Selmer AS-500 Alto Saxophone

All reed were missing,but the saxophone it look very good and the sound is beautiful

It was nice but had some dent and scratches that they did not include in the discription, so I feel the price was alittle high for what we got.

Good Quality and $1000 less than what I could buy locally.

I did not purchase from this vendor, but I do own this exact same model because I rented it until I owned it as a used horn through Music and Arts. The horn plays well overall, is pretty easy to blow through (my 2 1/2 year old daughter was able to get a tone...although the reed looked like it went through a food processor LOL), and I believe the metal in the horn is a little thicker than the higher end horns (to protect the horn from beginning students...not 100% sure that is true or not). I did find the sound to be a little 'tinny', but my wife and daughter loved the sound.If the student studies and practices they will be able to play children's songs in a few weeks to a month, and play actual songs (although less challenging) in a couple of months.When buying reeds, the higher the number, the stiffer the reed. Start out with about a 2.0 reed so you can play/practice for a longer duration. If you start with a 2.5 or 3.0, your mouth will get tired quickly until you build those muscles around your mouth. I promise you'll get face cramps early on. :0)Don't worry about having a few minor scratches on the horn - it will happen and happen fast from hitting a belt buckle or button on jeans, you'll get scratches around the loop where you clip the neck strap - the horn is made from a soft metal, not a high carbon steel, so scratches are inevitable. It's not worth investing in a 100% brand new horn for a beginner unless you have more money than common sense.Never, EVER buy one of those $300-$400 horns that you see here on Amazon, unless you want to mount it on the wall as a decoration. Selmer is one of the top 4 brands (not going to try to argue which is best, I'm unqualified for that), and if you have any questions about a specific horn, go to your child's teacher or a Saxophone forum and I can almost promise you that you'll see multiple threads on about any horn you are interested in, and the number of negative reviews on the cheap horns are overwhelming. If you cannot afford to buy a horn for your child, check into renting one from a music store for the first year and if they still seem like they are going to stay dedicated, considering upgrading. At that time the child (or adult) will know how to play and will know what a good horn should sound like and they will know how to find and test a horn that fits them for a long term purchase. Again, Selmer is a great brand, and they will hold their value pretty well. Once you are ready to upgrade to an intermediate or low end (or high end) professional horn, if you cannot afford a Selmer or other high end named horn, Antigua Winds is one of the good 'bang for your buck' horns that a lot of professionals on the saxophone forums have as primary or back up instruments. The older Antigua Winds horns were not very good quality, but Antigua Winds moved their factory to a new country and the quality is much better (at least the last I checked a couple years ago), so again, do your due diligence research on any new horn purchase. I played this horn for a while and was happy with it and was ready to upgrade, but my living situation isn't optimal for playing a saxophone so I've not played in a while. It takes practice to play a saxophone anywhere near what one could consider "quietly", but until then, they are fairly loud. If you practice indoors, your pets will likely go to the other end of the house. Don't take offense! LOL :0)

The Selmer AS500 is a step up from those cheap "Made in China" saxophones seen on Amazon for around $300 or below.The intonation was very good to excellent, and there were no issues with quality built.

I've played this saxophone many times and have found it to be a really nice horn. It is responsive and has a warmer tone then the Yamaha student models that I've tried. This would be a good choice for those starting in music and want something dependable and easy to play. You can press the keys down with ease, it's an easy instrument to blow through, and over time the player can build confidence and grow without feeling like the instrument is holding them back. It appears to be made well and it looks good. I recommend it and feel it would give any user many years of dependable service. I hope this has been helpful.