Stick With the Big Names When Shopping for a Professional Saxophone (Why the Small Independent Saxophone Manufacturer is Probably Not a Good Buy)
I’d recommend buying a latte here, not a saxophone.
I love small businesses as much as any other millennial. Nothing makes me more excited than discovering an organic farm that serves a seasonally-inspired brunch, or a boutique store with clothing made from recycled materials. I’d much rather seek out the local independent coffee shop with a unique house special than a Starbucks with the exact same menu as every other Starbucks in the country.
But when it comes to buying a professional-level saxophone, consider me a corporate shill.
Duke Silver himself.
See, I often hear from students who have fallen down an internet rabbit hole and discovered a small saxophone manufacturer. “I’ve seen really good things about Robert Pattinson Winds”, they’ll say. Or “I came across some people online who like Duke Silver Saxophones. Have you heard of them? What do you think?”
What I really think is it’s time to climb back out of that bottomless pit, grab a name-brand saxophone, and get back to practicing.
Here’s why I am confident that there’s no undiscovered small saxophone manufacturer out there.
Think about buying a car. Unless you’re an eccentric billionaire with a secret superhero identity who needs a vehicle with the latest built-in crime-fighting gadgets, you’re probably going to end up buying a car from a giant car company. For what most of us need in a car - something safe and reliable just big enough to fit everyone and everything we need to move from one place to another - the big auto brands offer the best value.
Why can’t I find a local Batmobile dealer?
But why do a few huge car makers dominate the market? Why can’t you find a boutique car company the same way you can find a hipster coffee shop on every corner in Brooklyn? It’s mostly because making a car is really complicated and expensive. It takes a lot of time and expertise to design, and then it takes a lot of materials and labor and big machines with robotic arms to build. And if a company can spend all that money designing and building and testing and marketing a car, they have to make a whole lot of cars and sell them to a whole lot of people in order to be able to charge a decent price and still make a profit.
The Selmer Supreme: because the finest saxophones should have engravings with flowers AND cubes.
It’s pretty much the same thing with saxophones. There are a few main manufacturers that have a proven track record of making a quality product at a decent price: Selmer, Yamaha, Yanigasawa, and probably a few others. They’ve been doing it for a long time and they’ve used the same principles as the car manufacturers to invest in making a lot of saxophones and selling them at a decent price (with Selmer there’s definitely some prestige pricing they’ve been able to add in, but that’s another story).
If anyone says they can make a saxophone that’s as good or better as the big players’ at a comparable price, I’d be skeptical for the same reason there’s no one making four-door sedans out of their corner garage. Making a good professional-level saxophone is difficult and expensive. It’s just not practical for a small business.
It’s important to note that I have been careful to talk only about professional-level saxophones, as these principles are not exactly the same for beginner brands. The beginner saxophone market is larger (driven by school music programs), and beginners can get by on an instrument with somewhat lower quality standards than a professional-level horn. So there’s a bit more room for manufacturers to enter the market and compete on price.
The beginner saxophone brand ecosystem looks quite different than when I started in middle school band about 20 years ago, and I suspect the main players will be different again in the 20 years. But I’d be surprised if the landscape of professional-level saxophone brands changes much in the same time. (The beginner saxophone market has its own pitfalls however, so if you’re considering a beginner model, read more here).
So if you’re considering buying a professional-level saxophone, I’m confident the quality of the big-name brands can’t be beat for the price. But if you know where to find the best underground coffee shop in town, I’m all ears!