 | |||
 |
5-string - 6-string - 4-string Others - Accessories |
||
Dreadnoughts - Archtops Classical - Parlor Starter - Jumbo - Tenor |
|||
Saxophones |
|||
| |||
|
|
5-string - 6-string - 4-string Others - Accessories |
||
Dreadnoughts - Archtops Classical - Parlor Starter - Jumbo - Tenor |
|||
Saxophones |
|||
Written by Paul D. Race for
 ,  , and  |
|
Buyer's Guide for Winds - From Riverboat Music(tm), This page is basically a placeholder for future articles about specific saxophones worth considering. In the meantime, I've written a host of articles on buying saxophones used - almost always your best value. They appear on the SchoolOfTheRock.com web page, including:
Whatever you do, avoid the temptation to order off-brand Chinese or Malaysian-built horns online. Sure, for $300-400, you can get a "brand new instrument" that looks a lot like the ones they sell in music stores. But most of those are not designed to survive a trip across the Pacific, much less four to six years in the hands of a school student. The future for new saxes isn't entirely dim, however. As I write this, some companies that moved all their manufacturing to China have set up shops in the US to evaluate every incoming horn and keep mistakes out of the hands of students. Others are reputedly moving some manufacturing back to this country (although the pool of schooled craftspeople they used to depend on has thinned out a great deal). Conversely, other brand names that used to mean something have been purchased by companies that are not even manufacturers - they're importers who will buy from anybody willing to stamp the old venerable brand name on a brand new piece of junk. So the market for new winds is volatile, to say the least. You may decide that it's worth it to you to avoid the confusion and buy from a store you trust. If you order online, be sure you have someone you trust take it through its paces while you still have return privileges. However you chose to acquire the instrument coming into your household, we wish you the best, and we'll answer your questions if we can. Note about Suppliers: While we try to help you get the instruments and other products you want by recommending suppliers with a good record of customer service, all transactions between you and the supplier you chose are governed by the published policies on the supplier's web site. So please print off any order confirmation screens and save copies of invoices, etc., so you can contact the appropriate supplier or invoke the product warranty should any problems occur.* Note about Ordering Musical Instruments Online: Buy only from folks with a reasonable return policy and be sure to have any musical instrument you ordered online checked over by a professional as soon as you receive it. Every musical instrument has the potential for being damaged in shipment, even if the box looks fine when you get it. In addition, musical instruments shipped across the Pacific have a very high percentage of manufacturing defects. If you look at online reviews, a surprising percentage of the one-star reviews say something like "By the time I realized it was damaged (or had a critical manufacturing defect), the period for returns had run out, so now I'm stuck with a useless piece of . . . . " Yes, the manufacturer should have better quality control, and the store should pack things better. But in the end, you are responsible for making certain that an instrument or product will serve your needs while you still have time to return it. Consider Buying Used: Before you spend $2000 on an instrument that will be worth $800 once you get it home, check out the used market for that sort of instrument in your area. Depending on where you live, or what kind of instrument you're looking for, it may not be an option. But if you can get a used professional instrument for the same price as a new student instrument, it is often worth taking the risk. Especially if you have a knowledgeable friend who can go along and check it out for you. In fact, many of our pages include links to articles on how to shop for used instruments of various types. However, we recognize that many folks have limited access to good used instruments, and everyone needs to see what is available in the various price ranges. So we do list, when possible, live links to real vendors with a good return policy, in case they're your best choice for getting what you want. Again, once you buy something, your satisfaction is between you and the seller. Note about Availability and Pricing: Although I try to keep an eye on things and to recommend products that are reasonably available, the musical instrument does fluctuate, and any product on this page may change price or become unavailable without prior notice. If you "click through" to see details on a product, and nothing happens at all, or you are routed to a supplier's home page, please let me know and I will remove the product from the online listing until I can find a replacement or another supplier. *Here's an irony: every year, I receive about a dozen complaints from folks who have never been to my sites before, angry that a deal between that person and a vendor or manufacturer I recommend went south (in their opinion). They "googled" the product, saw my recommendation or review, then e-mailed me to tell me they were going to sue me or report me to the Better Business Bureau for personally ripping them off by recommending a product they had bought from someone else. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, the problem is really because the customer didn't read the whole ad, or ordered the wrong thing, or threw away his paperwork and doesn't know where he bought it from, etc. I'm always polite, and sometimes I can even help them get things straightened out with the vendor, but it's not, technically, my problem. Click here to return to the text.
|  |
|||||
| Visit related pages and affiliated sites: | ||||||
| - Music - | ||||||
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| - Trains and Hobbies - | ||||||
 |
|
|  |
 |
|
|
| - Christmas Memories and Collectibles - | ||||||
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
| - Family Activities and Crafts - | ||||||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|