I received an alto sax as a gift and I cant seem to find out what brand it is and it has a very bad tone.

Question

I received an alto sax as a gift and I cant seem to find out what brand it is and it has a very bad tone.

Answer 1

Betcha it is from the Far East.  You can have TONS of c**p made with no name on it, and anything you want put on.  There could be 5 factories - and 5 THOUSAND brands.  Run away.   Use this for outdoors, then throw it away - or make it into a cool lamp.

Answer 2

Hi Mike,

However good intentioned the person was that gave you the saxophone,  they probably had no idea what they were buying or how it would play.  

Even without seeing or hearing it... when you tell me that you cannot find a name brand....  this sends up bright red flags that it is a no-name brand cheap import from one of the 3rd world countries and assembled by a 13 or 14 year old kid.  It does not matter what the brand is... the only thing you have to worry about is the predicament you're in.    This is a very poorly built sax and not only will sound terrible, you will not be able to have it repaired when it completely breaks down.....  and it WILL.

My advice is to tell the person who bought it for you that your teacher does not recommend or approve of the brand and ask if they can get their money back.   And I can almost bet that YOUR TEACHER will not approve of it.

I know you are in a delicate situation,  as you don't want to seem inconsiderate, but if you are not going to be happy with the horn and if it is not going to be helpful to your playing or development of your skills,  you definitely should be honest.

Hope it works out for you and

Thanks for reading.

Answer 3

well what is your question?