While it is true that over the last number of years Asian horns have been improving in quality, a lot of what’s coming over from the Far East is still crap. I’m sorry, did I offend you? You’ll have to get over it then, because it’s true.<\/p>\n
I’m not going to name brand names\u2014since brand names are relatively meaningless with the amount of stencilling going on at present\u2014but many of the rock-bottom-priced, Asian import horns are garbage. Don’t believe me? Well just play one. Or better yet, take one to your tech and get his\/her input.<\/p>\n
Most techs will tell you that these ultra cheap horns are not worth serious repairs, and in some cases even repads. It would be like throwing good money after bad.<\/p>\n
Now before you start wanting to send me hate mail, or start wanting to flame me on my own blog, let me share something with you. This arrived in my In box this morning. I have removed all the company information, and any data that might give away the factory in question. I offer this up to you for something to think about:<\/p>\n
Dear …<\/p>\n
Hope all is well with you…<\/p>\n
We are\u00a0XXXXXXXXX \u00a0in China. We manufacture fine wind instruments, we have sold them for many years, the quality has been confirmed by the customers.<\/p>\n
Our brass material is from Taiwan and waterproof leather and wool felt pads with metal tone boosters are from Italy.<\/p>\n
In order to extend our sales market, we will offer a lowest price. Now we have good saxophones, I recommend them to you, hope you are interested in them. The quality and the sound are very good, and that the price is very competitive in the market.<\/p>\n
In order to let you know more detailed information, I send some photos to you, please look at them.<\/p>\n
The prices are\u00a0as follows:<\/p>\n
Alto sax with gold lacquer is US$ 185.00 . <\/strong>[emphasis added]<\/p>\n
Soprano sax with gold lacquer is US$ 185.00.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Tenor Sax with gold lacquer is US$ 235.00.<\/strong><\/p>\n
If you have any questions, please let me know….<\/p>\n
All my best and good luck with your business….<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Notice the prices?\u00a0This factory is still making money obviously. Now you tell me, what quality of\u00a0alto\u00a0would be available for $185.00, or tenor for $235.00?<\/p>\n
The idea here would be that I order from company X, and stencil\u00a0these saxes\u00a0with the Bassic Sax brand, and then turn around and sell\u00a0them for what? Well for whatever I freakin’ well want, and for whatever the market will bear.<\/p>\n
Just go to eBay and check out what kinds of cheap horns a person can buy, and what they cost. You’ll likely never know\u00a0what company\u00a0made those horns you’re looking at. You’ll also not know anything about their build quality until you get the saxophone in your hands.<\/p>\n
Here’s the problem that I see with all this: these horns are destroying the saxophone business. We’ve seen the established, European saxophone manufacturers fold like a bad poker hand over the past decade. And these were the European manufacturers who survived the original, Asian onslaught of the then-cheap horns in the 1970s. Now in a weird twist of fate, those same Asian companies are suffering because of the new, cheaper, Asian upstarts\u2014many of whom produce crap.<\/p>\n
Maybe I’m\u00a0a pessimist, but I don’t see a rosy future for the saxophone industry. I see further expansion of these cheap, Asian horns into the Western markets, and us buying this crap.<\/p>\n
Whether we’re buying these P.O.C. out of economic necessity, or simply because we’ve become programed to think that even big ticket items like major appliances, PCs, and cars will break down in under 7 years, I couldn’t tell you. One thing is clear: somewhere along the line mediocrity has become the accepted norm. Doing just OK, has now become good enough. This has been carried forward to the consumer goods we buy, and saxophones are sadly no exception to this rule.<\/p>\n
Worst case scenario: a near total collapse of established saxophone manufacturers with a strong history… Gee, perhaps we’re already there? This could lead to more speciality shops like Benedikt Eppelsheim<\/a> starting up. Only these new shops would specialize in pro model, high end saxophones for players who demand a higher quality conventional saxophone… Oh let’s see, we got one of those as well, they’re called Inderbinen.<\/a><\/p>\n
Perhaps the end times are upon us already? Nah, we’d have to start seeing more of these types of small, speciality sax shops pop up, and Selmer Paris collapse. Anyone wanna’ bet how long it’s going to be before we see this happen?<\/p>\n
But you know what? It doesn’t have to. It’s a bit like environmental change: We all have the collective power to stop it.<\/p>\n