Gemeinhardt Alpha Series alto saxophone
Price: Varies, but currently ranges from $249 US on eBay, to $399 US on Reverb.
Date of manufacturing: circa 2016.
Date of review: 2019
Ever since I started working a couple of days a week last month for my tech during rental season, I have been wanting to play test a particular saxophone that we have in our rental stock.
When David ordered a few Gemeinhardt saxophones for rental a few years ago, he ordered four of each model. He was surprised when four of the altos appeared to be a throwback to the Academy horns from Buescher.
Since I am always keen to try new/new-to-me gear, I thought it would be interesting to give this horn a go. I had been intrigued by the Gemeinhardt Alpha Series ever since I first heard about them 10 years ago. I had even written an article back in 2009.
Specs
- Eb alto saxophone
- Serial #: T4558
- Finish: Lacquer with what appears to be real MOP key touches
- Keyed from low C to high D (plays that range completely chromatically)
- Does not have: side C or chromatic F#
- Does have: bis Bb; articulated G#; the ability to play Bb by using 1&1, 1&2, as well as 1&3
- Body connected to bow via a connecting ring
- Blue needle springs
- Pads have metal resos with rivets for the most part, while some (A) have rivet only, or no reso or rivet
- Hole in the back of the bell, which facilitates the production of the low C
- Adjustable right thumb rest
- Play tested with my Runyon Custom Mp & Légère Signature reeds
These are the official specs provide on the Gemeinhardt website:
| Brand | Gemeinhardt |
| Finish | Lacquer |
| Skill Level | Student |
| Case Type | Black Nylon w/Zipper |
| Warranty | 3 year |
This is what Gemeinhardt writes about the Alpha Series saxophone:
The Alpha Series LQ Alto Saxophone features a clear lacquer finish with silver-plated keys [wrong]. Offering an option for the younger and smaller saxophone player, keys with a longer finger stretch have been removed (low B and low Bb, left hand palm keys D#, E, F, and right hand side keys F# and C) or redesigned to make the instrument more comfortable to play, as well as lighter to hold. The overall weight of the Alpha Series Alto Saxophone has been reduced by 33% when compared to a traditional alto saxophone. The Alpha Saxophone plays a full two octave chromatic range from low “C” to high “D” and is suppled in a durable soft case for ease of transport.
Finish options
Besides lacquer—which Gemeinhardt incorrectly describes as having silver-plated keys—the Alpha Series alto sax is available in two other finishes:
Is is just me, or do you doubt the silver plating claim on the pink horn? I can tell you with 100% certainty that the BG horn does NOT have gold-plated keys. We have two of these horns in our rental stock. The keys on the these black lacquered horns are gold lacquer, not gold plate.
Speaking of the black lacquered horns, the photos that Gemeinhardt supplies makes these horns as if they are black nickel plated. They are not. They are indeed lacquered. Since our two black lacquer horns are out I couldn’t photograph one of them for you here. I did however, find some photos of the BG model that Quinn The Eskimo Brass & Winds had on Reverb. This shot in particular, shows the lacquer finish very well.
Case
Much like the Alpha Series saxophone that it was designed for, the case too is quite light-weight. Is it going to offer serious protection? Probably not, but the horn will likely be able to stand being bumped into doorways and the likes.
Will it be able to withstand being dropped? That I’m not so sure about. I wasn’t about to try it out, and suggest you don’t either intentionally. 😉
Tone
I must admit the tone on this Gemeinhardt Alpha Series alto saxophone wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. It wasn’t great, but it was OK. To my ear it sounded like many other modern student model horns currently out there. I have definitely heard much worse.
The Alpha was capable of lots of power and volume when pushed. It was also relatively bright—meaning it had overtones—with my Runyon Custom MP, Rovner light lig, and my Légère Signature Series reed.
Feel
As someone who has played saxophones for 30+ years, if I had to describe what the Alpha alto felt like in one word, I would say: whacked. Obviously for a player just starting out with no frame of reference, their mileage is going to vary. 😉
Not having all the keys was extremely odd. I did keep reaching for keys that did not exist. Again, for a new player just starting out that would not be a problem.
The right pinkie keys were rather problematic for me. I was forever touching the Eb key instead of the low C.
Build
I need to start with my standard disclaimer that I am not a tech. That said, I can still tell junk from quality with little difficulty. Sadly, this is not a quality horn.
I wanted to like it. One of my students has been playing a Gemeinhardt tenor for 2+ years now and it is holding up really well. It is a decent horn compared to much of the Asian junk that’s out there today.
Will the Alpha be good enough to carry little Johnny or Jenny through the first year or two of beginner band classes? Sure, maybe. It depends on how motivated they are; what the band curriculum looks like; and how their teacher feels about these instruments. Personally, I know I would have outgrown this instrument after only a few months.
The Gemeinhardt Alpha Series alto sax I tried came out of our rental stock. Saxophones were popular rentals this year, so all our regular altos are gone, as are 3 of the 4 Alphas. The alto I play-tested had been out on rental for a year.
When the horns come back in June they are thoroughly gone over in the shop by David before they are cleaned for the next rental season. Alto T4558 showed no signs damage, and hardly any signs of use. Looking down the bell the horn looked new, as did the pads. The only thing that suggested it had been out on rental were the couple of scratches along the body tube where it might have brushed up against a zipper.
Given how obviously little use this horn had had, I was very surprised to find that there was play not only in some of the long keys, but even parts of the octave mechanism. To make matters worse, the play was not simply up and down, but also side to side.
Intonation
Whenever you try and play a horn for the first time, there are bound to intonation quirks and foibles. How much of that is the horn itself; horn/MP combo; player; or a combo of all of the above? It’s not always easy to tell.
I can tell you that F# 1 & 2 tuned perfectly. After that things went a little haywire. Using a tuner this is what I noticed:
| F# 1 & 2 | Perfect intonation |
| F# – Bb | Generally between 10 -20 ¢ flat |
| C# | 20 ¢ flat |
| D | 15 ¢ sharp |
| D# – G# | # b # b …. |
| A – D | Generally sharp from 10 ¢ to off the scale |
If I had spent more than 10 minutes actually playing the horn I’m sure I could have gotten many of these intonation issues under control. However, I doubt the sharpness in the upper register from A2 onwards would have been entirely correctable. Now had I played it with the MP that comes with the horn perhaps it might have made a difference as well. I can tell you though, that in general my Runyon Custom is a good middle of the road MP that works on almost every saxophone out there.
Sound Sample
This gives you an idea of what this Gemeinhardt Alpha alto saxophone sounds like. Oh and yes, this recording is rather 2D sounding. I used my iPhone in the shop the other night.
Pics
I did not photograph the Alpha that I play-tested. Instead I have opted to use the fantastic photos that Quinn The Eskimo posted on his eBay ad of the same model.
Bottom Line
When a parent asks me: Is this (referring to a particular instrument that they are renting) going to be good enough to get my child all the way through high school? With regards to this particular saxophone the answer would be a most definite “No”.
We only rent the Gemeinhardt Alpha Series alto saxophone to elementary school students just starting out, and even then only to those attending schools where we know the teachers are OK with the horn for their beginner students. The Alpha Series is not for everyone, but for the right student, they could be a viable rental option.
One type of student who I could see the Alpha being ideal for, is a young child learning to play even before they are old enough to take part in a school band program. If a 6-9 year old was going to learn sax, this could be good horn for them.
Sadly, like so many student model horns coming from Asia these days, they have issues. But quite frankly, what modern horn doesn’t? And that includes pro models…
I have heard good reviews about this saxophone, even though it is so very inexpensive.