Which one would you recommend for a beginner? I think I prefer the tone of the tenor, but I wouldn't mind the added savings if the alto is better for a beginner.
I purchased the Alto for my daughter to begin playing. It played well out of the box, and was really impressive after my tech did some tweaks. I purchased a vintage JK stencil horn for her to upgrade to, but she went back to the Jean Paul. After playing both, I have to agree with her, the JP horn plays better.
On a point of accuracy, Jay Metcalf (Better Sax) is based in the south of France, not the US. Although I agree that doesn't make a huge amount of difference to anything. Better Sax's own alto is supposed to be even better, and will be available in the UK from September.
Yes, I have discovered this since shooting this video. We are also looking forward to getting involved with the slightly higher-priced Better Sax models. I've tried a sample and it's excellent. Perhaps look out for a video in the future where Jay joins us for the day...
I bought the alto and tenor in silver. These are works of art. The bild quality is impeccable and the sound is accurate and enchanting. I think I'm in love.
@@marcdeckard7064 the thing is I'm just starting the sax for the first time, I've never even touched a sax before hahaha so I wouldn't know if it's bad or good quality.... I can maybe show it to my teacher but I think if it turns out to be bad i need to send it back quickly right? Thank you for your response! Have a wonderful day!
@@imaneab818 yes, have your teacher play it. Any problems should be pretty obvious. I believe you have at least a couple of weeks to return it. I bought the silver models.They are a bit more expensive so they might have a higher level of quality control. Save all the packaging so return will be easy, should you need to.
I really want to get a tenor at some point. And seeing as how all ya hear is good things about Jean Paul, it'll probably be that one. At that price, you can spend a little extra on a really nice mouthpiece.
My friend bought a TS400 about two months ago and I have been teaching him. I am seriously impressed by the quality and sound. A lot of saxophone for the money. Honest! The stock mouthpiece supplied is very similar to the Yamaha 4C as Jim says in the video, so i agree a mouthpiece upgrade may be a sound investment. No pun intended!
To my ears, Jim, you always sound better on an alto. I also know another tenor player that sounds much better on an alto. Then again, I know many players that only sound good on a tenor. What a strange thing that is; eh? I am still developing my sax sound, after a year of playing the alto and at some point next year, I am going to treat myself to a tenor. Then perhaps after another year on the tenor, I will have a better understanding, of where my sound lies and on which instrument. And through this video, you have convinced me enough, to buy the TS-400, once I am ready. Thanks for the comparison video; it was very well done.
@@robertgerard7055 When was the last time that you played on an alto? And 35 years is plenty of time to find one's voice on the sax. How would you describe your tenor sound, Robert?
@@Nenden My sound is nearly as good as Jim's; He sounds modern, in control, complex, like Ernie Watts. What are you up to? I just simply state that Jim sounds great on tenor.
I've seen the BetterSax review and was planning on getting one until I found another channel who didn't get a hand picked model sent to him from Jean Paul. Having went through Amazon, it was of more questionable quality and I started seeing several customer reviews with similar issues. Could simply be rare lemons that made it through quality control and their warranty may ultimately correct the issue, but I ended up managing to find a like new, used Yamaha for less and went that route instead.
Yeah im a little concerned now. I was excited to have found a sax that I thought would be good but affordable. But im noticing that smaller channels have gotten less then stellar products. So are you not buying one?
I bought a reconditioned AS400 from Ebay (Jean Paul USA). It was pretty much OK but the neck clamp wouldn't tighten properly. When you make a big thing of QC how does that slip through? Has to be said both jean Paul and sax.co.uk (as the repair agent) sorted it out quickly. So if they were a school kid they'd get 'A-, could do better' from me.
Which one would you recommend for a beginner? I think I prefer the tone of the tenor, but I wouldn't mind the added savings if the alto is better for a beginner. Coming from playing guitar and am hoping some of that knowledge will transfer
As a mostly self taught intermediate level player I have both alto and tenor saxes. I find the alto is easier to blow but more difficult to control. For me the tenor is more rewarding to play with a good reed matched to the mouthpiece, and that's why I play the tenor much more than the alto. As a complete beginner you might be better off buying a second hand good quality alto and getting grips with sax playing on that before committing more of your hard earned on a new sax or more expensive tenor. However buying a used sax can be a mine field, especially if you buy off an auction site, since the quality can be very variable. I was lucky with the used alto I bought since it plays well but was relatively inexpensive. Finally one option you could consider is hiring for a while with an option to buy. And if you go ahead and are serious you need to practice, like daily if you can, but try to keep it fun to do.
My son is learning to play sax with a Jean Paul AS-400, he has 11 months of formal distance classes and I consider it a good saxophone for beginners. I'm from Mexico and I bought the saxophone two years ago through Amazon USA. This is a bit of what he has learned ua-cam.com/channels/keij7mF3AZS3eDyC3cx93w.html
I play both and am going to college for sax. There isn’t a better or worse one. You can change up the sound with the mouthpiece, making it harder or easier to play. Alto sax will have a bit smaller of a mouthpiece and a lot of people usually start on it. It would be a good one to start on. I mainly play tenor sax at the moment tho
Hi, thank you so much for the video. I just bought one. But I got a question that as a beginner, some one recommend me to upgrade a mouthpiece. Do you think it is reasonable? if is, do you have any recommendation? thank you so much again for.the video, that help me a lot.
Been playing alto sax since 1991, clarinet since 1956. Always get the best local sax teacher you can afford for about twice per month for six to eight months each year for the first four years. Your questions can bes
I will be honest. I bought the Tenor and it’s very disappointing after all of these wonderful reviews. My sax came out of adjustment with leaks. After sending it back for “repair” I received it back with more leaks and the same sloppy octave key. I’m putting mine in the garage and forgetting about it. I really hoped for the quality you and many others claim but it’s not there for me
This was not my experience with the AS400. I also saw the reviews that Better Sax and Saxologic did and ended up buying one. I bought mine from Amazon and the intonation was awful. All of the palm keys were more than 60¢ sharp (and reading as the next half step up on a tuner). The mid C# was about 35¢ flat. The mid C alternate fingering was also about 30¢ flat. That side C key action was bad, it wouldn't fully open and the cork stoppers were not adjusted at all. Maybe Jean Paul is sending the reviewers better adjusted horns but mine was not good. Luckily Amazon has an excellent return policy, that horn was returned the next day. My guess is that quality control isn't consistent. If you buy this horn, please be careful about checking it to the standards you were promised. Also, Better Sax also gave the Aamoon alto a good review and that one was the worst alto I've ever seen. Again, might be a quality control issue, I don't know, but please check your horns.
They almost certainly do send special “versions” of their horns to reviewers. One of the things manufacturers do so often is put much attention to detail to specific horns they know will be tested and reviewed while the rest vary wildly in quality.
OTOH, Jay and Nathan both well-reviewed the cheap Eastar alto, and I love it. Not saying you're wrong though. Makes sense a salesman is going to ensure review products will be fettled.
Sorry to hear your experience wasn't so great with Amazon. Our technicians will be going over every instrument to ensure the quality is as good as the best ones we've tried.
I recently tried 2 different tenors from JP that were purchased through Amazon and both disappointed me beyond what I could have ever even imagine. Both were absolutely CRAP! The craftsmanship was the worst I have ever seen, on any instrument. There were deep scratches on some of the keys that were there before the plating was put on. One of the tenors had the 3 right hand side keys (E, C, Bb) not even staight. The other tenor when you release the low C key would hit the key guard and make a loud clunk sound. Maybe the Amazon instruments are all lemons but there is no excuse for these kind of issues and lock of attention to detail. I ended finding a good deal on a new Yamaha YTS-62iii and so happy now. I understand that the Yamaha is at a totally different level price wise, skill wise and like 4-5 times the price but it really does show and sound much better. I didn't expect the JP to be on the level of a Yamaha given the price point but the issues I had are unforgivable and just shows the lock of quality control and attention to detail. I did speak to my local instrument repair guy today and he said they have all kinds of maintenance issues with JP products and often the same instrument comes back ever 3 months for a repair. In my opinion don't waste the money on a JP, even if you do get lucky and have a decent one from the factory as it seems you will be spending more money on repairs. If you don't have the money to purchase a new good instrument I totally understand, try finding a good used one. Ok, rant over 😀
@@saxworldwide would like to hear how the JP saxophones have been doing for you since this video was posted about 3 months ago. Thanks, and been enjoying all of your videos! Keep up the great content!
Been a professional sax player for over 18 years. I just bought an AS-400 as a beater horn for gigging and practice and I have to say it is brilliant.
SAXOLOGY!!!! 🤩
Is that a promotion or demotion, Nathan? LOL.
When y'all gonna review the Better Sax Bundy?
Let us know if you're ever in London!
@@joeblankenship377 We should be getting stock over the next couple of months and hope to get some content out with Jay sometime soon!
Sorry Nathan, my bad. Middle age kicking in.
I have both an as400 and a ts400. They are both phenomenal performers and I can’t recommend Jean Paul saxophones enough!
Which one would you recommend for a beginner? I think I prefer the tone of the tenor, but I wouldn't mind the added savings if the alto is better for a beginner.
@@CargoShorts7 if you like tenor more, go for it
Go for the alto
@@CargoShorts7 Alto saxophone is the best saxophone for beginners.
@@natthegnatWhich Alto saxophone is better for beginners. My age is 64 I am from India. My budget is $500-650 please advise. 🙏🏿
I purchased the Alto for my daughter to begin playing. It played well out of the box, and was really impressive after my tech did some tweaks. I purchased a vintage JK stencil horn for her to upgrade to, but she went back to the Jean Paul. After playing both, I have to agree with her, the JP horn plays better.
purchased the As400 for myself a few months ago and i can really vouch for the cost to performance of it!
On a point of accuracy, Jay Metcalf (Better Sax) is based in the south of France, not the US. Although I agree that doesn't make a huge amount of difference to anything. Better Sax's own alto is supposed to be even better, and will be available in the UK from September.
Yes, I have discovered this since shooting this video. We are also looking forward to getting involved with the slightly higher-priced Better Sax models. I've tried a sample and it's excellent. Perhaps look out for a video in the future where Jay joins us for the day...
Such a nice endorsement, I hope they do well for you.
I bought the alto and tenor in silver. These are works of art. The bild quality is impeccable and the sound is accurate and enchanting. I think I'm in love.
Please tell me did you buy them form Amazone? I need it but I read that some bought it from Amazon and they were shocked it turned out to be bad....
@@imaneab818 yes Amizon. Mine were perfect
If you get one that isn't just send it back. I would imagine there are bad copies of any brand.
@@marcdeckard7064 the thing is I'm just starting the sax for the first time, I've never even touched a sax before hahaha so I wouldn't know if it's bad or good quality.... I can maybe show it to my teacher but I think if it turns out to be bad i need to send it back quickly right? Thank you for your response! Have a wonderful day!
@@imaneab818 yes, have your teacher play it. Any problems should be pretty obvious. I believe you have at least a couple of weeks to return it. I bought the silver models.They are a bit more expensive so they might have a higher level of quality control. Save all the packaging so return will be easy, should you need to.
@@marcdeckard7064 alright! Thank you a loooot Marc!
I really want to get a tenor at some point. And seeing as how all ya hear is good things about Jean Paul, it'll probably be that one. At that price, you can spend a little extra on a really nice mouthpiece.
My friend bought a TS400 about two months ago and I have been teaching him. I am seriously impressed by the quality and sound. A lot of saxophone for the money. Honest! The stock mouthpiece supplied is very similar to the Yamaha 4C as Jim says in the video, so i agree a mouthpiece upgrade may be a sound investment. No pun intended!
I own both...can confirm!
I phoned yesterday and was told they won’t be in till the end of the month I can’t wait . I’m coming in for the Alto
The alto was very good for a student model. The tenor, for a student model, was unbelievable.
Hello, could you give me an opinion about the Julius Keilwerth ST-110 Alto Sax? Thank you very much!
That’s a great looking and sounding horn.
That’s great! I was wondering when you’d make a video about them
To my ears, Jim, you always sound better on an alto. I also know another tenor player that sounds much better on an alto. Then again, I know many players that only sound good on a tenor. What a strange thing that is; eh? I am still developing my sax sound, after a year of playing the alto and at some point next year, I am going to treat myself to a tenor. Then perhaps after another year on the tenor, I will have a better understanding, of where my sound lies and on which instrument. And through this video, you have convinced me enough, to buy the TS-400, once I am ready. Thanks for the comparison video; it was very well done.
Me thinks his sound on tenor is smashing, playing tenor myself for 35 years
@@robertgerard7055 When was the last time that you played on an alto? And 35 years is plenty of time to find one's voice on the sax. How would you describe your tenor sound, Robert?
@@Nenden My sound is nearly as good as Jim's; He sounds modern, in control, complex, like Ernie Watts. What are you up to? I just simply state that Jim sounds great on tenor.
@@robertgerard7055 I simply initiated conversation. That hasn't worked, so let's just move on.
Just bought the AS-400 right before I saw this video
I own a ts-400sp and it’s great!
I've seen the BetterSax review and was planning on getting one until I found another channel who didn't get a hand picked model sent to him from Jean Paul. Having went through Amazon, it was of more questionable quality and I started seeing several customer reviews with similar issues.
Could simply be rare lemons that made it through quality control and their warranty may ultimately correct the issue, but I ended up managing to find a like new, used Yamaha for less and went that route instead.
Yeah im a little concerned now. I was excited to have found a sax that I thought would be good but affordable. But im noticing that smaller channels have gotten less then stellar products. So are you not buying one?
I bought a reconditioned AS400 from Ebay (Jean Paul USA). It was pretty much OK but the neck clamp wouldn't tighten properly. When you make a big thing of QC how does that slip through? Has to be said both jean Paul and sax.co.uk (as the repair agent) sorted it out quickly. So if they were a school kid they'd get 'A-, could do better' from me.
Which one would you recommend for a beginner? I think I prefer the tone of the tenor, but I wouldn't mind the added savings if the alto is better for a beginner. Coming from playing guitar and am hoping some of that knowledge will transfer
As a mostly self taught intermediate level player I have both alto and tenor saxes. I find the alto is easier to blow but more difficult to control. For me the tenor is more rewarding to play with a good reed matched to the mouthpiece, and that's why I play the tenor much more than the alto. As a complete beginner you might be better off buying a second hand good quality alto and getting grips with sax playing on that before committing more of your hard earned on a new sax or more expensive tenor. However buying a used sax can be a mine field, especially if you buy off an auction site, since the quality can be very variable. I was lucky with the used alto I bought since it plays well but was relatively inexpensive. Finally one option you could consider is hiring for a while with an option to buy. And if you go ahead and are serious you need to practice, like daily if you can, but try to keep it fun to do.
My son is learning to play sax with a Jean Paul AS-400, he has 11 months of formal distance classes and I consider it a good saxophone for beginners. I'm from Mexico and I bought the saxophone two years ago through Amazon USA. This is a bit of what he has learned ua-cam.com/channels/keij7mF3AZS3eDyC3cx93w.html
I play both and am going to college for sax. There isn’t a better or worse one. You can change up the sound with the mouthpiece, making it harder or easier to play. Alto sax will have a bit smaller of a mouthpiece and a lot of people usually start on it. It would be a good one to start on. I mainly play tenor sax at the moment tho
Are you the shop’s proprietor, Jim?
What reed was Jin using on the alto sax?
Hi, i want to a Buy a sax for start play this is the Best option for leas 600 dollars?
How is the air flow resistance?
do they offer soprano models?
Hi, thank you so much for the video. I just bought one. But I got a question that as a beginner, some one recommend me to upgrade a mouthpiece. Do you think it is reasonable? if is, do you have any recommendation? thank you so much again for.the video, that help me a lot.
Been playing alto sax since 1991, clarinet since 1956. Always get the best local sax teacher you can afford for about twice per month for six to eight months each year for the first four years. Your questions can bes
I will be honest. I bought the Tenor and it’s very disappointing after all of these wonderful reviews. My sax came out of adjustment with leaks. After sending it back for “repair” I received it back with more leaks and the same sloppy octave key. I’m putting mine in the garage and forgetting about it. I really hoped for the quality you and many others claim but it’s not there for me
I have the ts-400. Amazing horn for the price
Que es mejor ,un jean Paul usa , o un ,apollo Saxofón , Forfavor ayudenmeee ,no tengo. Mucho presupuesto
This was not my experience with the AS400. I also saw the reviews that Better Sax and Saxologic did and ended up buying one. I bought mine from Amazon and the intonation was awful. All of the palm keys were more than 60¢ sharp (and reading as the next half step up on a tuner). The mid C# was about 35¢ flat. The mid C alternate fingering was also about 30¢ flat. That side C key action was bad, it wouldn't fully open and the cork stoppers were not adjusted at all. Maybe Jean Paul is sending the reviewers better adjusted horns but mine was not good. Luckily Amazon has an excellent return policy, that horn was returned the next day. My guess is that quality control isn't consistent. If you buy this horn, please be careful about checking it to the standards you were promised.
Also, Better Sax also gave the Aamoon alto a good review and that one was the worst alto I've ever seen. Again, might be a quality control issue, I don't know, but please check your horns.
They almost certainly do send special “versions” of their horns to reviewers. One of the things manufacturers do so often is put much attention to detail to specific horns they know will be tested and reviewed while the rest vary wildly in quality.
OTOH, Jay and Nathan both well-reviewed the cheap Eastar alto, and I love it. Not saying you're wrong though. Makes sense a salesman is going to ensure review products will be fettled.
Sorry to hear your experience wasn't so great with Amazon. Our technicians will be going over every instrument to ensure the quality is as good as the best ones we've tried.
I recently tried 2 different tenors from JP that were purchased through Amazon and both disappointed me beyond what I could have ever even imagine. Both were absolutely CRAP! The craftsmanship was the worst I have ever seen, on any instrument. There were deep scratches on some of the keys that were there before the plating was put on. One of the tenors had the 3 right hand side keys (E, C, Bb) not even staight. The other tenor when you release the low C key would hit the key guard and make a loud clunk sound.
Maybe the Amazon instruments are all lemons but there is no excuse for these kind of issues and lock of attention to detail.
I ended finding a good deal on a new Yamaha YTS-62iii and so happy now. I understand that the Yamaha is at a totally different level price wise, skill wise and like 4-5 times the price but it really does show and sound much better. I didn't expect the JP to be on the level of a Yamaha given the price point but the issues I had are unforgivable and just shows the lock of quality control and attention to detail.
I did speak to my local instrument repair guy today and he said they have all kinds of maintenance issues with JP products and often the same instrument comes back ever 3 months for a repair.
In my opinion don't waste the money on a JP, even if you do get lucky and have a decent one from the factory as it seems you will be spending more money on repairs. If you don't have the money to purchase a new good instrument I totally understand, try finding a good used one. Ok, rant over 😀
@@saxworldwide would like to hear how the JP saxophones have been doing for you since this video was posted about 3 months ago. Thanks, and been enjoying all of your videos! Keep up the great content!
What should I get, a sakkusu deluxe alto saxophone, or a jean Paul alto saxophone?
Having had a Sakkusu I would totally walk by it and choose the JP
@@newscrews11I am beginner and my Age is 64 I am from India. My budget is $500-650. Which Alto saxophone is better? please advise 🙏🏿
Saxology didn't do reviews. Did Jim mean Saxologic? Some people say all sax players look the same.😉
Did you mean Saxologic?
Yep, I meant Saxologic - sorry, my brain took a nose-dive when I said that!
The Alto sounds like Phil Woods
I've watched many mixed reviews of this brand.
Many bad reviews especially.