Cecilia or Cecilio, is this for real?

[pilotplanes]

Hello. My 13-year old son has taken an interest in playing the Tenor
Saxophone in middle school band. I had promised him an XBox 360 for a
good report card, but now he wants a Tenor Saxophone instead. Probably
a good thing. He found a Tenor Saxophone on a web site for $299.00
which seems awfully cheap. But I'm ok with cheap for a first-time
instrument in which he may lose interest. What concerns me as much as
the potential quality is that the web site claims that the Saxophone is
a "Cecilio", but a close-up photograph clearly says "Cecilia." If
anyone could lend advice, we would appreciate it -- particularly a
13-year old boy.

[Stephen Howard]

On 3 Feb 2006 19:15:30 -0800, "pilotplanes"
<jwasik200...@yahoo.com> wrote:

First off...top marks to your son for going for an instrument over a
games machine!

All these ultra cheap horns you see at incredible prices are coming
out of China ( or at least most of them are ).
The best examples are quite good value for the money - the worst
aren't much good at all.
The problem is that there are so many brands - and without knowing
which brand is the better bet it's a bit of a risky proposition buying
'sight unseen'.

http://www.shwoodwind.co.uk/Reviews/Ultra_Cheap_horns.htm

I've seen horns by Helmke and thought them to be good quality for the
price.

Regards,

--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{who is at}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk

[pilotplanes]

Hi, Thanks for your reply. Well, I had someone whom I trust take a
look at the ad and he said it was probably a good deal. So, we're
hoping for the best. I won't really know whether it's a good horn even
after we get receive it, as I know about as much about Saxophones as I
do about nuclear physics -- that is, not much. But if it lasts a
couple of years, it will have been a pretty good deal.

[Clifford Stanton]

Saint Cecilia is the patron St of music, so that could be the reason for the
name choice.

I know its a bit late from your last message but Stephen's advice is good,
don't buy it unseen/untried, to be honest other than the top three IMHO
Yamaha Yanigasawa, and Selmer I wouldn't buy ANY New instrument untried! AND
I would probably thing twice about selmer. Only because in the case of the
Selmer the sound can differ from instrument to instrument whereas the other
two I know them well and what I will be getting.

If you can try before you buy then maybe it would be ok. Best advise is take
somone who knows instruments as well as can play them. The problem with
cheap saxophones is that they look GREAT. I remember the look on the face of
a Lincoln book store assistant when i told her the instrument was unplayable
below C and above palm D. It was a very nice looking Soprano, (which are
notoriously hard to play anyway) this one was leaking like a sieve. She
asked if it was damaged and I told her that it needed a set-up plus the
intonation was very uneven.

Usually it's worth getting to know a local music shop that is frequented by
regular customers. We have a great one in Lincoln and he makes great coffee,
and can talk the back leg of a donkey. He would not sell anything that
would frustrate a new player and that would be my greatest concern.
Saxophones are interesting enough to play without compounding that with a
problematic instrument.

--
Clifford Stanton Lincoln UK
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clifford.stanton/
Quartet/Quintet Arrangements
Quartet/Quintet for Weddings, Formal Dinners, Corporate Functions, Fetes
etc.
http://Saxology.50megs.com

[Pete Thomas]

Even the worst saxophones on the planet last a lot longer than two
years. How long it lasts has no bearing on whether it's a good deal.

If the person you trust has tried this saxophones then I would
say go ahead. I saw one of these on ebay, and from the picture I was not
impressed at all, however the only proof is in trying it out or (second
best) getting an expert opinion.

However, if the person you trust did not try the saxophone out and said
it was probably a good deal, then at least you can blame them them if
you end up with a pile of junk.

--
Pete Thomas - www.petethomas.co.uk
***********
On-line saxophone exercises, composition and jazz theory courses,
Saxophone Instruction DVD
***********
To reply privately please use the link on my site.

[Saggy]

Better to look at the horn than at the ad..... to that end.... some of
the major retailers are selling cheap horns, and they generally I think
have easy return policies..... so, why not buy from Wal-Mart, Costco,
or MusiciansFriend online or some similar big time outfit, and if
'someone you trust' thinks the horn is good, keep it, otherwise take or
send it back.