Only one of your headphones ears is broken?!
Escuché toda la prueba de sonido con auriculares en el celular. Pero para escuchar en alta fidelidad utilicé la computadora de mi hijo y auriculares profesionales, y quedé asombrado por la calidd del sonido del saxo chino. Es increible la similitud con el saxo dorado. No es facil reconocer para este músico que los chino nos estan sacando muchísima ventaja en casi todos los instrumentos que fabrican.
My friend had a bad experience with an Amazon tenor. It cost about $300 from a brand called Eastrock, and the octave key would break every time it was picked up. After several costly repairs that ended up costing more than the sax, he just got a used Yamaha student model which is the one he still plays today
"Wow. The mouth piece actually plays"
This man had extremely low expectations😂😂😂
I mean, there are probably worse mouthpieces on the market--I remember one I had that came with my old student sax was BAD sounding lmao
Idk why either, it cost $270, that seems pretty good for any saxophone in my eyes, it just gets better and better until it's crazy expensive
I have attempted a cheap clarinet mount piece and couldn’t make a sound. I was crying because it just thought I’d never be able to play, then my friend handed me her nice clarinet and I was able to produce a sound immediately. I ordered a new mouth piece
Totally incomparable because almost completely electronic, but, there are videocamera's available that really have an appearance that shouts "Professional" (because shoulder mount) while for about 3200 euro's when buying one of those new you'd actually have a very terrible videocamera that, not at all has any of the advantages of a professional videocamera that might cost just 500 euro's more and actually get's you a professional videocamera, that, most of the times also does not has the words "professional" written at every possible side of the box, because the people buying an actual professional videocamera know what they are buying.
So, for that price difference, I can really expect that.
Sometimes, as is the case in this comment section, the comments are good for many laughs. :)
A great player of any instrument can make ANYTHING sound amazing and he just did an outstanding job illustrating this
I was thinking the same thing lol! I think it’s him and not the sax.
@MR.random57 I found Jesus! He was against the wall behind my sofa. I honestly don’t think he minded being there.
Reminds me of the old saw, "There's something wrong with my horn."
Here, give me that.
Nope, nothing wrong...
True. They're good enough for school band or maybe a secondary horn in a cover band.
I have an Oleg gold bari as my main axe, but an inexpensive tenor and soprano for those odd gigs and basketball games.
@@alphakky I do not play an instrument anymore but I played (should say “tried to play”) an old wood Buffet clarinet that was my moms. It’s a whole lot harder than it looks to get the right note. I have a greater appreciation for the time and work musicians put in alongside their talent.
i was pealing an egg as the test was ongoing and i got the chills and when i looked up it was exactly the moment you pulled the 4k sax, amazing and clean sound and the cheap sax still sounded pretty good and heart worming a great instrument for a beginner.
The expensive one clearly sounds better, but definitely not $4000 better.
Yeah the notes are cleaner i would say but strangely i preffer the sound of the cheaper one . It gave a more rustic sound to me
@@SchafdoggGTO Probably feels a lot more comfortable to play as well
@@SchafdoggGTO Exactly!
sound is not the only thing, build quality and replacement parts and ease of mechanics are also worth apart of the cost.
Agreed
Just goes to show it's the player and not the horn, the horn is a plus, but he still sounded great on the inexpensive horn.
Deff.
Although beginners will have a easier time learning on a quality instrument
The body of the saxophone practically has no defining role in the quality of the tone. The rich, clear sound that you're going for is within you're embouchure, airflow, and the quality of your mouthpiece and reed. Everything from there down is pretty standard.
@@lucid_sound_design Exactly, you're completely right! I noticed a slightly bigger sound and more body to the sound on the Yangisawa and more of a brightness in the Chinese sax. They have slight differences but just as you said, it's down to your embouchure, air flow, and everything else. He still sounded the same on both horns, only slight differences in the tone.
@@lucid_sound_design
When i bought my selmer, i tested it vs a a bit cheaper yani, which i intended to buy originally. I found a much bigger sound so that i bought the selmer. I mean yes, a great player can get great results with both, but there really is a difference
Im 63. Only lessons i had playing were on violin at P.S. 138 in crown heights Bklyn over fifty years ago. The prof sax sounded consistently more earthy tone sounds for my ear which might not count for much. This channel captures my interest bc im a Huge Tower of Power fan.
@Better Sax, I would like to thank you for this video, watched it 4 years ago and this video helped me decide to buy the Amazon sax just to see if the instrument was indeed for me.
I would just want to say Thank you!
Because of this specific video I have started to play the saxophone ❤
Great to hear!
In Japan they say 下手人道具調: "the unskillful keeps searching for the right tool" - but the skilled all know it is in the player!
工欲善其事 必先利其器
In English we say "a poor craftsman blames his tools." A universal sentiment!
Good equipment is definitely advantageous over bad equipment though. If the cheap sax starts falling apart it won't be much good.
In chile we say “tocai como el pico” which means “the tool doesnt give talent” and i love it
Very true.
Well i dont know if you are going to read this but, the gloves represents the asian respect and pride for the instrument that they have sold you.
Sorry for my bad english.
Alejandro López that’s amazing
Bruh
Stooooooopid
Chinese boy 806
@@nobody-219 that's rad
I've have a Selmer Mark VI Tenor that I got in 1971(no high f# key). Upon seeing my sax for the first time, one of my music teachers told that if there are any sour notes, I won't be able to blame the horn. I've yet to use it to its full potential and that's on me.
Shockingly good!
Sounds good to me!
I’m a novice, so I really need to take your word for it!
There was quite a difference..but not a 4000$ difference, that's for sure!
Aimwork in wanted to write the same xD
The pro sax is much smoother and richer sounding. But, if you weren't hearing them side by side......
Agreed!
you pay the difference for quality.
I would agree. The cheap one is only 6% of the cost of the expensive one and plays great for an average player. I mean it cost less than the 6.5% sales tax on the pro version
You were recording that door for weeks just anxiously waiting for the postman
Lol it was staged, he didn't even sign for it
Wooosh
SkillerPenguin its not in france its in canada
@@dermohammetdarfdasnet5206 Oh my bad, I'm new here.
Tankh Sees Can I get a youtuber to make an r/wooosh vid on this man
Thank you so much for this great video. It is really inspiring that you can get high quality instruments for a good price.
The professional sounded like it had better dynamic range, but the cheap one was still remarkable
I'm toying with the idea of learning saxophone, and it's cool to know the price is somewhat accessible
Hello 👋 Paige. How are you doing? Hope you are fine. I'm Zack Hudson and am from Denver Colorado,, where are you from? You seem like a real country girl
Amazon raised the price. It's now $338.10. They must have seen your video. But on a positive note, maybe Yanagisawa lowered theirs.
Also the professional sax is now less than $2,000, because of your video
😆
in germany the same model sax costs between 190 and like 250 Im rlly thinking about getting one
damn thats a long fucking link
@celow banks how is it and where did u get it
I listened with my eyes closed and I actually SHOCKINGLY liked the cheaper one better in some ways. The more expensive one was thinner I thought. He's a great saxophonist. So, he could make about anything sound great. I often think this with pool cues (I play halfway seriously) A great pool player will win with whichever stick he chooses. Good video. Btw, I've played alto sax since fifth grade and I'm creeping up on 50. I wonder how many of the folks who commented listened with their eyes closed? Expectations are an SOB.
I usually am biased towards pricey stuff and watched with my eyes open but I really, really preferred the sound of the cheapo
My dad has the same story
I preferred the cheaper sounding one too. Seemed to have more feeling somehow.
How would you know wich one you were listening to if you had your eyes closed?
@@jorgeirizarry5971 because after you're done listening, you can open your eyes.
First of all kudos to you, since the single most important factor is the musician. And you make both the saxes sound great! With regards to the pro sax it has a much more fulll and melodic sound to it. As it should have. 🙂
I used to work for King Musical Instruments in the mid 70s. A King Super 20 Silver Sonic is worth a heck of a lot more today, then when it was made in the 60's. So what I am saying is "the reputation is part of the equation".
I've been playing Kings on alto and tenor since 1963. I've got one of each Zepher models. They are the best in my opinion, oh yes I have a Mk 6 and I prefer the Kings.
And here is me, a med student, who has nothing to do with sax playing or music, at 4 am watching this....
So... As a fellow med student watching this late in the evening, never having played an instrument in my life... I just did a double take reading this 😂
Me at midnight lol
Security officer (off-duty of course!) sitting here at 4AM watching this after watching a bunch of POTC / Star Wars Symphony Orchestra videos...
Same well not a med student but high school student at 23:55
Same here lol medical physicist watching this at 2 in the morning
So the cheap one is like margarine and the expensive one is butter
Kerry butter
You described it best mate
Pretty much
@DJ Nepi lul
@DJ Nepi Its better cuz its more smooth
I haven't played my Alto Saxophone since 2022. That was the year I quit my high school band. Fortunately, I still know how to play it. You can never forget. As the saying goes, it's just like riding a bicycle.
"Tastes like a Chinese factory."
*oh no*
I was looking for this comment Lmao
Bruh 😂
CORONAVIRUS
The name Coronavirus is getting on my nerves. It's annoying. Covid-19 sounds a lot cooler too.
Soon as he said I was like SHIT! GROUND ZERO!!!
Me: How to make fermented hot sauce?
TH-cam: Here's a cheap sax vs an expensive sax.
me: ok 🤷♂️
proceeds to watch the whole video.
😂😂
I'm happy that I'm not the only one looking for "how to make fermented hot sauce" ending here haha
Does fermented hot sauce mean like tabasco sauce?
@@loverabbitt I think so, yes
🤣🤣🤣
Esse vídeo já tem 4 anos mas ajuda de mais pois vou comprar um sax para começar a aprender e sou apaixonado pelo instrumento graças Sr George Michael .
Hey man I appreciate the content! Definitely helps to hear the difference when trying to decide what to buy. Quick question, what piece were you playing? Sounds amazing!
The cheaper one sounds rougher, but not by a whole lot. Not bad, Amazon.
SamanthaNickole02 I liked that gritty sound on the cheap sax.
That's what I thought, there is almost no difference
@@mystwolfe7791 me 2 haha nice for some dirty blues ;p
What does Amazon have to do with it other than shipping the sax? It's made by a Chinese company, not Amazon.
@@cassius_eu5970 Great question 😂😂
My mom didn't want me to join orchestra or band when I was in school because she thought there'd be to much sax and violins.
Nice!
"Too much sax" is it even humanly possible to arrange those words in that order?
That is bad (but it made me laugh)
@@Incognito-gh5qi it's inhumane
*Throws Tomato* ;)
Oh wow ya so ur professional one smoother especially on the higher notes but the cheap one still holds very well thats amazing, I actually am looking to start playing again which is why i found ur video so thankyou
I just bought the same sax two weeks before seeing this video and spent $241 for the regular finish. I am very pleased that you like it. As a beginner, I don't want to spend a lot, and never want to spend as much on a sax that I can on a car!
Eddy Van Halen famously said that, whatever guitar & rig he plays, it winds up sounding like him - it’s the way he plays, not the rig setup, that makes his sound. Jay proves here, yet again, that it’s the player that makes the horn sound fabulous, not the other way around, and Jay makes the Chinese sax sound like solid gold. That said, Jay’s pro instrument is so buttery smooth, his phrases flow effortlessly. The Chinese sax, surprisingly good as it is, seems to put up a little more resistance.
I heard a funny story from Dave Weckl about a sax player named George Coleman who was talking with a fan after a gig. The fan pointed to the sax sitting on stage and said "wow that sax sounds just beautiful", and George pointed to the saxophone and responded, "yeah? how does it sound right now?".
Devan Swaine, exactly :)
Eddie Van Halen is a God.
@@LtPuff Yes he is!🤘🎸
I'm no musician. The Chinese sax sounds a little sad. I like that bluesy edge.
This video made me buy the saxophone and teach myself starting in October. I got it on eBay for 150$ including shipping. I can now play 20 songs and it sounds pretty good.
video of it or never happened
Mascha Bär Had you studied music before purchasing the sax?
@@ilin76bb I bought the same sax kit on eBay ($158 US, shipped free by FedEx from a US warehouse).
From the description/pics, the engraving looks like the Ammoon manufacturer is shipping out their production overruns. The description uses the guitar tuning term "Drop E" in the description, instead of "E Flat" (the hint that it's the China manufacturer). But hey, a very low initial investment to see if you're worth pursuing it.
Now, I have to make a cheap "silent box" to practice:
th-cam.com/video/dY2x9ercvGs/w-d-xo.html
Can you
1. Play who let the nightcourt theme
2. Can you play at my wedding
YoungBlaze I can learn and yes
Back when I had a little money, I got both a tenor (for when the good one is in the shop) and an alto, cheap Chinese knock-offs. After finding the best mouthpiece/ligature/reed setup, both have a nice sound. The pitch through the entire range is not as accurate as my pro horn, but I've learned to adapt. (alt fingerings work). The alto even had 2 mouthpieces; I chose the better one for me. Both needed tweaking, but the price is right. Thanks.
What MP ?
That thing sounds INCREDIBLE for that price!! Really like the finish as well
The $4500 sax should come with rubber gloves and Vaseline.
And should really give you personal guidance counselling for that price
Of mice and men reference?
Lol. Plus an autotune device
What’s the vaseline for?
hoo boy
Doesn't matter if the sax is $270 or $4500, the person playing is the key.
Marcus L not really, if the sax is high quality the tone would be better and it would be able to play lower notes and high notes at ease. But if you have a bad quality instrument, then tone would be worse and you might have trouble making the high notes sound good. Goes for any instrument really
I agree. Legends can make great music with any type of instrument. Creativity is key.
I don't play instruments but I do have other hobbies. With that said, I am still %100 positive that a good player can make anything sound good. A higher quality tool will only make that which is good even better.
I would be willing to bet Usain Bolt could still outrun %90 of the human population while wearing work boots, he just uses track shoes to compete in the top %10.
@@zososldier Same concept applies to Photography
@@alexandergermanelo1146True, but you can give a nice saxophone to a new player it wouldn't sound as good as a advanced player with a cheap instrument. The person playing is the key.
I love music the saxophone is my favorite. You did a very very nice demonstration of how good a entry level saxophone can sound in the hands of a professional, but even with some hearing loss at age 62 l like the sound of the more expensive one better. Having said that I could listen to you playing either all day. long
Thanks for doing this review man. I'm totally going with the Amazon saxophone. I could hear a slight change in between the both of them of course the more expensive one being the clearer. But I'm not even sure if I'll become a professional but so the Amazon will work for me for now.
It sounds the same when you have a 10 bucks speaker
Same. #3rdworldcountry
@Domnq What are hp's? If they're in any way respectable, you should know about youtube's compression and shitty audio quality.
A A you mean not listening carefully
@@Victor-qk7mw where? I'll mail you speakers.
Chris Jiménez hahahaha
The professional one had a fuller sound is the thing I mainly noticed
X2 but actually the quality sound is not so different
ya, it's like deeper and less .... plastic like?
Yea the amazon one sounds choppy and the professional one sounds smoother
It could also be due to him knowing his professional instrument better; but we all just came here to watch some random saxophone shenanigans, not to get an actual review.
Fuller is the right word. The pro one has more low end and high end content, and less high mid, with some other mid on the frequency range dipped down. That's the tecnhical way of saying fuller and smoother
I do not play sax but I closed my eyes when you played and heard no difference with the 1st 2 switches. When you went to the 3rd one, It sounded just a bit sharp. Then it became a bit more in tune. At the end, they sounded the same. I am amazed. I am a trumpet player and I was amazed between my Yamaha and a king that sounded Identical.
Thanks for the great comparison! I play a Mark IV and a Selmer C* . I know the player makes the difference. The Amazon sax wasn’t that bad, but the difference in the depth of sound in yours is quite noticeable.
Is it bad that I can’t really tell a difference?
If you play it then yeah otherwise nah you just have be around instruments to really get a grasp of musical sound
I play trombone and I hear no difference in sound at all
from what i heard, the expensive have a crisp clean output tone, the less have a slight sharp tone but it sounds fine. i am not professional just from what i heard.
yes because the more expensive sax has a more richer and clearer tone while the cheaper one does not have that sort of punch you would expect with the more expensive one. 👍😂
@@14KroshTV
the same what i think
I closed my eyes for the demo and all I heard was beautiful music
David Leitman I love your comment
I did the same at first, and it wasn't until the tune was almost over that I looked and realized he was switching between horns throughout the whole thing. I couldn't tell otherwise.