Original Lacquer
Showing all 44 results
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Buescher Aristocrat 140 Alto Original Lacquer Very Good Condition
$ 950Great deal on a clean, original lacquer, original pads Buescher 140 alto saxophone. This horn has its original snaps and spuds intact, and is a repad shy of being a VERY good player. Minimal wear, minimal past repairs, neck in good shape. This is a clean one that will be an easy repad job for someone. These are among the most undervalued vintage horns right now!
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Buescher Super 400 Alto Original Lacquer Overhauled 588166
$ 1,750 -
Buffet Super Dynaction Alto 16883 Original Lacquer Good Condition Old Pads
$ 1,250Buffet Super Dynaction alto saxophone with original lacquer. This alto came from a collector who favored Buffet saxophones, and it is priced to sell, in good condition. It has had some dings removed, and the pads are old, but you’ll get an excellent pro alto for a bargain price if you get this and get it overhauled. It has the ‘sparkle’ lacquer that the earlier serial Buffet Super Dynaction saxophones have. The earlier ones like this also play darker, and look great too. The original case comes with it. They’re one of the few saxophones along with the Mark VI and the Couf Superba 1 that have a complex, interesting, vintage tone, but keywork that feels more or less modern under the fingers. Intonation is also typically quite good, as you might expect from Buffet Crampon Paris.
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Buffet Super Dynaction Alto Original ‘Sparkle’ Lacquer Overhauled 13945
$ 2,950Completely overhauled original ‘sparkle’ lacquer Buffet Super Dynaction alto that also comes in a desirable vintage case that is among the nicest vintage cases ever. The overhaul on this horn is quite nice, and it feels great under the fingers. The original lacquer is nearly all intact. The tone is big, wide, medium between bright and dark and ‘operatic’ with a ton of power. The intonation is excellent as well. If you want to get a Buffet Super Dynaction that is as nice as they come, this is the one to get. They are still priced amazingly affordably. Try buying one this nice and getting it overhauled well for less money, and it will be very hard to do.
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Conn 26M VIII Connqueror Alto Original Lacquer Excellent! 292445
$ 3,550This is a beautiful example of a rare Conn Connqueror 26M Alto saxophone with original lacquer and VIII stamp. The Connqueror is the most mechanically sophisticated saxophone that Conn ever made. It is a pre-war 6M body tube and neck, with all new keywork design, extra engraving, and solid silver on all the key touches that are not pearl. The ‘permadjust’ system is the big development on the Connqueror altos. You can read about that on Matt Stohrer’s website, or watch his repairman’s overview of the 26M on Youtube. This one has its bits and bobs intact, and is in very good condition. It just got overhauled before I bought it, so the pads are all new! Cosmetically, this horn is just great, with only some minor lacquer wear. It has to be one of the nicest 26M Connqueror altos out there. Definitely the nicest one for sale currently, and priced very reasonably. I really like this one.
Only one available!
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Conn 6M Alto Saxophone Gorgeous Original Lacquer 320627
$ 1,750This Conn 6M Alto is in excellent original condition with original lacquer and original pads. It is almost as clean as it could possibly be. It will need a repad as soon as you get it, because it only makes saxophone noises now, but has pads from 1947 or so, which are ready to be replaced. No wear anywhere. No real damage, and no problems that I can see. If you want a great looking, super clean Conn 6M, that’s what this is. Original case also in good condition.
Only one available!
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Conn 6M Transitional Alto Saxophone Original Lacquer New York Neck! 275123
$ 2,450 -
King SilverSonic Alto 1962 Original Lacquer Recent Overhaul Excellent Condition 390796
$ 5,000 -
King Super 20 Alto 1953 Full Pearls Original Lacquer Recent Overhaul! 323895
$ 5,200 -
King Super 20 Alto Full Pearls Original Lacquer Fresh Matt Stohrer Overhaul 339681
$ 8,000One of the best altos ever made, overhauled by Matt Stohrer, who does the best overhaul on a Super 20 I’ve played. This is also one of the best Super 20’s I’ve played! It’s excellent in every way. This is the one you want. Full pearls, silver double-socket neck, engraved bell keys. This is the vintage that Cannonball played on Kind of Blue and Somethin’ Else. I play one exactly like this myself (within a few hundred serial numbers). Super clean and it even has a lot of original lacquer left on the neck, which is kind of a status symbol among King owners. If I write any more about this, I’m going to convince my self I have to keep it, but I can only play one at a time! With the overhaul, it’s a great deal. Original case is also in good shape.
Only one available!
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King Zephyr Special Alto Full Pearls Original Dark Lacquer Stunning (Old Pads) 237123
$ 4,350 -
King Zephyr Special Tenor Original Lacquer Very Good Condition Recent Overhaul 209710
$ 6,350 -
Martin The Martin Tenor Committee III Original Lacquer Recent Overhaul Beautiful! 184873
$ 3,450 -
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NOVA Woodwinds Bronze Low A Baritone Saxophone Brand New Great Deal
Introducing the new NOVA Woodwinds line of instruments. The NOVA Woodwinds line meets a need in the marketplace for a lower-priced Low A Baritone saxophone that is still good quality. People have been asking me for years if I can recommend anything in the sub-$3500 price range for a low A baritone. I have had to scrounge for deals on used Yamaha or Yanagisawa baritones, but if the used baritones need a repad or other repairs, then you’re immediately back in the $4k price range, so it really is hard to get anything decent, let alone new under $2500. That’s where the NOVA baritone shines. For only $2450, you get a NOVA baritone (NOVA means ‘new’ in Latin) that is brand new and plays quite well, and that holds up well over time by all accounts.
If you are shopping for a baritone saxophone, whether for a school band program, for doubling and taking extra gigs on bari, or just for playing some sick funk lines with your Tower of Power cover band, this horn is worth a look. I have friends who have used this bari in their band programs for years, and it holds up to punishment by middle and high school students quite well. That’s saying a lot!
Much of the reason it holds up well is that I am spending $400-500 per horn on an extensive amount of setup work. It’s almost an overhaul, because it’s fully disassembled, cleaned, oiled, gets all new corks, which is time-consuming, gets rods straightened, many pads reseated or replaced, the LH pinky table rebuilt, the neck tenon ‘fit’ to the receiver, regulation between keys fixed, and actually several other small things improved. At that point, its a completely different instrument from how it arrives. And it actually plays down to low A well and should continue to do so for a long time with only occasional upkeep needed. As such, it’s a solid school bari, doubler’s bari, or just a fun horn to play around on.
You could set it up and sell it doing MUCH less work – $50 to get pads sealing and send it out the door, but that would not be the way to build a good reputation for your brand, or to take good care of your customers, over even the short term. I want the NOVA line to stand out as the most reliable baritone saxophone you can get new under $2500. Unfortunately, after I buy the horn, pay for international shipping and spend $450 per horn on repair, there’s very little profit to be made on these. Thankfully, this is not a large part of the overall business here at GetASax.
Once it’s properly ‘mini-overhauled’, the tone is big, loud, and medium between bright and dark. It tunes well with a variety of mouthpieces. The keywork is pretty comfortable, and works fine for anyone from middle school up through adult. The stacks are actually in line, not offset, meaning the tone holes are all in one long row. That changes the feel of the right hand, as you rotate around farther than you otherwise would on a modern horn. This is NOT a Yanagisawa copy. From neck to bell to keywork, it’s really not similar to a B901. The case is usable, with a hard foam contoured interior, sturdy zipper, decent amount of storage, and wheels that are usable on a smooth surface. The mouthpiece it comes with isn’t great, so see below about cheap but good mouthpieces.
It comes in this version, which is bronze, and then in the brass version also. The bronze is a slightly darker tone, and gives you the two tone look, where the all brass like this just looks like a typical new saxophone. You won’t go wrong with either one. Both of them include the pictured hard case which has wheels, as well as the other accessories in the photos. I would recommend a Rico Metallite for funk/rock, a Yamaha 5C or Rousseau for an inexpensive beginner baritone mouthpiece for concert band, or there are lots of other options getting listed in the baritone mouthpieces section of the site.
These low A baritone saxophones tend to sell quickly, so please let me know if you are wanting to order more than one, so that I can be sure to order them far enough in advance to fill your order quickly.
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Powell Silver Eagle SE10 Alto One of 18 Made – all options solid silver +Matt Stohrer Overhau
For your viewing pleasure, this is one of the 18 Powell Silver Eagle saxophones made. Powell conceived of an ambitious project to bring back an American-made saxophone of the highest quality. Inspired by the Super 20 SilverSonic, the Silver Eagle reproduces the bore while adding solid silver soldered tone holes and modern keywork. Powell sadly ended their project after making only 18 saxophones, despite high demand, due to the high cost of production. This horn plays like a good super 20 but a little more evenly, and has been completely overhauled by Matt Stohrer. This is the ultimate collectible among modern saxophones, and it is also a burning player. Asking price is just what these cost new, plus a little extra since it got a $1500 overhaul on top of that! It’s not even inflated for the collectibility value, which is probably not smart of me, but there it is. If you want to discuss all the details of this project, I can put you in touch with the people who built it. These were most definitely a new saxophone bore and neck design, inspired by the best King Super 20 SilverSonic altos, both according to them and according to the folks who bought the tooling and mandrels when the project ended. The keywork is modified from tooling bought from B&S, which accounts for the pinky table that sticks out farther than it would on something like a Yamaha.
There is most certainly only one available. This one has all the possible factory options, which only a subset of Powell Silver Eagles had – including the solid silver tone holes and even cryo treatment. Of the 18 saxophones built, I know at least a couple of them were brass bell, and some others lacked other of these features. This is one of the ones with everything, which makes it even more collectible. Includes the original accessories, case, and paperwork.
Just for fun, here’s Matt Stohrer’s repairman’s overview from when he overhauled it.
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Selmer Mark VI Alto 1960 Original Lacquer Older Pads Good Condition 87926
$ 7,500 -
Selmer Mark VI Alto 1962 Original Lacquer Low A Fresh Overhaul! 106690
$ 8,000 -
Selmer Mark VI Alto 1965 Original Lacquer Very Good Condition 129247
$ 7,750Beautiful condition 1965 Selmer Mark VI Alto saxophone with original lacquer and American engraving. The neck has the matching serial number to the body. It has some stand scratches on the bell, and some miscellaneous wear from use, but it is as nice as can be. The pads are in gret condition! This was a one owner horn that was well cared for its entire life. Now it’s ready for a new owner to take care of it for its next 60 years.
The tone is dark, powerful, and focused with lots of projection. I like the mid 60’s VI altos the best for tone out of all of the VI altos.
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Selmer Mark VI Alto 1967 Original Lacquer Great Player Fresh Overhaul 150707
$ 7,500 -
Selmer Mark VI Alto 1973 Original Lacquer Very Good Condition 208643
$ 5,000 -
Selmer Mark VI Alto 1974 Original Lacquer Fresh Overhaul 220833
$ 6,000This is a GREAT playing Mark VI alto that really does everything well. It just got a fresh top shelf overhaul, and it is now playing like a brand new saxophone. The pads are Italian leather Pisoni, and the resonators are nice Selmer style slightly domed reusable brass. It feels dry and snappy under the fingers and the low register up to altissimo is effortless! The later serial VI altos are probably the best deal on a Selmer, because they sell for lower prices than the early VI altos, but they have better intonation and easier low register than any other VI altos. They also have a beautiful tone that is medium between bright and dark, works with almost any mouthpiece, and can play anything from classical to rock. This one is original lacquer, with American engraving. The original lacquer is almost all intact, with just some normal wear from use. It’s a one owner horn before I got it and overhauled it for you!
It makes you want to just keep playing. You won’t want to put it down. Plus it will go up in value while you enjoy it. That’s hard to beat.
Only one available!
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Selmer Mark VI Alto Original Lacquer Excellent 203131
$ 6,000 -
Selmer Mark VI Alto Original Lacquer Excellent 229239
$ 6,000 -
Selmer Mark VI Alto Original Lacquer Good Condition Old Pads Relacquered Neck 197380
$ 4,500Good deal on this original lacquer Selmer Mark VI alto. It looks to me like the neck was relacquered at some point, which was done well. As a result, you can save some money on this alto, despite the fact that the neck’s getting a new coat of paint shouldn’t affect anything about the saxophone’s playability. (Relacquering tends to affect things like the key fit of the body of the sax, or sometimes the tone holes, but these are not issues on a neck.)
This sax is on consignment, and I haven’t been able to overhaul it myself, but for this price, you can have your favorite repair shop overhaul it and still come out thousands below the price of a new Selmer, for something that sounds better!
Only one available!
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Selmer Mark VI Sopranino 5-digit RARE Original Lacquer Excellent! 98569
$ 7,950This is an incredibly rare 5-digit Selmer Mark VI Sopranino saxophone. Serial 98569, close to Coltrane’s famous VI soprano. Original lacquer at about 98% intact; extremely clean condition with no damage and no past repairs. Original case is great as well. I may have this significantly underpriced. It’s the ultimate collectible sopranino saxophone. This is the only 5-digit sopranino I’ve had in the history of GetASax, so there is most certainly only one available!
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Selmer Mark VI Soprano Near Mint Original Lacquer 222370
$ 6,000 -
Selmer Mark VI Soprano Original Lacquer Excellent Condition! 210073
$ 4,950Gorgeous original lacquer Selmer Mark VI soprano. The later serials like this tune the best of all the VI sopranos, and sound great. Both Coltrane and Kenny G play(ed) a VI soprano, so that should give you some idea of the range of tone possible on one of these. This one is about as clean and nice an example as you could find. The pads are original, and still sealing fairly well, but plan on a repad soon. Priced to be a great deal for someone.
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Selmer Mark VI Tenor 1957 Original Lacquer Recent Overhaul Great Player 70812
$ 17,000 -
Selmer Mark VI Tenor 1961 American Engraved Original Lacquer Excellent Condition 95721
$ 17,500If you’ve been looking for a 1961 Selmer Mark VI Tenor in excellent condition for a while, and have been waiting to buy a really special one, then your wait may be over! I haven’t had one this clean and beautiful in a few years, and I don’t know when I’ll get another! The 5-digit serial Selmer Mark VI tenors have gotten pretty hard to find in clean original condition like this, and prices have been going up. This one is priced on the low side of what I’m seeing people asking at other dealers and on eBay. I was very pleasantly surprised with the condition when it arrived from the original owner. The original lacquer is almost all present, and there is no damage at all – no dents or dings, no resolders, and the original neck with matching serial number is in excellent condition with no pull down or past damage. The American engraving looks great, and the lacquer color is a gorgeous deep honey gold. The pads are original, and the horn comes in the beautiful original Chesterfield case. I love how the edge binding on this case is one continuous piece in a sort of figure 8 pattern. The 90k VI tenors have a punchy, dark, focused, powerful tone that is pretty much the tenor sound that most pro players seem to be looking for today. With a brighter mouthpiece, these things project like crazy. With an overhaul, this will be the sort of horn that you just don’t want to put down.
Only one available
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Selmer Mark VI Tenor 1974 Original Lacquer Very Good Condition Original Pads 234158
$ 6,750 -
Selmer Mark VI Tenor 1974 Original Lacquer Very Good Condition Recent Overhaul 220324
$ 7,000This is a beautiful original lacquer Selmer Mark VI Tenor saxophone that also has a fresh Ken Beason overhaul with large metal resonators (‘Beasonators’) and leather pads. The action is nice and snappy under the fingers, and the horn feels as nice to play as a brand new saxophone. It has beautiful lacquer and American engraving, and there are no dents or dings. As far as past repairs, it looks like the neck was flexed enough over the years to lose a little lacquer on the sides, but it’s not pulled down, and it looks like it was a very minor thing – like what happens when you move your mouthpiece while on the neck. The neck receiver has some lacquer loss around that area, and the back of the body tube has some lacquer loss in one spot. I think the neck receiver was resoldered when Ken overhauled the horn, by the look of it. This needs to be done on a horn when the solder has a leak or if the socket is loose for any reason. The tone on this one is big, powerful and projecting. Late VI tenors like this are beasts, and the resonators also help it to put out a ton of sound. Intonation is easy; low register comes out effortlessly, and altissimo is also easy!
Only one available!
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Selmer Mark VII Alto Original Lacquer American Engraved 256747
$ 3,450 -
Selmer Mark VII Alto Original Lacquer Very Good Condition 244921
$ 3,150 -
Selmer New Large Bore Tenor Original Plays Well! 13182
$ 4,350 -
Selmer Radio Improved Alto Original Lacquer, Recent Overhaul 19276
$ 4,650If you read around on here a bit, you’ll see that I love Selmers from the 1930’s and the Radio Improved in particular. This one has most of its original lacquer intact, and is in quite good condition. it is also in great playing condition with a recent overhaul done by Jack Finucane (Aka Jack Tyler) from a few years or so ago before he stopped doing overhauls, and feels nice and snappy under the fingers. The pads look a little funny in photos – that’s because of some powder from Yamaha powder paper that is on the leather. But the pads themselves are in excellent condition and are nearly new. The resonators look like a Reso-Tech set made to match the vintage Selmer Tonex resos, but slightly oversized, and very slightly domed. They are a good match for the horn, and they almost look like vintage Selmer resonators. It didn’t get played much after overhaul, as the owner is in a military band and plays a modern horn most of the time for work. It’s on consignment now, and I think it’ll likely sell quickly.
The tone of a Radio Improved alto is the reason to buy it. It’s like a Selmer blended with a Conn almost- delicate lyrical core that reminds me of an SBA, but with a wider, warmer, more spread feel like a Conn. The keywork is not modern. This is before the ‘Balanced Action’ keywork improvements, so you will have to get used to the left hand pinky keys if you haven’t played a vintage horn before. If you have, then it’s no problem. I barely notice keywork differences anymore after playing all the different styles out there. This one is more comfortable than most, and I like the direct action bell key mechanism.
The original lacquer is in beautiful shape and looks great – deep honey gold. The only spot that isn’t original lacquer (and you’d have to really look closely to tell this) is at the neck receiver, where it looks like Jack had to resolder the neck receiver and then mix up some matching lacquer to over spray there. The only way to tell is that there’s just a little sign of overspray of the new lacquer on top of the original lacquer just below the receiver. That resolder often needs to be done on a 30’s Selmer to make the neck receiver strong again after 80+ years of use. (It was done on my personal RI, so I specially look for it). These horns are very uncommon, and this one is nicer than the great majority of RI’s out there. Only 1140 RI altos were made, and this is probably in the top 10% of those.
Only one available!
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Selmer Reference 54 Alto Saxophone Flamingo Dark Lacquer Plays Great! 708286
$ 5,450 -
Selmer Super Balanced Action Tenor 1954 Near Mint Original Lacquer Original Pads Amazing 53933
$ 24,500 -
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Yamaha YAS-62III Alto Saxophone Brand New with Warranty!
The YAS-62III Alto saxophone from Yamaha is the go-to, top recommended first professional alto saxophone from most teachers and band directors I have talked to over the years. Again and again online, someone asks something like, “We want to get our daughter/son a good saxophone. Our budget is around $3000. What should we get?” The most common answer is basically always a Yamaha YAS-62III alto. Why? It just works. It’s a professional horn that is extremely reliable and made in Japan, with excellent build quality, great intonation, and a top quality factory setup. You can use virtually any mouthpiece on it, and it will still tune well. That lets you take the (admittedly rather vanilla) tone in myriad directions. Yamaha is a conservative company, and their crowd pleaser YAS-62III alto saxophone is meant to get the job done without over-determining the tone. It’s clear, medium bright, and round. Not too loud and in your face, not very dark or too bright. Works for classical or jazz.
It’s hard to keep these horns in stock, as Yamaha has been backordered on them for a long time. I have one available late September, 2022. These come with a new horn checkup before they go to you, meaning my (experienced/skilled/picky) repairman makes sure that the horn plays like it should. Often there are 2 or three little tweaks that take the horn from good to great, and that’s actually a big added value to you to have us do that before you get it. Most of the differerces between new horns of the same model at a store are due to the lack of a good new horn checkup.
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Yamaha YTS-62III Professional Tenor Saxophone Brand NEW with Warranty and Pro Setup
$ 3,798The YTS-62III Tenor saxophone from Yamaha is the go-to, top recommended first professional tenor from most teachers and band directors I have talked to over the years. Again and again online, someone asks something like, “We want to get our daughter/son a good saxophone. Our budget is around $3750. What should we get?” The most common answer is basically always a Yamaha 62 tenor. Why? It just works. It’s a professional horn that is extremely reliable and made in Japan, with excellent build quality, great intonation, and a top quality factory setup. You can use virtually any mouthpiece on it, and it will still tune well. That lets you take the (admittedly rather vanilla) tone in myriad directions. Yamaha is a conservative company, and their crowd pleaser YTS-62III tenor saxophone is meant to get the job done without over-determining the tone. It’s clear, medium bright, and round. Not too loud and in your face, not very dark or too bright. Not very smoky or complex. But you can add most of that back in with a well-chosen mouthpiece.
It’s hard to keep these horns in stock, as Yamaha has been backordered on them for a long time. I have some more coming in pretty soon (Maybe June 2022) These come with a new horn checkup before they go to you, meaning my (experienced/skilled/picky) repairman makes sure that the horn plays like it should. Often there are 2 or three little tweaks that take the horn from good to great, and that’s actually a big added value to you to have us do that before you get it. Most of the differerces between new horns of the same model at a store are due to the lack of a good new horn checkup.
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Yanagisawa AWO10 Elite Professional Alto Saxophone Brand New Fantastic Deal! A991
$ 4,500Mint, unplayed, new in the plastic Yanagisawa AWO10 Alto saxophone. It’s also a fantastic deal. The AWO10 (formerly called A991) is Yanagisawa’s top of the line saxophone, made of solid brass, like most saxophones (as distinguished from their bronze and silver options that are significantly more expensive.) This AWO10 just got checked out post shipping and is ready to play its very best right out of the case when you get it. It’s completely mint, with factory box and paperwork etc. You won’t find a better playing Yanagisawa AWO10, nor will you find a better price. I have an extremely limited number of these that I can offer you at this sale price. Good luck to the few people who are able to jump on this amazing deal!
If you’re wondering, the AWO10 is the brass version of Yanagisawa’s top line professional alto. This is the new name of what used to be the A991 model. It has sturdier ‘ribbed construction’ and double arms on the bell keys, to distinguish it from its extremely similar but less expensive sibling, the AWO1 (A901). The Yanagisawa AWO10 also has the underslung neck octave key mechanism and fancy hand engraving. I love how the neck octave key looks and works. My first good alto was a Yanagisawa, and I never would have needed to upgrade from it. The tone is medium bright, clear, and round, with a crisp projection to it. With a classical mouthpiece, it darkens up beautifully while still shimmering. For jazz, it’s a natural lead alto with a brighter mouthpiece, like the GS New York or many others. The intonation is excellent. Keywork is super comfortable. The build quality that Yanagisawa offers is the best of any saxophone, and yet the price is lower than many of its competitors. That’s why Yanagisawa is SO popular among pro sax players, and why its saxophones are often back ordered with long waits. Here’s your chance to grab one at a SUPER price that is all setup and ready to go for many years making beautiful music dependably. It’s the Lexus of modern saxophones, and it just makes playing effortless.
Any questions, feel free to ask!
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Yanagisawa AWO2 Solid Bronze Alto Saxophone Brand New + Setup! A902
$ 4,000Available now!
Brand new, unplayed, in the plastic Yanagisawa AWO2 Alto saxophone. This is probably the best deal overall in a modern alto period. This horn just got checked out post shipping and is ready to play its very best right out of the case when you get it. It’s completely mint, with factory box and paperwork etc. You won’t find a better playing Yanagisawa AWO2, nor will you find a better price. I have an extremely limited number of these that I can offer you at this sale price. Good luck to the few people who are able to jump on this amazing deal!
If you’re wondering, the WO2 is the bronze version of Yanagisawa’s professional alto. This is the new name of what used to be the A902 model. It has a more open and vibrating feel than the heavier-built AWO20 (which is also a fantastic alto, but more expensive). My first good alto was one of these. And the solid bronze adds more depth and complexity to the tone – kind of a thick heart to the core of the tone. It’s quite easy to hear once you get used to it and play the different Yanagisawa saxophones. The AWO2 (A902) and AWO20 (A992) are my favorites, closely followed by AWO1 (A901) and AWO10 (A991) (same horns but in brass instead of bronze).
Any questions, feel free to ask!
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Yanagisawa TWO2 Tenor Saxophone New in the plastic T902
Yanagisawa TWO2 Tenor Saxophone brand new (formerly T902) is a professional saxophone for an absolutely bargain price in solid bronze. It’s also the best built modern saxophone. It just happens to also be affordable. This horn got a new horn checkup after arriving at the GetASax shop. Having a world class repairman take a look at a new saxophone fresh from the factory can often take it from good to great. There are typically 2 or 3 small tweaks that need done, and presto – you get the full experience of what the horn can do. Besides the excellent price, that’s a real selling point, I think. I wish my first new saxophone had been checked out. I suffered with too stiff spring tensions for years in college, without even realizing that I could easily have had that fixed. I know better now!