Jean Paul USA AS-400SP Student Alto Saxophone Silver-Plated

Back in 1996, I played in College on my baby. A YAS 62 purchased in 94.

In the intervening 24 years, I haven’t gotten to play at all, and I lost my “baby”.

I’ve lost 100% embasure(sp?) and 80% of my fingering muscle memory. But mentally, I still know alot about the instrument.

I finally have the time to try to get music back into my life, and rolled the dice on this very affordable student saxophone.

I am, frankly, in shocked awe at this instruments fit and finish.

Other than the lowest few notes, and the altissimo range(which is probably due to my lack of mouth muscle tone) only the D is 1/8 of a note flat. All of the other notes are in tune with each other. I was NOT expecting that.

The right hand index finger side key, only used for a few notes in the upper register, clicks a little, as it contacts the key below it.

Also. The one thing keeping this from being 5 star all around, is bottom post on the D# key(r hand top pinky key, see picture) has had the soldering fail. The case holds the instrument securely enough that I do not believe this was transportation damage. (After I have time to register the instrument and contact the company, I will update this review based on the results of that contact.)

Other than that, all of the keys are the same height. All of them have the same tension. All of the little cork and what looks like silicone pads on all of the keys are attached well, and are even slanted to make flush contact with the body when depressed. This is something that is as good or better than when I got my YAS 62 so many years ago. Some of the springs on the low (left thumb) notes, are even bent to allow for clearance of the other keys to be at the same height, something I remember being very much a problem on my first beginners Saxophone in the mid ’80’s….and is something I thought would not possibly be done on this instrument, given it’s price point.

I had read some of the bad reviews, and I scoured this saxophone for scratches, water damage, or water marks on the cork, and it is clear this is a new instrument.

I ran my finger along the holes for as many of the holes as I could reach, and I found no dents or burrs. Though the bottom (r hand bottom pinky key) hole has a bit of a rough spot that might wear the pad in time.

The swab that it came with is high quality. The neck strap it came with seems cheap but is very comfy. I do wish that it came with a swab for the neck, and that will be my important first purchase before I play the instrument much.

I remember reeds being a low% hit and miss thing, back in the ’90’s, so I did not have much hope in the one that comes with the instrument, but mine was actually quite good, with surprisingly even grain that makes me suspect it was hand picked by someone who knows what to look for. I may be wrong, it may just be luck of the draw.

The mouthpiece it came with fit very nicely on the neck’s cork.

For me, it seemed as if either the reed was too soft, or the mouthpiece gap (distance from the mouthpiece to the reed) was too small, or both…as I found myself squeaking alot. But it is also likely a result of 2.5 decades of not playing. I do believe that the smaller opening and softer reed is a good idea for children just learning.

The case seems to hold the instrument securely, I can not speak to it’s durability. It has some nice features that my yas62 case in the mid 90’s didnt come with.

I plan on putting a number of hours of work, re-learning scales and muscle tone, over the next few weeks, and will update this review with durability information. (Pending repair requirements for the popped post solder)

But as it is, I think any beginning player (or old man trying to recover some youth in a mid-life crisis like myself) would be lucky to have an instrument like this, even if it was at double the price.

(It is my assumption that the post soldering is an easy, inexpensive fix, that might be just a few minutes with a technician.)

****post Customer service update****

After registering my Saxophone with Jean Paul, I sent an email with a photo of the popped solder. They sent me a pre-paid label, and I sent it UPS to they service center in Miami. They let me know when it was shipped back, and I received it back today in wonderful condition. It plays like an instrument worth much more money, which I attribute to their technician’s setting up the keys correctly.

To be honest, I was going to just pay a local shop for the solder job. But because of the covid, it would have been in quarantine at the local shop longer than it took to send it back to Jean Paul to get it fixed for free.

Due to the positive interaction I had with their customer service, I’m increasing my review to 5 stars.

My background: musician for over 30 years, started on a Vito alto sax when I was 11 and played it until I graduated high school, then switched to various string instruments

I have a Vito sax (a brand that is not made anymore by Conn-Selmer but is the sound equivalent of a Yamaha YAS 23) that was bought new in 1989 and is quite banged up from being dropped a couple times (faulty case and marching band). It still sounds good but it needs an overhaul (pads and springs) before it’s fully playable, so I bought this one in the interim to see if I still “had it.” I was really pleasantly surprised by the sound quality of this alto sax straight out of the box!

My first impression of this sax was not favorable. It’s a weird color and the cork on the neck is really thin so I thought oh man how am I going to get this to tune properly? Surprisingly, though, I had it in tune within 30 seconds with hardly any adjustment to the mouthpiece on the neck (pro tip: middle C on a piano is a middle A on an alto sax if you don’t have a tuner). Embouchure has a lot to do with whether your sax plays in tune, but If you don’t have the mouthpiece situated on the neck properly, it will never be in tune. So move that mouthpiece around if you’re constantly just a little flat or sharp (pull back if you’re sharp and push it farther on if you’re flat).

Suffice to say I really didn’t have high hopes for this cheap saxophone, but the sound quality is very, very good. It is equivalent to my Vito in sound (if not looks) and this is honestly a horn that a student could play all the way through high school if it holds up. The thinness of the cork on the neck makes me think that eventually the cork on the neck will have to be replaced because over time the cork smooshes down and I think you’ll have to keep pushing it on farther and farther to get it to play in tune, but that is a cheap fix. I really don’t know how it would hold up to everyday play for a student, but right now I’m very happy with this purchase.

I would say if you want a horn that is really and truly for sure going to last your student for their whole school career, invest $1,205 right now in a Yamaha YAS 26, which you can also get on Amazon. That is going to be a horn that for sure will hold up, which this one I definitely can’t guarantee. But if you don’t know if your kid is going to play for long, it’s worth the investment because you can turn around and sell this one used and still recoup most of your money. Saxophones cost about $75 a month to rent, so if your student plays for 9 months and quits, it’s still cheaper in the long run to just buy this one outright rather than rent and return.

I’m not an expert in alto saxophone. I bought it for my son who is starting saxophone classes. I made it revised by the music profesor, who inspect and play it, and he say that it came in excelent condition and it is a good saxophone for beginers and students. It sounds better with the mouthpiece that is included in the saxophone case than if you use it with other mouthpieces from other manufacturers. We notice that when you play it, the instrument gave a clear and loud sound, even when you play the instrument with very low notes. The appearance and color of the instrument is very beautiful. The case Include several accesories for the alto saxophone. The cleaning cloth included in the saxophone case don’t include the string, so it is difficult to use it to clean inside of the instrument. In conclusion: it is a good instrument for students

Mi Saxofón Jean Paul esta excelente, llegó y a estrenarlo, tiene una afinación excelente un sonido obscuro y pastoso qué me encanta además de una estética facinante, estuve tentado a comprar el Sax dorado pero no me arrepiento de haber escogido el plateado, súper, génial, estupendo. Qué más puedo pedir?