Chinese bass sax name recap & update

I admit I have been rather neglectful about keeping my Series about the Chinese bass saxes by Jinyin and Jinbao up to date. In my mind there wasn’t much more to write. However, based on the number of threads I have replied to on SOTW in recent days regarding the various brand names, I realize that an update was indeed in order.  

Before adding new names to the list, lets take a quick look at the stencil—and the two brand names—I have already come across in over a decade of researching this stuff.

Vintage American-style horns made by Jinyin

• Hawk
• DLM Music
• Orpheo
• I&K
• International Woodwinds Model 602
• Gear 4 Music
• Mason Pro
• Canex
• Jinyin A600G*
• Solo**
• Xu Qiu***

* Denotes the company’s own name on the instrument. Hence not a stencil.

** Not sure if any actually got sold, or if this name actually got used. One was advertised by Steve, the owner of Aquilasax back in 2012. It appeared on the company website. However, no inventory was shown in stock, nor was a price indicated. It appeared as if he was was gauging interest to see if it was worth bringing some in. My guess: It wasn’t.

***This is the one I played in person and reviewed for this site.

French wrap, AKA French-style, AKA short warp horns made by Jinbao

• Oleg
• Hunter
• International Woodwinds Model 661
• Tuyama
• Jinbao*
• J’Élle Stainer SAX226J

* Denotes the company’s own name on the instrument. Hence not a stencil.

New names for the Jinyin & Jinbao bass sax lists

These are names that I have amassed over the past few years, but never got around to updating here in this Series on Chinese-made bass saxes, or one my website or gallery. My goal is to have all of these sources updated in the coming weeks.

Arnolds & Sons	L.A. Ripamonti	Levante	O’Malley	Professional Art of Sound	Rosedale	Sakkusu	Swing	Thomann	Vento
Wessex	Wilmington	Xuqiu	Zetland	General Trends

Jinbao-made, “short wrap”, AKA French-style bass saxophones

Arnolds & Sons 

A&S Bass-Saxophon ABS120

This Jinbao copy is the latest in bass offerings from Musikhaus Markstein, in Hartenstein, Germany. In 2014, they sold the Swing bass also by Jinbao, which is shown below.

This Jinbao copy is being advertised on their website for 6.490,00 €, which includes taxes and shipping. (I didn’t check, but I suspect they have limits on their shipping.) 😉   According to XE.com that is 7,550.65 US.

Levante

Levante LV-SB5105 Bb Bass Saxophone

I’ve seen exactly 2 of these. I noticed both of these for sale in 2015: one on eBay for $9,899.99 US, and the other on Amazon for $6,562.73 US with free shipping. 

I know nothing about who ordered the Levante stencil from Jinbao, but the description on the Amazon horn reads: “Ships from and sold by Amazon.com”

Otherwise the horn is described like this:

Levante Series Saxophone
Auxiliary A key & high F key
Pearl key buttons
Case included

O’Malley

This Jinbao stencil is interesting since it doesn’t mention anything about it being a Selmer copy; a short wrap horn; or anything else that would indicate that the ordering store even knew what it was. I stupidly didn’t record the price when I saw it on eBay in 2019.

I suspect the store ordered 1 or 2 to test the waters, and found the market wasn’t as good as they thought. If it was, we would be seeing more O’Malley basses by Jinbao.

Here’s what this mom and pop shop wrote about their bass sax:

The bass saxophone is an uncommon instrument, but an effective one in some soloing and ensemble contexts. It is a double Bb instrument, an octave below the tenor saxophone, and had an era of popularity in the early 20th century playing bass lines in big bands. It is currently used in some classical contexts, free jazz and saxophone choirs. And as a astonishing presence on any stage. The O’Malley Bass Sax is affordable as far as bass saxophones go, and it is also reliable, well-intonated and very beautiful.

It is hand-adjusted in the US and guaranteed to play well right out of the case. The body, neck and massive bell are all made of quality brass, and are finished in clear lacquer. It features pearl key buttons, high quality leather pads and an adjustable thumb rest. Comes with a wheeled hardshell case and an adjustable playing stand.

Tune: BBb
Body, bell and neck made of brass
w/B-flat key
Auxiliary key A
High F key
Waterkey
Pearl key buttons
High quality leather pads
Adjustable playing stand
Adjustable thumb rest
Instrument complete workshop tested
Mouthpiece with reed, ligature and cap
Swab and gloves.
Case with wheels
Finish: clear lacquered

The O’Malley Difference

Buy from O’Malley Musical Instruments with the utmost of confidence. O’Malley Instruments is an American family owned business with a lifetime around music education and music performance. Currently our instruments are being used all over the world by students and educators, as well as professional performers who depend on their instruments to make a living! Every O’Malley Brand instrument comes with a 2 year warranty. Parts are available from O’Malley for every instrument in our catalog.

Professional Art of Sound

This stencil horn was offered on eBay in 2015, by custom-bass-guitar, who described themselves and the horn like this:

Professional Art of Sound Bb BASS saxophone sax FABULOUS!!!

Professional Concert Art of Sound gold lacquer Bass Saxophone
we are owner of warehouse,we produce the wood wind by ourselves, Highly praised by Kenny G,
i [sic] have done many intrument [sic] for Germany, Japan customers, they are first class brand, Since 2014, i start to create own brand “art of sound”, this baritone saxophone attract many famous player around the world when this model is born, the tone is sweet, warm, precise, stable, and wonderful show, the body is brass, gold finished, Bb.

if you have any special request, you also can contact us for some custom work, just like carve names, letters or other work.

The price for this horn was: $4,998.00 US.

And yes, they provided only 1 small photo of the horn for this price. Sigh…

Rosedale Bass Saxophone 

Rosedale appears to be a house name from the UK-based Gear4Music. Unlike their previous stencil basses that they ordered from Jinyin, Gear4Music has ordered a completely new horn to go with their new name.

The horn is described like this:

Multi-Use Member Of The Sax Family

The largest of the standard Saxophone family, the Bass Sax is pitched a perfect fourth lower than a Baritone Sax and an octave below the Tenor Sax. With its loud bassy sound, it has been traditionally used in Jazz, providing bass lines, but has also been used in the Orchestra, such as in the music of Richard Strauss, and also in Pop and Rock. 

Warm & Mellow Tone

The body of this Sax is constructed of high quality resonant Yellow Brass, with a gold lacquered finish, giving it a warm and mellow tone, which perfectly compliments the lower tones produced by this instrument. With a loud and strong lower end, but also a great support to the sound in the middle and upper range, this is a great fun instrument to play.

Superb Workmanship

This saxophone also features superb workmanship and great quality responsive keywork, with high grade pads and an adjustable thumbrest. Included is a height adjustable leg support, which gives a comfortable playing position, and means you don’t have to support the whole instrument on a neck strap.

Professional UK Set Up

This instrument includes a free set up by master technicians in the UK so that it reaches you in great condition. This set up includes any regulation, lubrication and adjustments required to make the instrument play superbly straight out of the box.

Features/Specifications

Deluxe Bass Saxaphone:

• Key: Bb
• Range: Low Bb to High F#
• Body: Yellow Brass
• Finish: Light Gold Lacquer
• Case: Re-enforced hard foam with castors

Rosedale Woodwind Instruments by Gear4music

This range of woodwind instruments were launched in 2007 by Gear4music.com and take their name from a unique region of the North Yorkshire Moors. Products include Piccolos, Flutes, Saxophones, Clarinets and Oboes, all of which are built to a professional standard.

Rosedale woodwind instruments are ideal for the ambitious player with discerning tastes, as well as students wanting a great sounding instrument. Every Rosedale instrument has been hand-crafted, providing professional playability and quality whilst retaining a competitive price.

These instruments combine traditional techniques and knowledge with modern innovation. With superior build quality and professional finishes, Rosedale instruments are built to precise specifications. Our range of intermediate to professional Rosedale woodwind instruments by Gear4music have proven to raise the bar of musical instruments to the next level.

It is not surprising that the prices of these horns has gone up. When I first noticed the Rosedale bass in 2019 their price was £3,299.99. If you go to Gear4music’s website today, the same horn will set you back £3,999.99 before taxes and shipping. According to the company’s US website, today’s (Oct 2021) price is $4,832.00 US.

Sakkusu Bass Saxophone  

Sakkusu seems to be a house name from UK’s powerhouse saxophone store: Sax.co.uk . I have been watching these particular horns for a few years, and they seem to be doing well enough for the company that Sax.co.uk keeps ordering them. 

Ordering one today off their website will cost you £3,999.00 before shipping and taxes. XE.com converts that to $5,518.96 US.

Here is how Sax.co.uk describes them on their website:

THE MOST FUN YOU’RE EVER LIKELY TO HAVE ON A SAXOPHONE! ONE OCTAVE BELOW TENOR
The Sakkusu Bass Saxophone represents excellent value for money. Bass saxophones usually cost in excess of £15,000 but we’re offering our new Sakkusu Bass at an unbelievable price, allowing this impressive saxophone to at last finally become an accessible instrument!

FEATURES
· Material: Brass

· Finish: Gold Lacquer

· Key Touches: Plastic

· Engraving: Hand Engraved Bell

· Case: Sakkusu Hard Case

· Made in: China

· 9 Month Interest Free Finance Available on this Product

· Free Professional Set Up & Free Check over within a year

· Recommended for: Bass on a Budget – Amateur or Professional 

Review

“What an absolute bargain this is! At the top end of the bass sax range you have the likes of Selmer, Epplesheim and Keilwerth and generally speaking you have to part with the best part of 15 Grand to buy one – for the majority of interested parties, this is too expensive! On the budget side of things we have come across a few specimens where the quality has been suspect and the ability to play the sax with any kind of smoothness has been severely compromised – to our joy, this new model is coming in even cheaper and with quality that vastly outstrips anything we’ve seen in the past! The mechanism is solid and secure, the key positioning feels very natural for a bass sax and the quality of the brass itself is good – pretty important when you are dealing with such a large mass! Having experimented with a few mouthpiece set-ups, I found the best combination was a Selmer S80 Bass mouthpiece with a number 2 Vandoren Bass reed. The response down at the bottom was superb and the sound was very fluid as I ran up to the top of the range. Considering the price is so good I think we might see a handful of extra bass sax players up and down the country!”

Jim@sax.co.uk

The are also the only company good enough to provide us with a sound sample. Albeit, it comes after a lot of advertising and other blah, blah, blah… If you wish to skip all that and go directly to the playing, skip to: 4:45.

Sounds very bass-like to me. It could be the recording, but both my former Buescher, and my current Couf, seem to have a bit more “umph” in the bottom. It lacks that wall and bone rattling presence that the vintage American and vintage-style basses have. That said, he is using a Yamaha (likely bari) MP, and freely admits he is not normally a bass player.

Swing Bass Saxophone

BAS-201

In 2014, Musikhaus Markstein, in Hartenstein, Germany, sold a Jinbao-made bass under this series name. Here is how the company described the horn on their eBay ad:

Mit dem BAS-201 stellen wir Ihnen wieder ein neues Instrument unserer erfolgreichen SWING-Serie vor. Das BAS-201 ist ein Bass Saxophon, das trotz seines moderaten Preises in Sachen Verarbeitung und Spielbarkeit keine Wünsche offen läßt. Überzeugen Sie sich am besten selbst bei einem Anspieltest in unserer Blasinstrumentenabteilung von diesem gelungenen Instrument….

Stimmung: Bb, Tief Bb bis Hoch Fis, Hoch Fis Klappe , abschraubbarer Bogen , F-Klappenverbindung, Tonlöcher vorpoliert-keine “Apfelsinenhaut” , Mundstück , erstklassige Ansprache – angenehmes Handling , Klappen poliert , viel Liebe zum Detail , Gewicht: 8,85 kg, incl. Koffer und Mundstück

Google Translate says (with some assistance) 😉  :

With the BAS-201 we are introducing another new instrument from our successful SWING series. The BAS-201 is a bass saxophone that, despite its moderate price, leaves nothing to be desired in terms of workmanship and playability. Convince yourself of this successful instrument with a playing test in our wind instrument department …

Tuning: Bb, low Bb to high F sharp, high F sharp key, removable bow, F key connection, prepolished tone holes – no “orange peel”, mouthpiece, first-class response – comfortable handling, polished keys, great attention to detail, weight: 8.85 kg, including case and mouthpiece

The price for this Swing bass sax was €4,499.00, which eBay estimated to be $5,617.23 US at that time (2014.)

Thomann Bass Saxophone

TBB-150 Bass Saxophone

This is by far and away the cheapest version of a Jinbao bass saxophone I have seen anywhere to date. The European music store in Burgebrach, Germany, has an American $ website, and on it this horn currently lists for $2,899.00 US, before shipping. 

It has a 30 day money back guarantee, and a 3 year Thomann warranty. 

Wessex Bass Saxophone

Bass Saxophone – SAX120

When I think of Wessex, I think of a brass winds. So if you are looking for an exotic brass wind to go with your exotic woodwind, how about one of their new Ophicleides? They have them in Eb alto, C, & Bb varities. Wonder who makes those? But I digress…

The price advertised on their website for their Jinbao-made bass saxophones currently are:

• £5,137.20 inc VAT
• £4,281.00 exc VAT, which xe.com shows as: $5,885.66 US 

Exact cost, shipping fees and taxes will be determined at checkout.

Wilmington Bass Saxophone

If I was looking for a new bass saxophone today, I would give my colleague Curt a call. This is not a line. I am not getting any kickback for what I just wrote. Really I’m not. 

The simple fact is I have had the opportunity to play a few saxophones that have come from his shop after having uberhauls, and they are without a doubt, the BEST playing saxophones I have ever tried in my life. That’s why I was very excited to hear he was taking on a new project during the pandemic: trying to fix the quirks that vintage saxophones have. 

That project ultimately led to the development of the Wilmington bass saxophone. I am going to quote directly from his company’s website, on which he describes what started out as a simple Jinbao-made horn:

Our Wilmington Bass Saxophone feels great and very solid, with keys that lay well under the hands almost like a baritone. The tone is even throughout, the intonation is remarkably good, and it responds well in all registers! This highly adjustable and repairable instrument undergoes extensive set-up at the Sax ProShop before it ships.

DETAILS
Traditionally, the Bass saxophone’s uniquely large size came with cumbersome ergonomics and well known intonation and response issues. The secret to why the Wilmington Bass plays so well is in the set-up!

We’ve done SO much work and research on bass saxophones at the Sax ProShop that we know all the in’s and out’s, which is why we were so particular when choosing the factory that would make it for us. We start with a really solid instrument and when it arrives at the Sax ProShop, that’s where the magic happens.

Set-up is key on such a large instrument in order to bring the player closer to the instrument. A straight-from-the-factory or even a poorly set-up bass could result in the player struggling for years with a problem that could be removed mechanically rather than by their own practice. This is why we spend a significant amount of time on each instrument to set up the key heights, the pad heights, timing, perform our tuning and toning process, and reduce key noise by adding synthetic materials such as ultra suede, tech cork, and teflon to the mechanism as needed for a quiet and smooth action.

The result of our work is a Wilmington Bass Saxophone that feels great and very solid, with keywork that lays well under the hands almost like a baritone. The tone is even throughout, the intonation is remarkably good, and it responds well in all registers. It is highly adjustable and repairable, for all of the bumps and bangs an instrument of such a size inevitably endures.

Features:

*Keyed Low Bb to High F#

*Compact body style

*Ribbed construction

*Completely removable top bow and bow and bell section so the instrument can be mostly disassembled without soldering for easier repairs and dent removal

*Two heavy duty bell-to-body braces to keep the bell in alignment and the low end honkin’

*Two sturdy braces in the top bow that unscrew

*Long hinge rods are nickel which limits flex and keeps the horn in adjustment

*Front F has adjustment screws to remove lost motion

*Bis Bb key *Key contacts under every single floating key to keep them in adjustment and create a solid feel *Side key contacts under Side E, Side C, and Side Bb

*Low C and Eb key touches have an upward ergonomic curve

*Adjustment screws on the top stack keys

*Adjustment screws on sliders for the F# to G# and F# to Bb connections

*Adjustment screws to adjust the swing of the Low B to Low C# connection

*Foot on Low C# lever to give it a solid feel

*Adjustable bell key bumpers

*Blued Steel needle springs for a snappy feel

*Triple Strap Ring

*Adjustable Thumb Rest

*Substantial floor peg

*Optimized body octave vent has been modified for improved octave response

*Comes with hard rubber mouthpiece, ligature, cap, and reed

*Rolling zipper case with a good size storage compartment and plenty of padding

*The Wilmington Logo is engraved in-house, with extra engraving available as an upgrade. Contact us as saxproshop@musicmedic.com for an engraving quote.

Zetland Bass Saxophone

Yet another Chinese bass saxophone supplier in the UK. I am starting to detect a pattern here. You too? 😉 

Zetland seems to be the house brand for Headwind Music from Bristol. In case you’re wondering where the name Zetland comes from, it is the name of the road that their showroom is located on.

The Jinbao-made Zetland shows up on the company’s website for either: £3,750.00, which apparently includes taxes. Or, £3,125.00, sans UK taxes. XE.com shows this latter amount as: $4,295.36 US. 

You will have to contact the company for shipping charges.

Jinyin, vintage American-style, AKA “long wrap” bass saxophones

L.A. Ripamonti 

Apparently Italian companies too are tempted by the cheap prices of Chinese products. Here we have a used, caseless, Jinyin bass sax, manufactured for Milan’s L.A. Ripamonti. This ad was from 2015.

Google’s mangled Italian to English reads like this:

Ripamonti Bb bass sax lacquered automatic speaker without case and mouthpiece. You can also purchase this product directly on our website at the following link: http://www.raffaeleinghrale.it/it/scheda/Ripamonti-Ripamonti_sax_basso_laccato_portavoce_automatico.html _____________________________________________________ Visit our website dedicated to the sale of musical instruments and accessories: http: / /www.raffaeleinghrale.it MORE THAN 10,000 ITEMS AVAILABLE FOR IMMEDIATE DELIVERY!

The price on this was €2,800.00, which eBay estimated to be $3,007.20 US at the time (2015).

Vento

This horn is a real oddity. If its description is correct, then Music Factory Direct ordered vintage American-style bass saxophones from Jinyin keyed to high F#. 

This is an eBay ad from 2013. I did not record the price, or if the horn even sold. A check on their website today doesn’t even show wind instruments. 

This is how this bass was described in its eBay ad. 

The Vento Bass Saxophone is a rare instrument to find. There are only a few manufactures of Bass Saxophones in the entire world and most of those bass saxophones sell for well over $10,000.00. Our buyer at Music Factory Direct has located one of these bass sax manufactures and is able to offer you, direct from the factory, an incredibly priced bass sax with the same quality as those high priced bass saxophones but at a fraction of the price. Our Bass Saxophones are handmade with a hand-hammered bell that produces a rich, warm and deep sound. The new Vento Bb Bass Saxophone goes from low Bb up to high F#, has incredible intonation from top to bottom and the key work has been totally modernized so the hand position, on this bass sax is as natural as playing on an alto saxophone.

Clear brass lacquer finish

Low Bb key and High F# key

Deluxe, lightweight case with wheels

Take a look at the key work. It looks like there might be some extra keys for the left palm.

Xuqiu Bass Saxophone

Xuqiu Musicial Instrument Company seems to be a wholesaler of Chinese-made instruments to the world market. I didn’t dig into the company to see if they make any of their own stuff, but their bass saxophones are definitely made by Jinyin. 

General trends

Overall the trends I have seen in over 10 years of tracking these Chinese-made bass saxophones look like this:

• In the beginning of the current craze of new bass saxophones made in the far East, it was stated by sellers that Jinyin horns came from China, whereas the Jinbao horns came from Taiwan. (In an effort to hide their exorbitant price differences perhaps?) This has been proven to be bullshit. Sellers of Jinbao-made stencil basses no longer hide the fact that they come from China. 
• Jinyin horns are falling out of favor, and are not seen nearly as often. Why? Likely due to their poor build quality vis-à-vis the Jinbao.
• The prices of Jinbao horns has fallen A LOT over the past decade. Whereas they used to be hovering around the 10K US price range, now you see them for as little as $2900. Why? You gotta’ wonder…
• Just as new Jinyin horns used to vary greatly in prices 10 years ago, these days new Jinbao horn prices are all over the map. Why? That’s a good question.
• Certain companies—Oleg comes to mind immediately, but others do the same—have claimed for years that their horns were special, and that they had things done differently at the factory, which were unique to their series of Jinbao bass saxophones. Fact or fiction? I don’t know. I have never played one, or even seen one, let alone been able to compare 2 different stencils by Jinbao side by side.
• It is quite possible that some companies do have Jinbao make customizations on their bass saxophones and that might make a difference in the prices. 
• On the other hand, we know some companies make sure that all the horns they send out are set up perfectly, and play 100% to the best of their abilities. I would expect that those companies would sell their horns for more.

So what is a would-be bass saxophonist to do? If a genuine new Selmer, Keilwerth, or vintage American or French-style bass is not in your price range, then this old idiom has never been truer: You pays your money and you takes your chances.

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Bass Saxophone Patent CN101409069AReview of a Jinbao-made Bass Sax