SAS-300 Alto Saxophone, Clear Lacquer on Yellow Brass

The saxophone is obvious an returned item. one part (ligature) is in a weird (damaged) shape and not usable at all. Shipping a damaged ligature with an expensive saxophone doesn't show any commercial quality. That is why it is 3 stars Anyway, The teacher said the saxophone sound is ok. we will keep it. hope it won't fall apart in a short time. This is update after several month usages: The saxophone starts to fall apart! Stay away from this junk! Very poor quality! It is not worth the money ! I would give it no star!

I compared this saxophone with one costing about half what I paid for this one I purchased from the best known brand name in Chinese musical instruments. After a very thorough examination and comparison I concluded that both were nice instruments, but that this one is "rock solid" whereas the cheaper one was not quite as robust or sturdy in its construction. This instrument is easy to play, and the valves all seat very precisely with little or virtually no "play". Everything operates smoothly yet there is no "looseness" or play in any of the valves or control rods. It appears like a precision instrument that will last - only time will tell - but so far so good. As far as the sound, to me most saxophones sound the same (comparing same for same - Eb alto to Eb alto, etc.). The brand name and price don't change the sound. The mouthpiece and reed affect the sound a lot more than the subtle differences in the shape and thickness of the metal used to construct the body. This sax sounded identical to the less expensive sax using the same mouthpiece, and both sounded just as good as a friend's sax costing several thousand $$$. The differences between cheap and expensive saxophones are mostly durability, design, intonation, finish, quality of metal used, and consistency of quality. Mass production and inexpensive labor now combine to allow high quality instruments to be manufactured for prices and levels of quality one could only dream about a decade or two ago. This sax tunes well and the intonation seems to be a little better than the one costing half as much. I suspect that a very expensive sax may have even better intonation due to a more refined design, but unless this sax starts to break in unexpected ways, I can't see finding a nicer instrument for the same or lower cost. Honestly, it's hard to imagine how they can make this and sell it for a profit at the price they do. I would highly recommend this instrument to anyone who wants a high quality, easy to play sax. This one is a cut above the other less expensive (but still very nice) Chinese saxophones. This is one of the nicest saxophones that is made in China - probably the nicest sax for the price you will find anywhere. The clear lacquered brass finish is beautiful and flawless.