Student Alto Saxophones – Buyer’s Guide

Update for 2024- The BetterSax Alto Saxophone

Since the release of this video, BetterSax has launched the BetterSax Alto which is now our top recommendation for student alto saxophones. The BetterSax Alto saxophone was designed to fill a gap in the market for an affordable, reliable, and desirable instrument.

Unlike other low-cost options, the BetterSax Alto offers a combination of great sound, professional feel, and appealing design.  Available exclusively through Sweetwater.com in the US, Thomann Music in the EU, and Sax.co.uk in the UK, the BetterSax Alto provides an accessible price point without compromising on performance.

The BetterSax Alto saxophone combines a sophisticated, vintage-inspired look with high-performance features typically found on intermediate and pro-level instruments. Its darker cognac lacquer and underslung octave key evoke elite Yanagisawa and Vintage King Super 20 saxophones, while its ergonomic design and post-to-body construction ensure comfort and immediate response. With blued steel springs, metal domed resonators, Pisoni leather pads, a high F# key, and a high-quality mouthpiece, this horn offers exceptional playability at an affordable price. It also comes with a lightweight, protective backpack case with ample storage for accessories and sheet music. 

The BetterSax is positioned to redefine entry-level instruments, providing a high-quality option for under $1000 that can serve as a musician’s main instrument regardless of their skill level.

Student Alto Saxophones From This Video

In this video we compare 3 popular student alto saxophones.

There was the “Cheapest Alto Sax on Amazon,” that now has over 6 Million views. Thank you YouTube!

Then there was the review of the Jean Paul AS-400 alto saxophone.

And then of course the review of the Yamaha YAS-280 which has always been kind of the gold standard for student saxophones “Is the Yamaha YAS-280 Still the Top Student Saxophone?”

If you are shopping for a saxophone for yourself or someone else, and you don’t know anything about saxophones, I hope this review will help you determine which one of these is the best choice for you.

I’m going to rate these saxophones according to a number of criteria on a 3 star scale. At the end we will tally up the score for each instrument and find our winner.

Please keep in mind that my scoring system is for what I consider a beginner level or student instrument. So three stars is considered outstanding for an entry level instrument.

If you own any of these instruments, please comment below with your experience with it. This will be very helpful for anyone out there trying to make up their mind. I’ll be comparing the Jean Paul USA AS-400 Alto Saxophone, the Ammoon/Lade Alto Saxophone, and the Yamaha YAS-280 Alto Saxophone.

Playability

Yamaha – 3

JP – 3

Lade – 2

Sound Quality

Yamaha – 3

JP – 3

Lade – 2

Build Quality

Yamaha – 3

JP – 3

Lade – 1

Repairability

Yamaha – 1

JP – 2

Lade – 1

Case

Yamaha – 3

JP – 3

Lade – 0

Accessories

Yamaha – 2

JP – 3

Lade – 2

Overall Value for Price 

Yamaha – 2

JP – 3

Lade – 2

Conculsion

Yamaha 19
JP 20
Lade 10

So after adding up our scores it looks like the Jean Paul AS-400 is the clear winner with 20 out of 21 possible stars. The Yamaha is a close second with 19 stars, and the Lade only got 10 stars.

Price is often the deciding factor in making a purchase, and while a Yamaha has always been a sound investment, when you consider the quality of the Jean Paul for less than half the price it’s hard to justify buying the Yamaha. If your budget is limited and you need to spend the absolute minimum, you can safely purchase the Lade alto which costs about half of the Jean-Paul. But as with anything else, a bit of savings in the beginning can often end up costing you more in the long term.

So my recommendation out of these three is the Jean Paul hands down. With the money you save, you can buy some great accessories, a top level mouthpiece, some great reeds, some private lessons, some great courses over at BetterSax.com, and still have some money left over to go to a concert and get a Spotify subscription.

After you take a listen, let me know in the comments below what you think of these horns! Can you hear the difference between them?

Interested in more alto sax reviews? Check out this “Alto Sax Play-Test Review and Buyers Guide.”

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