The Saxophone World Will Never Be the Same

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Until now, a professional-level saxophone was out of reach financially for most players. But those days are over thanks to this. 

In this article, I’m going to tell you about the new saxophone that makes it possible to get a professional feel and sound from your playing, all at a price that’s going to shock the industry.

The saxophone world has not always been quick to change with the times. We like our vintage instruments and old-school ways of doing things. But the world has changed a lot, and today there are enormous possibilities available to us when it comes to making saxophones.

Instead of doing things the old-fashioned way, we set out to shake things up. Our mission from the beginning has been to provide the best quality educational materials and make the best quality instruments available to as many people as possible. This meant keeping our costs down and prices accessible.

We do this not by cutting corners on quality or materials, those things are non-negotiable for us. Instead, we run the business differently. By streamlining our operations and cutting out the middlemen, we keep the costs lower and pass those savings directly to you.

The BetterSax Classic saxophones have proved that this approach is working. Several thousand saxophonists around the world have discovered that they can own a quality, sturdy instrument that looks, feels, and sounds great without a huge price tag.

But we knew we could take this concept further. What if we could combine state-of-the-art technology, saxophone design expertise, and this savvy business model to create the ultimate instrument, something that would satisfy the most demanding professional players, but also allow students, amateurs, and hobbyists access to high-end sound, response, and ergonomics?

A horn that holds its own alongside the top saxophone brands, but costs far less.

It’s been three years in the making, and we are thrilled to finally share the results of this challenge.

Meet the BetterSax Session Alto Saxophone.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. This is just another new saxophone model. Big deal.

What’s so special about it?

A lot, actually.

Let’s take a look at what makes the Session Alto so unique, starting at the top and working our way down the horn.

The Neck

The most obvious feature is the underslung neck design, which looks very cool, but doesn’t really help it to sound better.

What you can’t see as easily are all the ways the Session neck has been redesigned for optimal tone quality, intonation, projection, and responsiveness. We’ve combined a unique bore taper with a specially designed tone ring and a resonance brace to make the sound of this neck stand out immediately from the first note you play.

Adding to the incredible responsiveness is the special way it connects to the body. A saxophone bore is supposed to be conical, getting progressively wider as you go along the tube. However, most neck tenons are cylindrical, which disrupts that ideal conical shape like a speed bump on a racetrack.

We designed the Session Alto’s neck tenon to allow the saxophone’s natural conical bore to continue smoothly and uninterrupted. On the inside, the tenon shape is a cone matching the bore taper of the tube perfectly. On the outside, it’s a cylinder, which allows it to slot into the receiver with a precise fit.

In addition, most saxophones have a small gap where the neck tenon ends and the body tube begins. Instead of using a gadget to fix this, we designed the neck tenon of the Session to fit seamlessly into the body so there is no gap. That gets us as close as possible to a unified, consistent tube.

The Body

The overall taper of the Session bore leans heavily on the French tradition, but with optimized tone hole placement for improved intonation.

It’s got Pisoni Pro pads with domed metal resonators installed and set up immaculately. These pads will provide many years of high-performance playing.

As you’d expect, it has mother-of-pearl key touches, a high F key, and an ergonomic front F key. Blue steel springs make the key action quick, responsive, and light – the way it should be on professional horns.

The Session body employs what we call Mini-Ribbing, which is a compromise between post-to-body and fully ribbed construction. It offers the perfect balance between responsiveness, stability, and tonal depth.

Every one of these horns is built by hand, adhering to extremely precise tolerances. The bells and bows are hand-hammered. The posts and keywork are individually hand-soldered. Every key is fitted by hand and adjusted for perfect action.

Each Session is hand engraved, assembled, and inspected one at a time, not mass-produced on an automated assembly line.

The result is an instrument that feels like a luxurious sports car in your hands. Everything fits so nicely, making playing easier than ever.

We even designed a new right-hand thumb rest for the saxophone. Typically, these are just flat pieces of brass that get crudely bent into shape. We decided saxophone players’ thumbs deserve to be more comfortable.

So we created investment cast metal thumb rests, a technique where you create a custom mold and pour molten metal into it. These thumb rests are way more comfortable.

The neck strap ring is also designed to last a lifetime. Rather than plain brass, the Session’s neck strap ring is made from much harder nickel silver. It’s a small detail, but one that really matters.

The Bow & Bell

As we arrive at the bow, we see the beginning of the beautiful custom artwork, which is hand engraved along the bow and bell.

The bell has a brass rim wire installed inside the rolled edge for added resonance.

And let’s not forget the three gorgeous and unique finishes the Session comes in.

First is our Dark Gold Matte Lacquer, which was inspired by our love of timeless vintage saxophone designs. It’s warm and soulful while honoring the tradition.

Next is the Copper Bronze Lacquer, which is bold and eye-catching.

And finally, my personal favorite, Bond Villain Black Matte. You may not know this about me, but I’ve lived in the south of France for many years and still work as a professional performing musician. A lot of my gigs happen to be in Monaco, which is a city where you come across a wide selection of luxurious finishes on fancy cars.

I joke with people and tell them that a lot of the private parties I play are for billionaire Bond villains. That’s where the name of this finish comes from, and it’s inspired by some of the very cool cars I often see.

All of these features may sound impressive, but the things saxophone players care about the most is how does it sound? What does it feel like to play this horn?

And as you know, the only way to really find out is to play one for yourself. But I want to emphasize that when I play this saxophone, I never think about any of the features I just mentioned to you,

None of it ever crosses my mind. And that’s because I’m just enjoying playing the thing so much, and nothing about it distracts from that experience.

As a professional and all-around lover of the saxophone, this instrument ticks all the boxes for me. But if we really want the Session alto to be a legitimate game changer of a saxophone, there is still more we can do.

The Accessories

Every professional saxophone comes with a case, but most people end up replacing it. With the Session, we don’t want you to have to do that.

So we designed a lightweight, ultra-protective backpack case with ample storage space that you’re going to want to keep. It has a molded memory foam nest, a ballistic nylon interior, and cutouts for your neck and mouthpiece.

And speaking of the mouthpiece, I saved the thing that nobody has ever done before for last.

Most people never even play the mouthpiece that comes with an intermediate or pro-level horn. We wanted to change that and include a mouthpiece with the Session that everyone will want to use.

So, in partnership with the legendary mouthpiece maker JJ Babbitt, we made a special edition Meyer mouthpiece just for this saxophone.

Every BetterSax Session Alto comes with a genuine made-in-the-USA Meyer mouthpiece, based on our favorite vintage New York Meyer. Each one is hand-finished, inspected, and play-tested by a member of the BetterSax team to ensure optimal quality and consistency.

Who Is the Session For?

We went all out on this project. Our goal was to create a saxophone from a saxophone player’s perspective that provides a deeply satisfying playing experience.

But the Session Alto is not just for professional musicians who demand the highest level of performance.

Because of its price point, the Session makes the perfect upgrade instrument for anyone who wants to level up their playing and work with gear that won’t hold them back.

Even if you’re a beginner, there’s no reason you can’t start out on this horn if the price is within your budget. You can totally begin your saxophone journey with the Session Alto.

Click here to visit your local BetterSax dealer and see pricing and availability of the BetterSax Session Alto.