Re: Are "Monique" Saxophones any good? -- Sax Forum

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Date Posted: 12:28:16 03/13/03 Thu
Author: shmuelyosef
Author Host/IP: h-69-3-240-187.SNVACAID.covad.net / 69.3.240.187
Subject: Re: Are "Monique" Saxophones any good?
In reply to: Jeff Sears 's message, "Are "Monique" Saxophones any good?" on 02:03:00 10/10/01 Wed

The big issue with the Taiwanese saxophones is the quality control, some of them play well and some are crap; it's the luck of the draw if you buy mail order. The body parts are made in the same factories as 'respectable' models like the Cannonball and even Yamaha and Yanagisawa student horns. The keys are a big difference...the better horns mentioned above have forged keywork, the Taiwanes horns have cast keywork...this doesn't matter at all until you bump, drop or try to adjust your horn. Then the durability of forged keys make a HUGE difference. Same goes for the cheap pads the Monique uses; if you play regularly and don't meticulously clean your horn, you're lucky to get more than two years of diligent playing, as opposed to the 5-10 you can get from a quality job. I have seen many a young beginning player discouraged from music by a lousy horn...consider that if you are going to use their interest as a guage.

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[> Re: Are "Monique" Saxophones any good? -- Jared, 12:26:58 04/10/03 Thu [1] (cache-mtc-ah04.proxy.aol.com/64.12.96.169)

anyone know of any sites selling a full toned sax for around 1500 or less. I am getting ready for college and have played an old school sax for lack of money, have made it into the local jazz studio orchestra and want a good sax to bring with me..

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[> [> Re: Are "Monique" Saxophones any good? -- Kevin Dolorico, 06:44:45 04/11/03 Fri [1] (66-65-154-117.nyc.rr.com/66.65.154.117)

If you're looking for a good step up horn (or entry level pro horn), I'm actually a big fan of Yamaha horns-- especially the 62 series (and to a lesser extent, the 52 series).

Here's my take: The German/French horns are all about craftsmanship and personality... and the Japanese horns tend to be more about consistency and precision.

The action on the 62s is lightning quick, which actually might bother people used to Selmers... and might simply take getting used to. (I think guys like Dave Koz use Yamahas).

I visited Roberto's WW's (http://www.robertoswoodwind.com/) and convinced me to keep my YAS 62--- they said they've been growing a cult following esp. in classical music and that because of the popularity (apparently there's something "wrong" with the design of the Custom series) they brought it back as the YAS62 II.

The YAS 52 looks like it was made from exactly the same mold, perhaps with cheaper metal (it's about 1lb lighter) and no engraving, but from playing it, it felt exactly the same.

I saw a bunch of places selling the YAS 62 II on ebay (looked like legit places) for like $1500-ish for a brand new horn. Given the consistent quality and feel, they're worth a shot.

Oh, also, while I also have a $4000 Mark VI tenor (83xxx) from Joe Sax, one thing to keep in mind about used vintage horns never depreciate--- I bet I could fetch $500-$1000 more for it just 10 years later while using it all that time... so if you can find a way to spend a little more on a Mark VI, hey, I'm all for it.

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