Eb Alto Saxophone with Case - Mark I Model - 2 Year Warranty

Pros: 1. Great sound for the price. 2. Comes with everything you need to get started. 3. The case is well designed and feels sturdy. (Wish it had a lid/flap to close where you store your strap and other accessories.) 4. It arrived quickly and packed well. The reason for only three stars. Cons: 1. This saxophone is difficult if not impossible to play in tune. To the untrained ear this is no big deal. Certain notes are more out of tune than others. The worst note for me is c#. 2. Though it comes with everything you need to get started, to get the best sound you must replace the mouthpiece. The factory mouthpiece it comes with is horrible. I purchased one for about $65 at my local music store, the sax instantly became easier to play, and the sound was much better. (I was thinking about sending it back until I purchased the new mouthpiece.) 3. The strap is a factory strap, but again, if you plan to play long term you must replaced this strap with a padded strap. 4. The ligature seems to not to screw firmly around the mouthpiece. Summary: This is a great saxophone for a beginner and would recommend it provided that one would replace the mouthpiece, ligature, and strap. I would also recommend this sax for a casual user as well. Would not recommend for someone who wants a true quality sound with each note. But for the price, even with the cost of a new mouthpiece, ligature, and strap, it is a good deal, a great deal for a new player. UPDATE - I have had this horn for almost two years with no real issues. I have given the alto sax and additional star for its durability. I have posted a video of me playing this sax so the sound quality could be heard. **SECOND UPDATE - In the comment section of my review, I was contacted by the Vice President of Hyson Music, Justin Varuzzo who stated, "All of our new LJ Hutchen clarinets and LJ Hutchen alto saxophones (as of fall 2012) now include American made student mouthpiece kits, including the ligature and cap. The mouthpieces are superior to our previous ones that were made in China. The American manufacturer producing our mouthpieces supplies mouthpieces to many of the biggest names in the industry." Hyson's decision to listen to its customers and change the mouthpieces for its instruments demonstrates to me that are committed to manufacturing a quality sub $400.00 saxophone. This LJ Hutchen Alto Saxophone based on the durability of the sax, the sound, and the customer service has earned another star from me. I would highly recommend this saxophone.

Brought the Alto Saxophone over 3 years back and I guess a review is in order. Right off the bat let me tell you the review is from a point of view of a parent with no experience in music so I will not be able to judge the sound quality, but what I can tell you is the sound is acceptable because my son (or his teachers) have not complained so far. We brought the Sax from Amazon when my son started middle school and opted for the school band. He is in High school now(involved in band) and using the same alto Sax. Here are some of the points I would like to highlight 1. Ready to use out of box comes with everything needed. 2. Durability - The instrument is durable considering almost daily use for the past 3 years. We had to make a few minor fixes but nothing major. After 3 years of regular use, the instrument is in excellent shape and we had not paid a dime for its maintenance. 3. Price - This might not be the cheapest instrument on the block. But the differential is not big considering the quality, durability and support you get out of the product. 4. Customer service - This is a game changer in my mind. Excellent customer service. I was very impressed by the customer service provided by LJ Hutchen. LJ Hutchen serviced, cleaned my son's alto Sax for no cost (note - they will not cover damage from neglect) and returned the instrument very fast. The customer support is knowledgeable and efficient and helpful. Bottom like a good instrument backed by excellent company (LJ Hutchen)

I have waited almost 2 years to review this product because unless you have played a saxophone for a while you really don't know it's true value and quality (if any). I would say this is one of the best choices if your are looking for a low cost instrument to begin learning to play the saxophone. It is far better than its cheaper competitors. So, for the price I paid I am happy with what LJ Hutchen has delivered to me. I have a private instructor who is a professional musician. He tried the sax and tested it throughout the whole range. He also checked for leaks and some of those design and construction details that only experienced sax players now about. His overall impression was that this is "one of the best student level, low cost saxes he's seen so far". He was specially impressed with its solidness and its ease of playing. He said it performed like a more expensive model. But my experience with the instrument hasn't been an eternal honeymoon because after a short while the thumb rest fell off, as well as the neck cork and some of the tiny pieces of cork glued on to the keys. Being a full time industrial engineer I assume this was caused maybe because the instrument had been sitting in a hot warehouse for a long time after it was manufactured (the glue might have been degraded by the heat). I might have been also because I left it in the trunk of my car a few times under the intense tropical sun ( I live in the Dom. Rep.).- If it wasn't so, then perhaps the glue they used was not of the best quality. Having said that and despite the minor problems encountered, I give this sax a 4 star rating and judge it as one of the best saxes in the low cost category. As a general advise, I wouldn't recommend anyone to pay less than $400 for a student model sax. If you feel you can invest a little more thus get better quality, then check out the Roy Benson RBAS202 Eb Student Alto Sax selling here on Amazon for $ 599, or even the RBAS302 which they advertise as a "professional model" for $ 645.

I bought this saxophone to replace an older student model for my son that I bought on Amazon. He had one of the cheapie little learning saxs (I'm sure you can figure out which ones I'm talking about, they run about $200). I thought for a little extra, it would perform as well as the cheapie model but maybe be a step-up. The reviews looked promising Not so. Immediately within a month we noticed the upper B flat key was rubbing and had not been properly aligned. No biggie, we have that repaired. Now the lower D flat key is sticking as well as the G sharp key. I really don't think I should have to send a 5 month old saxophone out for these kind of repairs! The cheaper saxophone never had an issue until it finally gave up the ghost after two whole years of heavy use.

First off, I am a return LJ Hutchen customer. I previously had ordered their trumpet, and gave it great reviews. After several years,it's still working as good as the first day. So, selecting a saxophone from the same company was easier, especially with the same very positive ratings. First off, the saxophone feels solid. Having several other instruments by other manufactuers, its just as good as the others, and it could even be better than the others. Basically, there is no discernable difference and you are definitely not getting something that is flimsy, or gives a questionable feeling towards quality. Second, the finish is very good all around. Third; as far a sound goes, it seems fine to me. I'm a beginner player, but it's sounding great as far as I can tell. I guess for my $$, buying from a company like LJ Hutchen is a good decision, as they make good products, and from what others say, if there are ever issues, the company takes care of you. There aren't many companies like that anymore.

I ordered this saxophone for my daughter who is starting band in 5th grade. Don't know how long she'll play or if she'll like it, so didn't want to spend a ton. However, if she does keep up with it, I didn't want her to have junk. So, decided to go middle of the road. The instrument is OK, but right away she started having issues with the valves. One still doesn't close properly, so the band teacher wrapped a rubber band around it to keep it closed. A button fell off one of the keys - super glued it on. The mouthpiece had to be adjusted because it was bending the reeds therefore making it difficult to make sounds... Bottom line is...you get what you pay for. The problems aren't worth my time sending it back or dealing with the seller, so just took it to the local music store for adjusting. Hopefully, nothing else will go wrong with it.

I bought this 7 months ago. Short version: great for learning to play, no problems yet, sounds great (though limited somewhat by my low skill level), I would recommend to any beginning player, but get a saxophone stand and reeds (not included) Long version: I bought this so that I could learn saxophone. I do not have enough time to be in a school band, and didn't want to be learning to play in that environment. I have been teaching myself at home using instructional books. I have used Absolute Beginners for Alto Saxophone - Book and CD Package and The Complete Saxophone Player - Book 1 & Complete Saxophone Player: Book 2 . I recommend checking a local library as it might save you a purchase of two. I have some problems at first (mostly difficulty hitting low and high notes) but these were NOT the saxophone's fault. They were problems with my technique, and have lessened significantly as I have improved. My practicing was limited at first because it only came with 1 reed, so buy reeds with the saxophone so that you don't have to wait. Also, a stand ( Hercules DS530B Alto/Tenor Sax Stand ) is great if you don't want to be leaning your saxophone sideways against a pillow.... I heartily recommend this!

Had really good things to say about this product like so many others when I first bought it for my daughter. Sounded good, easy to play, etc. etc. I think I even gave it a 5 star review after a few months. Liked it so much I bought the same brand of clarinet for my other daughter. It has now been 5 years. Multiple pads have fallen out. Screws have fallen out. The ivory key inserts have fallen out. No longer in tune. My daughter has progressively moved from 1st chair to last chair in the band because she cannot hit the proper notes. Hyson Music has been good throughout the process, but nothing more can be done. We are going to donate to Goodwill and buy a different saxophone like I should have bought 5 years ago.