Saxophone Forum


by RoobeDoo
(7 posts)
19 years ago

Is this a rip-off?

Okay, having just sorted out hire for an alto sax for the next term from my school, I'm wandering around ebay (yes, shame on me) and theres a used YAS23 that looks to be going for about £200 (call it, erm, $360) ... I have a budget of about £250 at the moment (hurrah for cheap studentness!) but i was wondering if it was a worthwhile buy? Because I dont know what i'm doing :D and the only thing i know is that i cant buy a YAS23 so cant compare the new price lol... when were they discontinued? ta muchly all

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  1. by sidewinder7k7
    (4 posts)

    19 years ago

    Re: Is this a rip-off?

    Actually, the answer is 80% chance its a bigtime ripoff, maybe 10% chance that the whole thing is a scam, and maybe 10% chance that this guy is actually selling the real thing. If there is a lot of time left in the auction, the sax is going to end up costing more anyway (its going to be bid up). But the deal seems a little too good to be true AND its an online transaction so I would be VERY VERY careful. But it could be a good deal. Make sure you ask the seller TONS of questions and make sure there are no inconsistencies in his/her answers.

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  2. by saxophones_rock
    (13 posts)

    19 years ago

    Re: Is this a rip-off?

    I myself bought a professonal horn on Ebay for $499. It turned out NOT to be a scam, and the seller was quite helpful. The only problem was that we had to pay an extra $30 after it being in the UPS truck. (It was really messed up) To me, $360 sounds a little cheap for a YAS23, so must likely, if the seller is truly selling the horn to you, it is probably in need of repair and/or severely damaged. I sure hope my 2 cents was helpful.

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    1. by connsaxman_jim
      (2336 posts)

      19 years ago

      Re: Is this a rip-off?

      Sometimes, people have no idea what these horns are worth, or they bought them cheap at a garage sale or something, so they assume it's worth even less after their kid used it in band for a couple years and then decided to sell it on ebay! If the sax is in good condition, a YAS23 is a good horn, and they usually sell for considerably more. I would read the ad very carefully and ask the seller about the condition of the instrument. I would ask if they have ever replaced the pads, if it has any dings or dents, and if it is playable or if it might need some adjusting. Even if it needs some minor repair, it's worth $360. You can't buy a decent sax for less than that. It's hard to find a decent sax for less than $1000. Dave Kessler at Kessler Music (www.kesslermusic.com) has some inexpensive horns that are fairly good. I would be very careful of some of the ebay deals like the Schills and Moniques, and Dominics music, don't trust that guy!

      Reply To Post Yahoo!


      1. by EL Seano
        (255 posts)

        19 years ago

        Re: Is this a rip-off?

        Its a shame Dominic's saxes are so crap, some of them look awesome. And is the YAS 23 the student model of the Yamaha range?

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