On July 26, 2008, I wrote a blog post about the new Bundy saxophones at WWBW. In that post I did a brief tour down memory lane of the history of Bundy saxophones, and included some pictures that captured the various phases of the Bundy’s development. As I mentioned at the time, the original Bundy saxophones were an American-made product which were produced by Selmer USA.
If you go to the brands page of the Conn-Selmer website, you will notice that Bundy is conspicuously absent from the list. It seems that Conn-Selmer has now licensed the Bundy name to WWBW, and no longer as any association with them, which makes the new Bundy advertising tag rather confusing for consumers…
When I first got an email from WWBW announcing the new Bundy saxophones, I started a thread on the Woodwind Forum to see what others were thinking, and what they knew about the new Bundy line of saxophones. This has proven to be quite interesting.
Bundy BAS-300 Student Alto Sax Source: wwbw.com Bundy BTS-300 Student Tenor Sax Source: wwbw.com
Because of the horns’ physical resemblance to the Yamaha YAS-23 & YTS-23, comparisons to that brand were naturally made. More interesting however, was that a couple of repair techs chimed in with the information that the Bundy name is no longer associated with Conn-Selmer. This is of course extremely confusing for consumers.
With literally thousands of original Bundy and Bundy II horns still in the used horn market place (one has to look no further than eBay or one’s local Craig’s List), these old-timers have proven their durability over time.
They may not be the best sounding saxophones, or have the best ergonomics, but they are the tanks of student model saxes. Many pros still have their original Bundys, and some keep them as their backup horns. Yes, they were that good.
Bundy BAS-300 Student Alto Sax Source: wwbw.com
These new, Asian-made Bundy saxes are riding the coat tails of their American-made predecessors. Now, if in fact these horns are made in China, their quality is really quite unknown.
Some Chinese factories produce quality items. Some do not. What is the workmanship like on these horns? Since these horns are only available through WWBW, I guess one would have to order one to find out.
Only time will tell if the factory that manufactures these new Bundy saxophones, is a good one. If the materials they use are strong enough, and of high enough quality, to withstand the punishment that student horns are put through.
At this point in time, I think the biggest confusion for consumers is that they might buy a new Bundy, based on the reputation of the old Bundy.
If parents are thinking of buying a new saxophone for their child, and are doing their research, they need to be aware that while these new Bundy saxophones might very well be good saxophones in their own right, they are not the same as the old Bundy saxes people are talking about that they played years ago.
UPDATE June 11, 2013:
Thanks to Aaron Minnick—who left a comment below—I just found out that WWBW has introduced a low A bari into the Bundy line. The Bundy BBS-300 Baritone Saxophone is the the big brother to the Bundy BAS-300 & BTS-300 shown above.
Bundy BBS-300 Baritone Sax Source: WWBW
Note the two bell to body support braces. One looks like a Selmer, while the other looks rather Cannonballesque. This horn seems to be struggling with an identity crisis. 😈
Source: wwbw.com
Its bell is engraved with the famous Bundy logo.
Source: wwbw.com
This is currently WWBW’s description of the horn:
Quality student baritone.
- Excellent intonation
- Good sound
- Rugged construction
- Case and care products included
Bundy BBS-3 Baritone Saxophone
The Bundy BBS-3 Baritone Saxophone is a good quality Eb instrument with a lacquered body, nickel-plated keys, and yellow brass construction in the neck, body, bow and bell. It is fully ribbed and features a high F# and a low A. It comes with ligature, care products and a tough, impact-resistant ABS case.The Bundy BBS=301 is ruggedly built, and can withstand the sometimes rough treatment student equipment encounters. This instrument will serve a student through his or her secondary and even tertiary studies, and is absolutely presentable in recital contexts. This is a baritone saxophone that will serve your band or orchestra reliably for many years to come.
Order today with the no-risk assurance of our Total Satisfaction and Low Price Guarantees!
- Product Product
- Model Number BBS-300
- Key: Eb
- Finish: Lacquered body, Nickel-plated keys
- Neck Material: Yellow Brass
- Body Material: Yellow Brass
- Bow Material: Yellow Brass
- Bell Material: Yellow Brass
- Key Material: Yellow Brass
- Construction: Fully ribbed
- Top Range: High F#
- Bottom Range: Low A
- Case: ABS case
I just /found out the Bundy saxs will be replaced by the verve Saxe due to complaints.
Hello Vernon. I hope you had a pleasant Christmas season.
Thank you for the information about the Bundy saxophones. That’s interesting. It’ll be interesting to see if the Verve saxes fare any better. Hopefully they chose another factory for their horns. :hung:
Good morning i was watching tv i did recieve the buffet Alto sax n i up grade to the Giardinelli Gas 10 intermediate Alto sax .i love the way it sound its free bloweing n i can sub tone the low b and b flat (a sharp ) on the bell the case is awesome i can carry my Alto n a compartment for my clarinet. I amm enjoying the horn it has a vimtage feel n the sound of today.im using an otto link hard rubber8 star .i have a metal otto link the master link for Tenor the first metal mouth piece itto link made .iam enjoying your blog Happy Holiday
I recently purchase the Bundy Alto sax and I was very impressed with the sound. It sound like the Idea marienGrossi Alto sax that I use to play. I am impressed with the sound ofmthemlow b and b flat on the bell.I am going to get then Tenor sax next.I like thenYamaha style of then horn I wanted an alto sax with a different look? To me this horn is awesome. Vernon Santos Ely
Hi Vernon. Welcome to my site.
Well I hope it works out for you in the long run. As you saw from the comments that the others have left on this article, they were not happy with the new Bundy after a period of time.
It is of course up to you whether or not you wish to buy another one, but unless you need a tenor right away, you might consider holding off the purchase until you’ve played your alto for more than a year or so. This way you can see how it holds up. Maybe it will; maybe it won’t.
Anything can be made to work in the short term, but how things hold up in the long term, that will tell you more about an object’s quality.
Those are my virtual 2 cents on the topic. :2cents: What you do of course is entirely up to you. I wish you luck in your sax shopping no matter what you end up choosing….helen
I do agree with what you say and I value not only your opinion but also your experience . I also see you have the old conn l got the same horn. Love it. And how the low b and b flat
Are on opposite sides of the horn thanks gain GodBlessyou
Helen I took your advice I am on a rent option to buy and I put in for an up grade from Bundy to a Selmer Alto. Which is no problem same monthly payment. I will of course gets a Seller or a Jupiter Tenor Sax. Again I pray that you and your family have happy Holiday and a prosperous NewYear. 2015 is going to be then ultimate year of composing and creating another level in music-. :saxplayer:
I might inform you that while I am quite pleased with both (same model) Jupiter altos that I own, I have never played a Jupiter tenor that I actually liked. Don’t expect that just because you like a brand’s alto, you’ll like their tenor, or vice versa.
Helen I took your advice I am on a rent option to buy and I put in for an up grade from Bundy to a Selmer Alto. Which is no problem same monthly payment. I will of course gets a Seller or a Jupiter Tenor Sax. Again I pray that you and your family have happy Holiday and a prosperous NewYear. 2015 is going to be then ultimate year of composing and creating another level in music-. Vernon
Happy Holiday i just found out from the music store I do buisness with has just informed me that the Bundy saxs will be removed from the store and will be replaced with the verve saxs .this change is being made due to high volume of complaints .again Happy Holiday from Vernon
I purchased the Bundy student alto saxophone from WWBW. I did this due to the fact that I myself had played a Bundy in high school band and it was an excellent instrument. Well…..I did NOT know that they were not made the same anymore. That they were NOT a Selmer. This saxophone has proven to be very unreliable for my daughter. It quite simply is “a piece of crap”, and only lasted a year playing like it should. It was cheap, and cheap is what you get. I am in the process of purchasing her another sax, and I am torn over what to order…..This one has been such a disappointment!! I don’t know what to believe when I read descriptions of other saxophones now. What do I order that will play really well, sound well, AND last more than a year?? 🙁 :rant:
Hi Cindy. Welcome to my site.
I’m sorry to hear about your experiences, but I have to say I’m not surprised.
If you are honestly looking for a suggestion as to what to buy, then I suggest that you go to a reputable brick and mortar store, and try some horns out. In the end you get what you pay for, and with many of today’s Asian horns, it is still a crap shoot. Some are OK, and some really are crap.
There has even been some debate about the student model Yamahas, because they too are no longer made in Japan as they once were, but have been outsourced by Yamaha to where the production costs are cheaper. Same quality as before? Well that depends on who you believe. Some players say yes, some say no.
Another thing to think about, is picking up a good, used student model saxophone. New horns are a bit like new cars: they depreciate the moment you walk out of the store with them (or they arrive at your doorstep if you’ve ordered them online). While with a rental return horn, or a horn that was used for a year or two and then stuffed into a closet for a few years and forgotten about, the original owner has eaten the depreciation. That’s where local Craigs List, or classified ads can come in handy. BUT NOT EBAY!!
eBay is a bit like the wild west, in that you never know for sure what you’re going to get until it arrives. I always tell people to budget on an overhaul or repad ($500+) for any sax they buy on eBay, just in case the horn is not as described. This way if the horn doesn’t need it, they’re ahead of the game.
My personal preference is to recommend my students get a good, used, Yamaha model from the Japan era. These horns were made in the hundreds of thousands for world-wide distribution, and can be found for reasonable amounts of money on local Craigs Lists and classifieds. Sometimes you need to be a bit patient though for the right horn to pop up.
If you have a tech that you take your current sax to, often they (if you trust them, and they’re reputable) have knowledge of local horns for sale.
Hope some of this has given you some possible ideas for avenues of investigation Cindy. Good luck in your sax quest…helen
I had the opportunity to try out a new Bundy bari at the CMA Music Fest last weekend – they were on display at the Music & Arts booth. I had played an original Bundy bari in high school — the typical old beater school horn — and, knowing that these are still low-end horns now produced in Taiwan, didn’t expect much. I was quite pleasantly surprised. The 3-position neckstrap hook helped me get the right anchor point. Ergonomics were good and key movement was fluid and snappy. The stock mouthpiece was OK; it has a close facing so I think it would work fine for general band work paired with a 3.5 reed (they had a crappy 2.5 Rico on there, which was too soft). It’s keyed from low A to high F# and sounded beautifully throughout the range. I didn’t have my tuner with me (and the environment was pretty loud) so can’t speak to intonation but if it checked out I would not hesitate to buy one of these new if I were seriously looking. Price at the show was ~$3500.
Hi there Aaron. Thanks for dropping in & updating us on these Bundy saxophones from WWBW. I had no idea that baris were now being offered by the company. Thanks also for your mini review of the bari you played. It was interesting.
I too played a Bundy bari in high school, so I have a natural love for the original Bundy horns. Those things were tanks, and could stand up to what students put them through. These Asian-made horns with the same name… Well let’s just say I’m not convinced.
I’ve seen a lot of Asian-made baris in my tech’s shop that belong to schools, and in his words: “They’re junk.” Now I should add, none of them were the new Bundy saxophones, so I’m willing to keep an open mind about WWBW’s new offering. However, I would need to be convinced that they’re not going to fall apart like many current student model bari saxes do. Are they made with sturdy metal? Are they well constructed? Will they take the bumps and hits that student baris inevitably are exposed to? Will the keep their alignment, or are they constantly leaking? Those are just a few of the questions that I have about the new Bundy baris. (These are the same questions I have for any student model sax really.)
After I read your comment I went to the WWBW site and checked out the new Bundy baris and found a few pics of the horn. I’ll upload the pics to the post itself as an update. BTW, the price on the WWBW site is currently $3,999.00.
Thanks for the visit Aaron. Maybe you’ll find some stuff in my blog and the rest of my site that will have you stopping by again sometime….helen
Quite welcome, Helen. I hope this was helpful to your readers!
Hello, i know this post hasn’t had any activity in the last couple of years but im a beginner looking forward to buy my first saxophone and I, as many others has been mislead by the long-lasting reputation that the Bundy saxophones seemed to have. But as you say this new Bundy saxophones are no longer part of the Selmer family and it seems that this new ones are made in China. My question is: have you played one of these saxophones yet? Are they good? ❓
Hi Alex, welcome to my site.
Yup, the new ones are made for WWBW, and have absolutely nothing to do with Selmer any more. Sorry, I haven’t played one, so I can’t answer the question if they’re any good or not. My bet however, is that they’re just as good/bad as any of the similar saxophones from that part of the world, with a similar price point.
Funny that you should ask a question about these horns this week Alex. Just last week I received an email—which I haven’t even had the chance to reply to yet—from a music store (not WWBW). If their info is accurate (I haven’t had a chance to check it out), then these new Bundy saxes are made in China by the same company that makes the Antigua Winds, and a multitude of other brand names.
I have to ask Alex: why Bundy? Are you looking to buy a new saxophone? Or just a new to you saxophone? If you’re looking for new, there are lots of good brands out there that have solid reputations, with stores that stand behind their product. I can think of one that I would recommend before anything else—but it isn’t WWBW and their new Bundy.
If buying lightly used is an option, you can save yourself some serious cash, and get a better horn in the process.
What are your thoughts now Alex? Does anything I said sound interesting enough to explore further?
:beat: I LOVE saxes because they express my feelings 😯
thanks a lot, i’m thinking of a new sax because i’ve never playead a sax before, so i dont know how to recognize a good used one, but anyway my plan is to find a teacher who is willing to help me find a sax, be it used or new. Thanks again, your advise is very useful to me I’m faving your blog right now!!
Glad we could be of help David.
Getting the help of an experienced teacher is always the best way to go to get a saxophone when you’re just starting out. Sounds like you’re on the right path from the start.
Good luck in your saxophone search.
You’ve got my email address, so just drop me a line if you want/need some help.
Taking an experienced player (not necessarily your teacher) when used horn shopping is smart, the same way having your mechanic inspect a used car before buying would be. Once you have that experience (or automotive expertise) you can do it by yourself, but until then it’s wise to ask for help. This way you’ll know whether you’re getting a good horn at a good price (even if some work is required) or whether it’s a lemon.
Also like a mechanic, an experienced player should be able to tell you if any problems encountered are of the garden variety, or major show-stoppers. They can sometimes sound and feel the same.
hello i want to buy my first sax ever and i want a tenor sax, the only problem is that i have a limited budget of about $700 to $800dlls that means a student sax.I’ve never played a sax before Can you please recomend me something?? I love charlie parker and john coltrane, anyway thanks for the help.
this is my email if you care enough to respond here
Edit by Helen: I have your email through your comment. So I removed it, to avoid you getting spam. I will send you an email.
PS. the other problem is that i live in mexico and the prices here go to the sky when it come to sax
$700 to $800 does not necessarily mean a student sax, unless you are limiting yourself to NEW instruments. For example, you may be able to find a used Yamaha YTS-52 for that money, and that is a near professional instrument. You can also find used intermediate level Jupiter tenors in that price range which are set up and ready to play, along with some of the other Taiwanese brands. If you want something new, a Bauhaus Walstein will cost not a whole lot more than what you have budgeted.
These days, $400 or $500 should get you a reputable used “student” tenor like a Yamaha YTS-23, and you could use the rest for a better quality mouthpiece when you are ready to move up.
You also do not need to spend a bunch of money on a mouthpiece right now. A Premiere by Hite, a Yamaha 4C, or a Rico Royal B5 would all be reasonably good choices (both in sound and in ease of playing) and not break the bank.
Interesting bit about the thumb rest and thumb hook. I have significantly tweaked the octave key on the C-mel so it is at about a 1 o’clock position rather than directly above (12 o’clock), and even ground out a portion of the key to accommodate this change. The thumb rest itself is fine, I just much prefer the modern tendency to offset the octave key a little bit to the right and duplicated this as best I could. The lever arm isn’t really long enough to let me put it exactly where I want.
As for the thumb hook, I’m only using it as a landmark or not at all when I put the horn up on a stand. When I do use a neckstrap (which doesn’t really bother me on soprano or alto, just C-mel and tenor), I much prefer plastic over metal as I find myself getting a lot less chafing and pressure when the hook has a little bit of “give” in it. Fortunately both my alto and soprano are so equipped, and adjustable as well. I have a bone spur from many years of playing clarinet with no other support but the right thumb, and it hurts to put pressure on it for any length of time. If I had to play clarinet for an extended period of time, I would have to find a way to support it — a clamp-on strap ring, or support from below like the tripod.
On the C-mel, I actually have a button (another acquisition from the YTS-21) on the fork-F#’s cage. The cage itself has been ground down so the button sits fairly flush with the tip of the thumb hook. This is another place I can put my thumb when my hand starts to tighten up. I don’t practice this way, so I don’t do it if I’m trying to play fast. My other hons don’t have full cages around this key, so I can put my thumb directly on the keycup if I’m willing to temporarily lose the use of the fork F#.
Bari I usually play sitting down, with some old telephone books (or my alto case) under the bow, so the thumb hook doesn’t matter much there either. The same is true of bass clarinet, except I usually use a shoe on top of a book (it slides around less). Neither one is equipped for a floor peg.
It’s funny how different things can be for people. For me, I can’t play as well (well being subjective) if I’m not “wearing” the sax. I play my bass out of a stand, but that’s the only horn I do that with. It is also the horn I feel the least “connection” with as a player.
My saxes are just a part of me when I’m playing them. They are almost an extension of me as it were. When I play them from a stand, they feel like they are no longer a part of me, and my playing style actually changes.
My neurological problems stem from my central nervous system, and my vestibular system. Wearing my saxophones doesn’t hurt me per se, but it certainly doesn’t help my neurological fatigue.
BTW thanks for writing about how you are able to avoid using your right thumb. That reminded me about something I’ve been meaning to write about for some time, but I keep forgetting.
I actually use my right thumb quite a lot, and it takes a lot of weight when I play. (It has the callus to prove it!) A portion of my tone is produced by the position of the horn, and my thumb is an integral part of maintaining that position.
My upcoming post, now that I remember I’m going to write it, 🙂 will be about experimenting with slightly different positions for different tones.
BTW, if you haven’t come across this post from a few months ago, check out the one on thumb rests and thumb hooks. The perspective comes from Side C, the Woodwind Forum’s Artist In Residence. It is very interesting.
I’m just not much of a tenor player, since that horn has its own specific dialect that I understand but do not speak. (Yet.) Thus I’ve never had any real reason to seek out a great tenor. For years I played alto almost exclusively (at least among saxophones), even though I really wanted to be playing bari. Now I have come to realize my bari isn’t really all that great either. 😉
Shockingly enough, the best playing horn I have right now is probably the 1919 Buescher True Tone C-melody. All my hacking has actually accomplished a lot in terms of ergonomics, though any resale value it had is shot. I’ve been getting compliments on the sound whenever I play, so I’m quite keen on keeping it in the best condition I can (functionally at least, I’m not quite as fussy about the appearance).
I bolted a small steel sauce dish to my camera tripod, then padded it with cork. I use this now to hold up the horn, after realizing I play better at home because I generally play with the horn supported rather than on a neckstrap or harness (I hate harnesses). Since the Rumba Room provides music stands and lights, I decided to pack the tripod into the stand bag instead. The gig was a complete disaster, but the tripod had nothing to do with it. I would like to get a cheap video camera tripod for $10 or so, rip out the center post, and put the “horseshoe” part of a sax stand on top instead. Then I don’t even have to hold the horn upright.
I only mention this because although I don’t know the effects of your neurological issues, I thought it might be less physically taxing for you if you didn’t have to wrestle the horn as well as playing it. It certainly makes a difference for me and my knees and back. I also play faster because I don’t have to support the horn (much) and can do some expedient things like not putting my right thumb on the horn at all. In some passages, this makes life amazingly easier. (This isn’t anything I would teach, but when the right thumb is not otherwise occupied, it’s quite capable of taking the high E.)
When I first looked at your “Frankenhorn” I thought that it was 2-colored lacquer. Duh…Not. But that would be a cool too. Perhaps not those 2 colors, but something to indicate what parts of the 2 different horns became 1. Too much cash outlay for that sax unfortunately, but fun to think about.
Yes, Yamaha student horns are very useful as donor horns. I have a YTS-23 fork F that was added to my Martin tenor by my repair tech. Works great. It is the easiest speaking front E & F I have. Go figure!
As much as I might recommend Yamaha horns to my students, I must admit, I won’t own one myself. I’ve tried them. I just don’t like them. I’m not sold on the sound, nor the feel of them.
Some people drive Hondas, some people drive Volvos. I guess I’m not a Honda driver. 🙂
There is nothing wrong with Yamaha saxophones, but if I don’t get an automatic “wow” when I play a sax, I know it isn’t for me.
When I was in Seattle visiting Gandalfe in the summer, I played his Yani bari. I was not expecting to like it all that much, because I love my Mark VI. However I did get “wowed” when I played the horn. I know if I had to go and get a bari tomorrow, I’d be seriously play-testing the Yanagisawa brand.
When I was bari shopping 4 years ago for a low A back up bari, I tried the Yamaha. No wow. Not on the 52 or the 62. After trying all the new baris in the Lower Mainland, including the Selmer Series II (not that I was going to drop that kind of coin for a back up horn) I was blown away by the B&S Medusa.
Like I said, different people like different things. I’m glad we still have choices. It would be a shame if everything eventually came from the same factory.
PS: I’m sorry that your comments are getting caught up in the holding queue. I don’t know why. I’ve checked the settings & that shouldn’t be the case. Weird. Gremlins…I’m going to try and adjust something & see if that helps.
PPS: I changed something from the default setting I hadn’t noticed before, so I think that it should be alright now.
My only knock on Yamaha student horns is that they’re light, and the nylon linkages on the side Bb and side C where a fork and pin would have sufficed. Lightness is a trade — obviously the smaller the player, the more it helps. As for whether or not this adequately compensates for not being a tank, I’d say the market says YES.
A Yamaha in perfect condition is a giant-killer, from the lowest student model through the Customs. The trick is getting them to stay that way, but that’s true of every complex machine.
My own YTS-21 is a chimera, it’s made of pieces of two different horns. I started with an early one (s/n in the 0016xx range) but that came out of its case on a flight from L.A. to Miami. (I was not allowed to carry on both the alto AND the tenor, I had to check one.) Though it was mostly repairable, it was never quite the same. Later I picked up the case in the dark while it was unlatched, since I was trying not to wake a drunk roommate. This left a sizeable dent in the bow, but I was able to take that out with some borrowed tools.
Still, the main body tube was far enough out of whack that I started looking for chopper horns on eBay, and finally found one. It had a broken octave key mechanism and a mangled bell, but I didn’t need those parts! I offered the guy $200 and he canceled the (as yet unbid by anyone other than me) auction. My parts horn was on the way!
The result was my current Frankenhorn:
http://mal-2.com/sax/yts21-frankenhorn.jpg
and the leftovers have been chopped themselves, and used for various projects. One palm key became the front F for my Buescher C-mel, and the G# touch got transplanted to the C-mel as well (I just bolted it onto the pearl button). Another piece got cut up and attached to the low C# of the Frankenhorn to make the B pad close the C# (a feature Yamaha oddly omitted, considering they provided an articulated C#). The pant guard got added to my Dolnet bari, and although it lacks the art deco look, it is EXACTLY the right color to look stock. So for the cost of the $200 parts horn and a set of pads, I basically got a fully functional (if not fully shiny) YTS-21 and a boatload of spare parts. The spare neck I traded for a mouthpiece (I wish I hadn’t, I’ve run across several neckless horns I could have bought cheap since then). Even in death they’re productive!
I’m trying to remember how many Bundy saxes I’ve had over the years. I never had any IIs, just the original Bundy series.
When I first made the switch to tenor from alto, I had a Bundy rental horn. It had a plywood case. It was very heavy to lug home from school. 🙁
I think somewhere along the way I also ended up with an Bundy alto as well. Then there was of course the school’s baritone. (That was still in the day before Yamaha had taken over the school band market.)
I spent my first four years on the trusted Bundy brand, until I made the switch to their French cousins when I entered university.
The old Bundy horns certainly served me well.
A number of years ago I found a really nice playing Bundy II for a beginning student of mine who was looking for an alto sax. I had never played a II before, and when I play-tested the horn for her, the weird left pinkie assembly really threw me at first. However it’s all in what we’re used to.
I’ve never heard of a Largo, but then I’ve been really out of the student horn game for a long time.
Living in the Maritimes you were really restricted in your horn options, unless you were willing to risk ordering a sax from the States. Returns would be a pain in the ass though.
When I had students looking for horns, I tended to help them find horns locally, or through my most-excellent repair tech in Halifax. Between Layne and myself, we always managed to find something suitable that was good, in good repair, and wouldn’t break the bank. (The Canadian exchange rate can be a bitch some times. Eg, when I bought my bass, it was almost 50 cents to the US dollar.)
Since moving back to the West Coast just over 4 years ago, I haven’t really been teaching much. When I first moved I had a few students, but I didn’t want many, so did nothing to actively promote it. The students I did have were mostly intermediate, adult players, with pro horns.
For the last 2 years I haven’t taught at all.
When I am finally able to teach again, I will do what I always do: encourage my students to get a saxophone from a store close to home, that I can play test for them first. (I am a store’s nightmare & will point out every single problem, and insist on it being fixed or having the price adjusted if they don’t have a repair tech in house.)
I figure learning sax is hard enough. Learning on a leaking sax is frustrating beyond belief. It would be really easy for a young player especially, to give up, if the horn they have isn’t working right. That’s why I’ve always been a Yamaha fan for student horns. They seem to hold their regulation better than most, and given what student horns often go through, that says something.
I have a Buescher Aristocrat alto from the 70’s (basically a Bundy by another name) and it’s not a bad horn at all. It greatly dislikes paint peeler mouthpieces, but with a nice, sane all-purpose piece, it sounds rather nice. I have loaned it out to a friend — in fact I bought it and rehabilitated it specifically to lend it out — but I played it a fair bit before passing it along. The pre-Bundy II horns are really the tail end of the Buescher line, more than they are Selmer.
I have to quite agree that they are tanks. I was unable to remove the dents from the bow, where I was able to do so quite easily on my YTS-21. It must have taken quite a knock to put the dents there in the first place. A more recent horn with the same kind of tank-like quality would be the Jupiter JAS-767 — I’ve had one for 15 years and aside from the lacquer, it’s damn near bulletproof. The Jupiter is quite compatible with paint-peeler mouthpieces, however, and it’s plenty loud and brash with a middle-of-the-road piece. It also has a high F# key and keys the same color as the body, a foreshadowing of Jupiter’s upmarket movement to come.
Chinese horns now are what Taiwanese horns were then — a quality control crapshoot, or a search for a needle in a haystack. You can find a good one, but expect to wade through a chest-high pile of crap horns first. I suspect you’d be better off buying a Largo, as they have a pretty good reputation for weeding out the crap horns and are still pretty cheap.
Now if they are bringing back the vintage Bundy molded plastic case — good! Those are perfect for being tossed around on road trips. They’re lightweight, reasonably protective, and soft enough to discourage people from sitting on them (and not squared up, so it would be uncomfortable to do so anyhow). It might not seem like much to an adult, but when a kid is lugging it back and forth every day, a half pound or so shaved off the weight of the case can make a real difference.