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Date Posted: 07:48:43 04/18/05 Mon
Author: rez
Author Host/IP: ip68-106-236-62.ph.ph.cox.net / 68.106.236.62
Subject: Re: Are "Monique" Saxophones any good?
In reply to: Brett 's message, "Re: Are "Monique" Saxophones any good?" on 02:57:26 11/24/04 Wed

I'll be trying a Monique Pro tenor soon. I can't afford to get into the $800+ range at this time and I need a decend doubler tenor. I play a Mark VI alto professionally and own a Yanagisawa soprano, so I'll have some points of comparison regarding workmanship. I'll also be doing some switching with the other tenor players -- who mainly have Yamahas -- so I should be able to determine if they are comparable. Since I play with a huge big band setup (I'll use a Berg Larson 115/0 mp), I'll know pretty quickly if the Monique is able to sound decent at the high-end of the volume range. The Pro model has plenty of adjustments, so most the intonation issues should be solved with some minor adjustments on the horn. My expectations are low -- I'm not expecting a horn that can equal a Zephyr or Mark VI, but I am expecting it to sound like a good tenor sax...(or it goes back to Dominics as a trade in to another tenor brand) -- stay tuned...

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[> [> [> Re: Are "Monique" Saxophones any good? -- rez, 11:31:58 04/30/05 Sat [1] (ip68-106-234-228.ph.ph.cox.net/68.106.234.228)

I just receive my "Monique Pro" tenor sax (made in Taiwan). It is clearly not up to the top quality of a vintage Selmer, but it played quite well and the intonation was good overall (i.e. nothing extraordinary was required to bring a note into tune.) It was very free-blowing, which is what I expected and wanted in a tenor. With the right mouthpiece/reed setup, this horn could easily be played at a semi-pro level with no real setbacks. I'll play it some more over the next few weeks with some different setups to see if I change my opinion, but I believe I got an excellent value for my $500. I would happily pay as much as $700 USD for this horn (special finishes would be an issue, but I am not a fan of lollipop-looking horns). This is a very reasonable choice for those on a limited budget who need a tenor sax that can take them through high school (if they take care of the horn of course...!) For college, I would suggest looking to upgrade to one of the major brands as soon as possible -- but I'd keep the Monique as a backup (for marching band) or sell it back to another high school kid. Note: I do not know the specific differences between the Monique and Monique-Pro models, so please do not read this as an endorsement of the non-Pro Moniques.

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