{"id":43583,"date":"2015-04-21T11:00:12","date_gmt":"2015-04-21T18:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bassic-sax.info\/blog\/?p=43583"},"modified":"2024-06-18T10:51:32","modified_gmt":"2024-06-18T17:51:32","slug":"players-obsession-with-cheap-gear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bassic-sax.info\/blog\/2015\/players-obsession-with-cheap-gear\/","title":{"rendered":"Players’ Obsession With Cheap Gear"},"content":{"rendered":"

Perhaps this is a rhetorical question, but why are sax players so obsessed with cheap gear?<\/p>\n

\"eBay<\/a>
\nSource: eBay.com<\/span><\/p>\n

I don’t believe for a minute that all sax players suffer from this obsession, but if you spend any time at all on the what is likely the largest collection of saxophone players online, Sax On The Web (SOTW)<\/a>, you will not find a subforum that doesn’t have multiple threads discussing cheap gear. Why is that?<\/p>\n

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Price is what you pay. Value is what you get. [\/perfectpullquote]<\/p>\n

I get that not everybody has 5K+ to throw at a horn, but there seems to be a sense of pride, and something like bragging rights, when players buy these ultra cheap horns that they claim “play well”. For example, this morning I happened across a thread by a player who recently bought a Hawk tenor, which was supposed to be good. Yah, I’m sure it is… until it isn’t…<\/p>\n

I’m sorry, but almost any sax that costs $400 or less is going to junk. Sorry, it is. But hey, if you want to play a piece a junk, go right ahead. But understand that when you take your $400 or less piece of junk\u2014um, I mean saxophone\u2014to the shop to get it worked on because bits have fallen off (which they will because of the use of substandard glue, or screws that are too short), or you need a pad job, or regulation, don’t be pissed at your tech if he\/she tells you that it’s not worth working on.<\/p>\n

Most techs charge what, $40 to $80 an hour? Now how many hours of work will it take before the cost of the repairs will exceed the original cost of the horn. The answer, obviously, is not many. That’s why a tech will tell the owner of cheap gear like this that their horn is not worth working on. It’s literally throwing away good money after bad.<\/p>\n

Sometimes players can get lucky and find good, cheap gear, like I did when I found a late-model 6M for just over $400 in a pawnshop. But that’s the exception, not the rule.<\/p>\n

As American business magnate, investor and philanthropist, Warren Buffett, so eloquently said: Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.<\/em><\/p>\n

There is just not a lot of value in this cheap gear. Period. I just don’t get the badge of honour stuff that people like to wear from acquiring cheap gear.<\/p>\n

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…this is just my blog<\/em>. <\/span> My \u201creal\u201d <\/b> website is<\/span> www.bassic-sax.info.<\/a> If you\u2019re looking for <\/span> sax info<\/strong>,<\/span> you should check it out too.<\/span>There\u2019s lots<\/em> there! <\/span><\/div>\n
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Perhaps this is a rhetorical question, but why are sax players so obsessed with cheap gear? Source: eBay.com I don’t believe for a minute that …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[18],"tags":[209,660,633,183,646,644,141,651],"class_list":["post-43583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-musings","tag-asian-made-saxophones","tag-ebay","tag-musings","tag-new-horns","tag-on-line-resources","tag-photos","tag-sax-on-the-web","tag-saxophone-repairs"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t