Kasey K Student level baris aren’t really a thing and it would be hard to find anything under $800-$1000 that won’t fall apart on you and be extremely leaky
I would like to see that as well, however I've always seen people start on alto then switch to tenor. That type of video is pretty much already up tho, as he has posted cheap-ish tenors vs pro tenors.
Man I just scored a Jean Paul AS-400 on craigslist for $80. I was extremely stoked before I even knew how good of a horn it was. Let alone the value! This thing plays 10 times better than this hunk I found at a garage sale. It's given me the confidence to actually play again for the first time in 15 years. Big recommendation to Jean Paul here
Agreement with you on the Jean Paul sax, really like the sound and the price is unbelievable for such a great sounding sax. Hands down the Jean Paul wins this.
Vladimir Lopez I also have one or mite I say I just got one and for the price it does it’s job without any complaints for me or those I play with best backup sax.
Hey Jay. Wanted to say that your videos have inspired me to blow the dust off my Tenor after 8 years of closet time. My kids were pretty stoked on the Imperial March tune I blasted out for them. Thanks for the content!
I bought the Jean Paul AS-400 because of your review and it doesn't disappoint!!! I am a complete beginner and when I put it together and watched your videos on how to produce sound it automatically blew a perfect note. Very easy to put together. It comes with everything you need to get started. Thanks Jay for recommending this to me!!!
I agree with the quality of Yamaha however one small argument I make about resale value is that if I buy a Jean Paul for $500 then upgrade some time later I may sell it for $200 or so. If I buy a $2000 Yamaha yas26 and decide to upgrade some time down the road I may sell it for under $1,000 maybe $800. So where did I lose more money? And yes there are a ton of yas26’s for under 1,000dollars.
Jay, as a result of your video a couple months ago I bought the Lade alto from Amazon (called Ammoon there) with overnight delivery because I had an alto gig in two nights and my Conn Naked Lady decided not to put out when I needed it. Needless to say I was nervous about this Chinese saxophone but it was the only thing I could do at the time.. it played quite well out of box, was very in tune and looked pretty darn good ( black lawyer with gold keys and rods). It saved my neck on the gig and no fellow player complained about the sound. I would recommend it if you are on a budget!
I am always a huge fan of the Yamaha. I got a second hand one in 6th grade. That horn not only lasted through high school, but also survived one tour in Afghanistan back in 2003. I have a cannon ball now and wouldn’t go back, but always recommend them for beginners.
I think if you have Yamaha players in mind (let's say, Mindi Abair (YAS-82z) or Dave Koz (YAS-62S) I think this horn probably sounds very pleasing. The notes sound like they comes out so effortlessly - all with fast attacks on the notes. It's smooth and light and sounds like it begs to play fast passages. On the Jean Paul, he seems to feel a wee bit of resistance, which enables him to add a little more expression - he can push or pull back his air to shape the attack of his notes and makes it sounds like he's "speaking" his phrases. The Lade/Ammoon horn sounds a bit rougher than both. It doesn't seem to sing as sweetly. But he plays very well. If you didn't have an A/B/C test right after each other, you wouldn't have minded or even noticed something different or lacking. If he did a few more takes on each, he could modify his playing on the Yamaha (hold back his breath a little) to sound more similar to his sound on the Jean Paul and vice versa (on the JP, blow a little harder/put more air in the horn), but this test gave a good sense of the innate differences of the horns.
The timing of this was perfect. I was watching all three of your reviews on the saxes to decide which one to buy just a day ago, and this really did help. Thank you so much!
I literally went on shopping to test all the saxes they sell in the music shops around my part of the sity that day (about 15 saxophones overall, sadly), and Jean Paul one was definitely the best i could find. Some for 1500 did sound worse than this one, only losing a little bit to $3000 ones. So, good timing for solidifying my decision.
Jay I've been following your vids and lessons as a member since 2017. I appreciate your wisdom and I want to tell you that your vids are getting so much more detailed. Great editing and audio, it's clear that you take your time to make sure everything is up to par. Bug hi five buddy and thank you! 🎷Dave Wilson Sax
They're all made in China or Indonesia (it's about the same). I have both the Yamaha and the Slade, although the build quality of the Yamaha is much better, it's definitely not 4 times better to justify the price. I even prefer the cheap Slade sound. At the end it all depends on how snob you are.
Man i love this man he is amazing in all sax reviews what more can we ask from this guy ahahaha love him big big big fan and hope to take lessons from this big guy soon :) Cheers From Montreal Canada
Jean Paul sounds best and represents the best value of the 3 reviewed. I agree with the Jean Paul sound being a bit "darker" than the Yama, but I also prefer a darker image and lends better to jazz and rock. I think in time, with the right setup, the Jean Paul is the clear winner up to and including intermediate players. Then, it's a Selmer or a Yani, but at $4k+, that is a helluva leap for most of us.
The best entry level sax is the Yamaha YAS-23 or it's stencil brother, the VITO made in Japan by Yamaha. Now the YAS-23 is called the Yamaha YAS-26, however the YAS-280 is almost intermediate.
Just bought the Jean Paul alto a couple of weeks ago and it is a solid instrument with very good fit and finish. Agree with Jay that it is great value for the price.
I bought a throw away saxophone from a company I found on Amazon called gear4music. As a beginner I didn't want to pay £1,000 just incase I couldn't get on with it as I have health problems. I sent the first one back as I noticed a problem and they replaced it with one that sounds awful. I now don't want to play it and wish I'd kept the first one and had it repaired. They are refusing to do anything about the second one stating they found nothing wrong with it. I wish I'd paid more and got the yamaha!
I have the Jean Paul alto what is your take on the Jean Paul tenor? I am considering buying a tenor and am very happy with the JP alto just wondering if they are of the same quality.
My only problem with my Jean Paul is the ligature. I hate it 😡. The actual saxophone is amazing and everything else is amazing. Besides I bought a Theo Wanne mouthpiece so I don't have to deal with it. You can get an amazing mouthpiece (which matter more) with the difference in price between the yas-280 and Jean Paul (does that make sense? 1100 for yas 280, 500 for JP, can spend 500 on the mouthpiece and still pay less). It even has a bell engravings! Jean Paul all the way
Yeah I agree with this video especially on the Amazon sax part. My parents bought be a Mendini by Cecilio saxophone off of Amazon for Christmas last year. I would say that it is a great pick for a beginner in middle school of you are not sure if your kid will even stay in band. But as a saxophone for high school or college I wouldn't recommend it. It's great to get started on until you realize that the pads do not seal very well and that the instrument is susceptible to breaking. I have had my saxophone for about 8 months and within that time my instrument has had 4 things wrong with it. Out of the box the instrument had a thick layer of plastic on the octave pin that caused my octave hole on my neck to be open all the time. (Causing me to struggle a whole lot with low notes) Took me about 2 weeks to figure out. The pads aren't too good either. My bis pad is leaking and my octave hole is leaking. The corks also fall off sometimes but you can glue them back on I have a lot of play (is that how you spell it?) in my keys on the right hand Finally, yea I cannot get it fixed because the repairman does not have parts for mendini. So if you or someone you are buying the sax for is planning to play seriously for a while, get something better.
For me, a student saxophone is the one who everyone can buy it, it has to have a good built quality, to have a good balance in the octave registers! I'm also a teacher for saxophone and clarinet and i let my students to choose their sound ( like my teacher did with me), i just show them the path to develop their personal style of playing, and i'm insisting with the technique playing. In other words, for beginning, every saxophone is good for beginning. Not all of us have money to purchase a Yamaha for example, especially for complete beginner!
I bought the Jean Paul AS-400 a few months ago so I didn't have to play my Selmer on parade marches and very happy with it. They say it's for beginners and intermediate players but it's built like a professional horn, it has almost the same feel as my Selmer reference 54. I took the horn to my local sax repair technician and he said he can service it when the time comes and he was impressed with it. I like how they payed extra attention to the details by installing metal resonators and blue steal springs giving me a better response. I've even played the Jean Paul in professional Jazz bands and it's held up and hasn't let me down or given me any issues. This is a perfect instrument for beginners and a perfect instrument for professionals that don't want to take their professional horns on a parade march where they might damage their professional horn. Highly recommend it!
For the European demographic the Jean Paul AS-400 is around 750-800euro at this point in time while the Yamaha can be found for 975-1050euro. When the price difference is so low would your conclusion still be the same?
GOT Some deals on Ebay. and Thru Dave Kessler at his Store online in Vegas. Bought several Bargain Saxes from China that are decent to play just under 300. Thanks Jay.
I just bought the Yamaha for my daughter. She's 8th grade and I wanted her to have something that had some real world value. I can sacrifice a little here and there to make up for the difference in that and the JeanPaul that I was planning to buy.
I'll choose and get the Jean Paul 400 Saxophone because of its quality and its value, it has the right and exact sound that an intermediate saxophone has. It also a good quality of materials that will make the saxophone working for decade only if its not been abused by the owner. The Yamaha saxophone is also a great horn but it wasn't that good enough for a $1100 saxophone just to think of it that you can buy 2 Jean Paul saxophone with the value of the Yamaha 280 it only changes the brand but the quality of the instrument is almost the same, the yamaha 280 is only made from Indonesia not from its original factory from Japan so its not included as a original japanese made saxophone same us the Jean Paul that it says from the US but it only came or made from Taiwan, as you can see brands are only for the attraction or to get the attention of the customers they will make a way for the saxophone to be bought they are only using the brand that is buyable in the market. I suggest to not buy the Lade saxophone eventhough you are a beginner your playing will not be determined whether you are excelling or not because of the sound quality that is poor coming from the sax specially when if its not in tune.
I played throughout middle school and into high school on rentals as I switched over the years between Alto, Tenor and eventually landed on Bari (all Yamaha's). Since I never bought a horn of my own, the joy of playing sax sort of fell by the wayside once I went off to college but the desire to get back to it hasn't ever strayed. Now that I'm graduated and a working adult fortunate enough to have a little money in my pocket, I felt it was time to check out the market. As a former Yamaha player, I'm still a little torn between the gold standard YAS-280 and the up-and-coming AS-400 - but I feel like for the value, the Jean-Paul just can't be beat. Being stuck at home in quarantine these days and without the luxury of being able to go to the local shop and test/play them before buying, these videos are more invaluable than ever in assisting folks like me in making an informed decision. Thank you so much, Jay! Hope you and yours are staying healthy and safe!
Two thoughts: 1. If you're keeping this line of videos reviewing entry horns, maybe review a 'Buffet'? They have a bunch of student models which are very interesting i think. 2. However, for me personally the videos on gear are already getting kind of exhausting. I would like to see a video that is more about music.
I've got a lot of videos about how to play and improve on the saxophone. I've even put them into playlists so you can find what you're looking for more easily. Check my Channel page. The gear is fun to discuss and something that lots of people are very interested (based on the number of views). I will of course continue to make more educational videos as well.
@@bettersax Of course, i know that theres a lot of videos in your channel that discuss more musical stuff, and i watched almost all of them. I'm just saying, there is a lot more to learn and discover, obviously. and again, i was just expressing my own personal feeling... I get it that information about gear is interesting and important to a lot of people.
As a repair person and player I recommend YAS 23 ‘s to beginners. I think they were made better in Japan. I was unimpressed with the new ones but Yamaha makesthe best student horns. ( I play my 774 flute over my Haynes and YSS 875 EX for classical and yani 901 sop over my vi for jazz). A yamaha horn is always worth fixing.and has good resale value if one upgrades or decides not to play..you do a great job Jay. I also recommend you..🎷😁
I was looking for some newbee stuff when I bumped into this video. I bought a Jean Paul AS-400 from their website last week! Jay. thanks for sharing stuff from your "shed". It's helped me alot. I'll be reaching out to you soon. Regards, Paul Freeman aka Googalar.
Thank you for the reviews. I am surprised you didn't give the Lade 3 starts for accessories because it did have gloves! ;-) At the price of the Jean Paul, you could buy that for about what it would cost to rent a sax for the full school year. That wasn't an option back in the day. I did get my first sax for $100 (used). It was a 1928, brushed silver Conn. It was a nice horn and I played it for years. The only reason I don't have it is I got a Selmer Series II Paris and I sold the Conn back to the person from which I had purchased it all those years ago (and for only $100).
I have a Yamaha tenor, YTS62, that I love so I would be inclined to pick the Yahama alto. I also liked the sound in your video, but to be honest, I think it is the player that makes the sound. I think you could make anything sound good:) Better sound is what I’m always striving for no matter what I’m playing. Having said that I would also like to see a video like this comparing tenors.
I have the alto and tenor Yamaha (280). They are both great. And as Jay said in a previous video. "Unless you are at a very high level, you won't ever need another saxophone. I think he's right.
@@bettersax I'd be curious as to the difference between a beginner and an intermediate sax. I've been playing off and on for years, but sadly, I'm not sure I'm an intermediate. lol Great videos.... very helpful... thank you.
Nice comparison Jay. The Yamaha is the big name. However, the Jean Paul wins in terms of price ratio to Yamaha with basically same quality. The Lade is representing itself well in third position for its price. I own and play a Lade (a blue one with gold keys) a few months now. I hope to get the Jean or Yamaha in your give away. Thanks
I'd like to see a video on common used saxophones, and if any are worth buying. I've seen some on Reverb priced between the Lade and the Jean-Paul, and I wonder if those would be a better buy than a Lade.
I just got back into playin my sax after years and years of playing my drums. I played with a ton of Sax musicians and its true they all say. Its not just the sax, but the mouth piece and reed and embouchure. They ALL matter. But....if you get a middle of the road Alto or Tenor. You just can't go wrong with any Yamaha horns. They all play great and feel great. Easy action and smooth sound. Its the gold standard without getting crazy and paying HUGE bucks. Even a used older Yamaha's are really solid.
I AM PLAYING A SLADE ALTO SAXOPHONE. IT IS SIMPLY WONDERFUL!!! THE INCLUDED MOUTHPIECE IS SO GOOD, IT IS NOW MY VERY FAVORITE MOURHPIECE. EVEN THE REED IS EXCEPTIONAL!!! EVERYTHING FLOWS EASILY WHEN PLAYING THIS COMBINATION. MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND ACCESSORIES SEEM FAR OVERPRICED CONSIDERING THE MANUFACTURING COSTS.
I played the YAS-280 for many years, and it was pretty easy to play though it really needed pads and/or adjustment to get the low notes out consistently. For a used horn that cost me $500 20 years ago, it suited me well until I upgraded to a YAS-62III.
Somehow, I actually thought the Lade/Ammoon sounded the best at the sound portion of the video ~6 minute area. You made all of them sound good, but I couldn't believe how good the Lade sounded. I wouldn't actually get one myself (recently bought a Selmer AS-42B) but I was surprised by how it sounded for being that cheap. Out of theses three, if I were a beginner, I would 100% go with the Yamaha, though. A big part of that is I see these as a material investment too, not just as a musician, but being someone who grew up without much money.
As for why it sounded the best (I almost forgot)--I'm not sure if you added a little twang to it or not, but it honestly sounded the most like a professional was playing it. Pretty interesting...
Hehe nice, now i just need to get gud to really need a decent sax, i bought a chinese "Mendini" sax cuz i'm a 27 year old software engineer who wanted to go back to music as a hobbie and im already learning to play the sax, (i used to play some other instruments), and so far my god i love this instrument sooo soo much, more than i expected, if u have your doubts about learn to play sax, seriously just do it, also the videos of this channel are soo beginner friendly and well explained, thank u a lot!
Something would be great for these videos would be a low background soft jazz base!!!!!!! I'm listening "Almost like being in love - Red Garland" and it makes a really nice warm athmosphere!
Started out with a YAS 275 and loved it, but lucky enough to be able to upgrade to a Yani AW01 after a couple of years and WOW, what a difference in intonation and general ergonomic ease of playing! The Yamaha held its value really well though, so I got a great trade-in price for it.
Hi Jay, I am considering getting back into playing sax after 20+ yrs away from playing in high school. After binging so many of your sax reviews on your channel, I really want one more video: comparing your BetterSax Alto vs. the Jean Paul AS-400. I like both of these saxes, but I'm trying to decide if the extra few hundred dollars is worth it on the BetterSax vs. the Jean Paul. Would love to hear your honest (as un-biased feedback as you can muster) on this comparison. ;) Thanks!
You can't go wrong with a Yamaha but the Jean Paul just has such an amazing price and value for what it offers, as well as a cool and recognizable sound signature
I play tenor and bought the Jean Paul alto to double. It did not have a swab, but it was discounted and had a pro classical mpc included. About $450 w shipping. I love it and I am using it in a concert this week. Can’t wait for your tenor reviews. The JP alto plays in tune better than my Mark VI tenor!
As a former french horn player and also on a budget I bought the lade from Amazon and it should arrive within the next few days. If I had the choice I would have bought the Jean paul because it was a good middle of the road and middle budget instrument. But the blade had mostly good reviews, sounded well in your video and I loved the aesthetic of it. Invested in a different mouthpiece, reeds and some cork grease ha! Crossing my fingers it's a good product! Thank you for your videos!
The yamaha has a bright tone, and how you are playing it seems like it suits your play style. When I first saw the lade sax video I was blown away, yet comparing the three it doesn't blow me away as much. You get what you pay for I guess! I've always liked yamaha so sorry if I sound biased :)
Sound- I think they all have an acceptable sound for a beginner...when you play them. You and others have said basically "you will sound like you on whatever sax you play'. I would pick the Yamaha based on the upper register sound. However, I would like to hear each one played by a beginner to make my final decision. Quality- I would definitely pick the Yamaha for quality. Yamaha is world renowned for quality and for their support when repair is needed. Second would be the Jean-Paul and last is the Ammoon. Aside from no parts availability, beginners are not always the most careful and could be prone to accidents that will put their sax out of commission causing a discouraging set back in their learning. Accessories- They don't count much in my book especially if they are poor quality or don't serve any real purpose. Value- The best bang for the buck is the Jean-Paul due to its price. But the Yamaha has real value in durability and resale so I pick the Yamaha. But this brings up a question that is even harder to answer. Is the beginner in love with the saxophone? I started on clarinet, as did my daughter and grandson (the same LeBlanc clarinet after overhauls) but we all switched to another woodwind instrument. My daughter to Bari sax, my grandson to contra-bass and bass clarinet and myself to Alto sax and Bari. I would say if you can afford it, get the Yamaha. Even if the beginner does not stay with the alto sax, it can be sold or kept and passed down. If the Jean-Paul fits your budget better it is still a good choice. If money is tight, get the Ammoon. It will get your beginner started but definitely buy a better case. Student instruments get carried on school buses, band buses and public transportation. They need the protection of a good case. I play a Buescher Aristocrat alto (1955) and a Buescher Big-B Baritone sax(1949).
Yamaha had a more rich and fuller sound. The Lade had a more airy lighter sound and the Jean-Paul was in between. Although I do think you make them all sound great! I just started playing Tenor again after a 30 year hiatus, and I just ordered a Lade alto (broadening my range) from Amazon based on your review of that instrument. I am on an extremely low budget, so I greatly appreciate you reviewing these instruments.
#1 the Yamaha. It had more clarity in the high register with notes having more depth, or richness and resonance. The Jean-Paul is next though very close to the Yamaha. There didn't seem to be quite as much richness to the tone. The Lade sounded very thin and constricted in all registers especially above the break.
I like the Jean Paul. So much so that I bought one based on you inital "out of the box" appraisal. For the price I am very pleased with it. I also bought the Jean Paul Tenor. I purchased it to leave at church. I play sax at church every Sunday. I like both of the saxophones alot. I still play my Yamaha YTS 61 on gigs.
Jeeez back when I started on SAX 38 yrs ago I was given a 1957 Kholert Alto which I still have and use! I never used a student Sax ( at the time Bundy, Conn & Yamaha were the beginners Sax's)
I prefer a warm, mellow tone and it's always been interesting to me what people think is the best sound for an alto. I have always hated Yamaha's and they just sound too bright to me. This model is no exception. That being said, I prefer the sound of the Lade. To each his own. Thanks so much for the killer reviews!
Would jean paul be a good sax for a high school student? My family is on a budget and cannot afford something expenisve. Also would I have to make adjustments to the saxophone if I bought it?
I'm thinking of getting a Yamaha YAS 280 cause it just has a sort of no nonsense look and character to it. It's just here to be a saxophone. It seems to have a tone that's easy tip work with by swapping mouth pieces and such.
I ordered both the AS-400 and the TS-400 tenors as my jazz band rental instruments. They all come with exactly the accessories they needed to open up the case and go, but on one of the altos the neck screw just snapped. I wasn't even cranking it but the metal was so soft that it failed pretty easily. It was an easy fix (my tech didn't even charge me), but still an annoyance and something to consider when buying Chinese instruments with softer metals for the smaller parts.
I recently purchased the YAS 280 and I’m very happy with it. Aesthetically, I wish it had the teardrop front Altissimo key and the standard cages at the bottom. It does however play very well in tune and is very easy to play. Overall, I am quite satisfied.
Yamaha all the time.. Better sound.. and quality... l have a YAS 62.. have had it for years.. just a service..and off you go... I still recommend to any student a Yamaha.....
@@bettersax There was an option to chat and so I did. Not much concessions could be made. Well i wish to get some insights and tips on the sax, as i am in a college with no formal teacher and follow only your videos. Also my sax seems yo have some problems.. is anything possible? I will be grateful 🙂
I just bought the JP Sax per your recommendation using your link. Thank you and you're welcome. If I continue to improve at a rapid pace per your lessons, I'll buy a more expensive horn in a couple of years.
I just ordered a Yamaha Alto Sax and will begin lessons as early as January starting one day per week. Have always wanted to learn to play since the 6th grade. We were to poor to afford on back then. I am now about toretire from Active Duty Army and plan to study in depth Piano and Saxophone....Playing by ear or number system.
I'm a new viewer and and old musician. Haven't really played much of anything since I was in my early 20's. I'm 54 now. Your comparison videos have been really helpful in my decision making regarding the purchase oof a saxophone for my 11 year old. But, could you do another one for the Soprano sax, please? With a Kaiser student version?
I’m really grateful that we have Jean Paul nowadays. I played sax for around 8 years in school, and fell off for a couple years in college. I picked up a TS-400 for $700 when I decided to get back into it and I was blown away. I also bought a Otto Link mouthpiece off eBay for $100 and for under $850, it’s the best sounding sax I’ve ever played.
