Selmer Bundy vs. Bundy II
lrun.com
I'm in the process of researching used student saxs for my 9-yr. old son.
What is the difference between a Selmer Bundy and the Bundy II? Also, after
viewing listings on eBay, I notice that one Selmer Bundy has the Selmer
Bundy name stamped on (like a decal or painted) while others have the name
engraved. Why the difference -- newer vs. older horns? After going through
several newsgroup posts on dejanews, most reviews on the Bundy II have not
been favorable. Lots of newsgroup subscribers favor the Yamahas, but I've
also heard that although their sound is consistently good, the metal in the
Yamaha horns dings, scratches and tarnishes easier. I'm looking for a
DURABLE beginner horn, easy to play and sounds good enough so as not to
discourage the kid right off the bat. Any comments would be greatly
appreciated!
Thanks.
Chris in Upstate NY
Sherry Katz
I tried a bunch of altos before I bought one for myself. I am a clarinet
player who decided to learn the sax. My opinion after testing many was that
the Yamaha was in a class by itself and was far superior to the other
student horns. Why? To me it was the only one that was musical with
consistently decent intonation. It was also by far the easiest to play.
The Bundy II, the Winston, the Vito, the Evette, were all much harder to
play and/or had bad and inconsistent intonation. I disliked the Evette for
the feel of the keys. The Winston had the worst sound. The Bundy II had
the second worst sound and was the hardest, for me anyway, to get anything
other than the sound of honking geese out of the lowest notes.
I ended up getting a Yamaha YAS 52, used, because after trying all those
student horns I realized that I'd find any of them frustrating for their
lack of musicality. The only one I could bear to even play was the YAS 23.
That said, I realize you are talking about a beginner, but if the horn
sounds dreadful or has terrible intonation it will be discouraging. Calling
Joe Sax and various sites on the net, it is very easy to find a decent used
YAS 23 for $400.
As for its fragility. He's going to need to learn how to take care of the
horn. Get a used one so you won't have so much invested. Don't get him
something that isn't musical though.
Sherry
@lrun.com <@lrun.com> wrote in message <6mhih4$k3o$1...@m5.stny.lrun.com>...
Sherry Katz
One additional point. The mouthpiece is really important. Most student
horns come with mouthpieces that are cr*p. I ended up buying a good
mouthpiece when I got my sax, tried a bunch and got one I liked. Your son
is a beginner and can't tell. The mouthpiece that comes with the Yamahas is
actually a bit better than the rest, but whatever you get consider getting a
decent mouthpiece.
Sorry I don't have a recommendation. For clarinet beginners I recommend
either the Hite Premier or the Fobes beginner model, but on the sax I don't
know what the equivalent is.
Sherry
James S. Hill
>I'm in the process of researching used student saxs for my 9-yr. old son.
>What is the difference between a Selmer Bundy and the Bundy II? Also, after
>viewing listings on eBay, I notice that one Selmer Bundy has the Selmer
>Bundy name stamped on (like a decal or painted) while others have the name
>engraved. Why the difference -- newer vs. older horns? After going through
>several newsgroup posts on dejanews, most reviews on the Bundy II have not
>been favorable. Lots of newsgroup subscribers favor the Yamahas, but I've
>also heard that although their sound is consistently good, the metal in the
>Yamaha horns dings, scratches and tarnishes easier. I'm looking for a
>DURABLE beginner horn, easy to play and sounds good enough so as not to
>discourage the kid right off the bat. Any comments would be greatly
>appreciated!
>Thanks.
>Chris in Upstate NY
Chris,
The metal and general construction of the Yamaha student series is somewhat
less sturdy than the Bundy, but the PLAYABILITY is a world above the Bundy.
The Bundy II series had serious problems with evenness throughout the range
and with intonation, and I would seriously recommend against it.
With perhaps a bit more lecturing on CARE, I think that your son would be MUCH
BETTER off with a Yamaha.
James Hill
Professor of Saxophone
The Ohio State University
Deep
@lrun.com <@lrun.com> wrote in message <6mhih4$k3o$1...@m5.stny.lrun.com>...
>I'm in the process of researching used student saxs for my 9-yr. old son.
>What is the difference between a Selmer Bundy and the Bundy II? Also,
after
>viewing listings on eBay, I notice that one Selmer Bundy has the Selmer
>Bundy name stamped on (like a decal or painted) while others have the name
>engraved. Why the difference -- newer vs. older horns? After going
through
>several newsgroup posts on dejanews, most reviews on the Bundy II have not
>been favorable. Lots of newsgroup subscribers favor the Yamahas, but I've
>also heard that although their sound is consistently good, the metal in the
>Yamaha horns dings, scratches and tarnishes easier. I'm looking for a
>DURABLE beginner horn, easy to play and sounds good enough so as not to
>discourage the kid right off the bat. Any comments would be greatly
>appreciated!
>
>Thanks.
>
>Chris in Upstate NY
About 7 years ago i started on the Yamaha 23, and it is pretty much the horn
that started me off, and i stuck with it. For a beginner horn, it is a
wonderful horn, i think one of the best beginner horns out there, and the
Selmer equivalent, the Bundy, cant compare. And yes, your son should learn
to take care of the horn
Good luck
Jason Chavarria
If your looking for a durable horn on eBay you should bid on an old Buescher
or Conn. Their tone and response is better than any beginner horn ever and
their craftsmanship is of the best quality. The Tru-Tone models are
supposed to be a little clumsy as far as the keywork but they are more than
suitable for a young player. The early Conns like the Chu Berry would
probably cost a little more but would be a much better horn as far as the
key layout and if he intends to play jazz these are considered some of the
best jazz horns along with they're little brother the 6M (assuming your
looking for an alto, a tenor would be a 10M in any case the 6 and 10M's
would probably be more expensive than the Chu Berry's or the Bueschers
because they are considered more professional horns).
Jaosn Chavarria
SAXY R13
>Sorry I don't have a recommendation. For clarinet beginners I recommend
>either the Hite Premier or the Fobes beginner model, but on the sax I don't
>know what the equivalent is.
>
>
A good beginner mouthpiece for saxophone is the Hite Premier. Like the Hite
Premier's for clarinet, the Premier's for sax tend to play well.
Lacey M Golaszewski
I am a college music performance major that has played on a Bundy II for
eight years and have just purchased a professional instrument (Super
Action 80 Series II.) Though it does not play as well as a professional
instrument, I've been satisfied with it as a student instrument. Yes,
there are some intonation problems. Some require some adjusting of the
instrument itself (like side Bb), while others require some major
adjusting on the part of the performer. As far as durability, mine had
held up quite well over the years, though proper care is necessary.
In high school, I played a Yamaha 52 bari. The intonation is MUCH better
and more consistent than on the Bundy. However, the metal is not nearly
as strong. Keys were frequently bent out of place, and at one time I had
four rubber bands on the instrument holding it together. I have also
tried a Yamaha 62 alto and have found the intonation on it to be excellent
and the response good. I don't know how durable it would be, though. I
have heard that there is a big difference between a Yamaha student or
intermediate model horn (52, 62) and professioanl horn (875, I think),
especially in terms of the metal, with the latter being much better.
Good luck. I hope this has been helpful.
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Visit the UB Saxophone Ensemble at
http://wings.buffalo.edu/academic/department/AandL/music/ensemble/sax.html
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ArgoSonet7
Isn't the Bundy II the horn of choice of Paul Cohen ? LOL
Wolliwnoom
>I am a college music performance major that has played on a Bundy II for
>eight years and have just purchased a professional instrument (Super
>Action 80 Series II.)
Wow, I don't know how you pulled that off! :) Hats off to you if you could
work with a Bundy that long!
Seriously, though, Lacey, I see that your address is Buffalo. I go to school
in Ithaca (Music Ed/Saxophone Performance). Just out of curiousity, who is the
sax prof. there?
Michelle
Joe Ramirez
argos...@aol.com (ArgoSonet7) wrote:
>Isn't the Bundy II the horn of choice of Paul Cohen ? LOL
Not exactly ... it's the Bundy II slide soprano.
Joe Ramirez