The BetterSax - Alto Saxophone

The sound quality of a pro horn, but a quarter of the price! Exclusive to SAX in the UK!

Jay Metcalf of Better Sax fame has partnered with Conn-Selmer, one of the World's leading wind and brass manufacturers, to bring us this incredible new alto sax - the Better Sax.  Unique in design, strong in build and sounding as classy as many top end saxes, yet extremely affordable at the same time.  

Description

One of our favourite brands here at SAX, the Conn-Selmer saxophones feature good design, excellent build quality and proven reliability across the range.  The Better Sax is no exception, featuring a bore construction that is similar to other top-end saxes and results in a mature, characterful and full-bodied sound.  Jay has chosen to go without a ribbed body construction, meaning the posts are soldered directly to the horn, resulting in a lighter and more immediately responsive sound.  The intonation is very good, the key ergonomics are comfortable and well designed, and this sax has a standout appearance – an underslung octave key design (similar to classic vintage Conns and Elite Yanagisawas) and finished with a beautiful cognac tinted lacquer. 

Features

• Material: Brass

• Finish: Cognac-tinted lacquer

• Key Touches: Simulated Mother of Pearl

• Neck: Better Sax underslung design!

• Engraving: Classic-style, vintage theme

• Case: Stylish rectangular case with back-pack straps

• Mouthpiece: Student plastic

• Made in: Conn Selmer factory, China.  Set up in Conn Selmer factory, Elkhart.

• Free Professional Set Up & Free Check over within a Year

• Recommended for: Students, Intermediate players, or pros looking for a backup horn.

Review

When I first laid my fingers on the BetterSax alto, before I even knew the full story behind it, I figured that this was just going to be another 'student' sax.  But within a few seconds of playing on it I was blown away with how it sounded and figured I would have to re-adjust my barometer for what this was.  It was immediately obvious that the tone level was what we associate with a much higher-level instrument – rich and full of overtones – and it played IN TUNE and evenly through the range.  These are my three sound checks on any horn and passed them all!

Beyond this, everything felt great – classic key layout with no surprises, a good, low key action, which I personally liked as it allowed technical passages to fly through without additional effort, and just a generally very solid and well put together horn.

Added to this, it also looked great with its classy lacquer and underslung octave key.

In more recent weeks I managed to spend some time with Jay and get his thoughts on what he looks for in a sax and I was impressed with how much care and attention was paid to every detail of design and engineering.  He’d put his own personal BetterSax through its paces by practicing an hour a day for a year and he reported that the set-up had held extremely well with barely an adjustment needing to be made.  This filled me with confidence about the longevity of the brand, and I look forward to getting it out there in people’s hands. 

Jim Cheek

Jay, I had a guy here at the factory who had your alto so I asked him if I could play it once he was finished testing mouthpieces. The horn plays and sounds really great. A big surprise. I A B’d it with my Silver Mark VI and I think I liked the tone of your horn better. Well done!

Jody Espina