NO-NONSENSE Review of the sub-$500 Jean Paul AS-400 Alto Sax
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- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2024
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Wow it sounds great! Maybe if I buy the horn I’ll sound just like you!!! ;)
Oh 100%
Every student ever:
Don’t you already have one?😂
Not at that point, but he did eventually get one
Spot on! I just bought a Jean Paul alto this summer and was so impressed I bought a tenor shortly after!
Awesome! Tough to beat the value.
Fuck everybody flex about doing this, while this is my 3rd year saving for buying the alto one, still half way through, it suchs living in a 3rd world country.
This proves that masters can sound good on anything!
You are one of the greats Dave!
Wow - thanks so much!
This guy can make anything sound smooth
Whilst I can only dream of playing this well, I purchased the AS400 SP this spring. It is an amazing instrument, it does have a darker sound but I wanted that. It is slightly heavier than others, neck strap needs upgrading eventually (actually quite quickly, but that is just a few bucks). Mechanically it is perfect, only one small issue was the thickness of the cork which did need sanding to enable the mouthpiece to fit and assist in tuning. Other than that, this instrument is a solid investment and a great sounding horn. I have turned down so called superior instruments to continue with this horn. Look no further than the Jean Paul!
I have always wanted to play sax, it is my favorite sounding instrument along with pedal steel. I might buy myself one for my birthday coming up.
This is a great instrument and you will embark on a lifetime adventure meeting amazing people. Have a watch of the Ken burns history of jazz if you need convincing about the rich heritage. Jay Metcalf also reviewed this instrument.
Your setup is definitely brighter sounding than the setup that came with the horn. Seemed like the horned played well in tune. Seems like the horn is an excellent value! And you're going to give one away! So awesome, thank you for thw review!
I appreciate that!
Most of this saxophones are good copies of yanis or other pro horns. So the tunning is not a problem in most modern made horns. the problem is the quality of the laquer. the pads, the adjustment. and one big problem in some cases is how weak the keys are, some go out of adjustment very fast, also the key fiting. If your keys are loose in the rods. there is no way to keep that sax in adjustment.
I purchased an alto last week and received the horn two days ago. I am totally satisfied with
the response and the craftmanship of this horn. I bought mine on Ebay and it was a factory
refurbished horn. This horn looks brand new and there are no apparent blemishes. The case
and accessories are brand new, the horn looks brand new and it plays great. I am not a pro
by any means. As a retired band director, I needed a horn to use for demo purposes as I
teach private lessons in the schools. This is the way to go without breaking the bank.
$400 for a sax like this is a great deal for such a solid horn. I would totally recommend this
horn for beginners and intermediate players as well.
I own an alto and tenor from jean Paul and I have no complaints. I started on them and keep them as backup horns as I have pro horns now.
What pro alto do you have and how do you like it? I've been researching different horns as I'm looking to upgrade.
@@l.j.2917 my pro alto is a Yamaha Yas62 iii. My student is the Jean Paul as400 Dave reviewed in this video. My Yamaha alto is a great horn the ergonomics are great it’s a fast horn because the ergonomics are so good and it’s a great sounding horn. The Jean Paul is darker but mine doesn’t seem stuffy it sounds great for a student horn. Honestly the Jean Paul is great. But since I have a pro horn it is my backup for when I may need it serviced etc.
@@vladimirlopez7840 The Yas 62iii is the exact horn I've been looking into! This helps me out a lot! Thanks so much for responding! 🙏🏼
Great video Dave!!
Thank you Charlie!!
Sounded great right out of the box. Your set up opened and darkened the sound a little more
Let me just say I have no affiliation at all with Jean Paul. But I own two of their saxes the tenor and the alto. You really can’t get a better horn in the price range. They have blue steel springs post on rib construction and it’s generally solid. I did need an adjustment when I got it. I called Jean Paul and they immediately sent me to a tech near me who adjusted it in a few minutes and it was good to go. Of course I was not charged for this. The Jean Paul people stand behind their products.
Maybe it's time to put your mouthpiece to rest (3:29) and stick to playing the stock one. Seriously, though, you're providing great advice to those who want to start their journey to become a saxophonist. Plus, who can ever get enough of Kenny G (7:51) merch! Love the sweater!
Great video! I'm actually considering one of these altos as my backup alto. I figure if I buy a used alto for $300 or so, I will easily spend $100 or more getting it tweaked at the repair shop. For a little more, I could start out with one of these brand new! Hey man, I can't wait for the Christmas vids to come out! It made Christmas so awesome last year!!!!!!
Awesome!!! Oh if you liked last year, this year will blow you away.
@@DavePollack Lookin' forward to it!
For that money, that horn sounds very impressive.
Yes....yes....I bought one. I played all the hirns- this one definitely hangs with some of them.
I feel like I've seen a stigma with musicians, people seem to think that an instrument can only be good if it's thousands of dollars. But I mean if it sounds good it sounds good, right? Thanks for the informative vid btw.
AHHH IM EARLY TO A DAVE POLLACK VIDEO. WILL YOU EVER PLAY WITH ALTO SAX SUBS?
I literally just put out 3 videos of that
@@DavePollack I know but I didn't know how to become a part of that and i thought that it was only for tenors casue of tenor madness i'm sorry :(
Wow, 'Donna Lee' with a Dolphy influence, you really can play! There is a difference with your mouthpiece as to the stock Jean Paul as yours sounds better and that's to be expected. I envy you- I never could play 'Donna Lee' !
Well done as always, man!
Seems like a great deal for a mechanically sound horn with decent intonation. Very surprising to see it play so well right out of the case. THAT'S SO UNCOMMON AND IMPRESSIVE!
I prefer the feel of a vintage or modern Selmer due mostly to my familiarity with the ergonomics & mechanical feel, but will recommend this horn to students looking for affordable, back-up or great starter horns. Will be interesting to see how it holds adjustments mechanically over time, too.
Mine will be here in two days. Very excited!
Awesome - enjoy!!
Tried the as 400 and I did like the sound and is a great looking saxophone. There were a couple quality control issues with mine that their service dept was going to try an sort out.
In the end I returned the Jean Paul and went for the Yamaha yas 26. More expensive but the quality shows. More ergonomic for me anyway especially with the octave key placement. Build quality outstanding.
Nice “Donna Lee” you sound just fine on that horn . My Mark VI Tenor is a bright horn so playing “dark”’is a challenge
Great review Dave. You're right The Jean Paul does sound a little on the dark side. Not that that is bad, just a little dark. I was surprised that your mpc didn't change that by much. I have recommended Jean-Paul as an option to some students but my #1 student horn recommendation is still Yamaha. A friend plays a Jean-Paul curved Soprano and loves it. BTW, love your tree style floor lamp. I want one for my studio where did you get it?
Yes I think the Yamaha overall is a better horn, but the prices aren't close - their "standard" alto (YAS-26) goes brand new for $2200, and the YAS-280 is $1500 (their cheapest current model). As for the lamp, we got it on Wayfair!
Thanks for the review, you kick ass !!
Dave, can you tell us where it’s made and who the maker is? You and it sound terrific. The intonation is darn good too. Do the keys seem strong enough?
Not sure on that - I believe their customer service is pretty responsive so I'd give them a call/email. Keys seem perfectly fine to me!
You sound great no matter what you're using. Besides that it seems the Jean Paul it's a good choice and a good value.
We want the Jean Paul versus Mark VI comparison! Thanks man.
It's coming!!
I love the dark sound
You haven’t given me a heart
It would be nice to hear a comparison with other entry level alto saxophones (i.e. Yamaha YAS-26, Jupiter JAS-547)
Great video Dave
Thanks!
Sounds great on both set ups.
Thanks!
I wish we got a review from an average but knowledgeable player. He makes everything look good
Maybe I'll have one of my high school students play it for a video!
@@DavePollack thanks you’re a master with it so it would help to see someone closer to my skill level lol
Thank u for the review:)
Excellent review as always and really love your channel. I was wondering what you thought about the pmauriat horns especially the system 76 dark lacquer alto?
Thanks! I’ve never played one of their horns so I have no idea, sorry!
Very good video !
Currently Jean Paul is having a Black Friday sale
Is the sale still available?
@@ushamaster2539 no it’s not but by they had a holiday sale which wasn’t as good as the Black Friday one but it ended a couple of days ago.
@@Daniel-oy2ef Gosh, I wanted to but one....I missed the time
With so little time on my hands, I'd better master my Tenor before I go ahead and buy an alto. Your video is fantastic.
Thanks so much! Time is always the enemy - definitely focus on one before moving to another.
Really Is it a good one? I want to purchase the same. but I am confused because so many reviews are against this sax on RUclips. I am beginner and my Age is 64 I am from India.
Fairly advice me about Jean Paul AS 400. Please 🙏🏿
Was the reed supplied something near the strength you would normally use? How about the tip opening in the mouthpiece?
No idea on the tip opening, and the reed was a 2.5 and I usually play a 3 medium
What do I have to do to get this sax?? I love the tone I always wanted one. Wanted to get one for my birthday this year so I could play for my grandma before it’s too late but with all the drama this year I’m backed up with debt🤦🏽♂️. I’d love to have one of these
There's a giveaway on my website - go there to enter!
NO DAVE!! I want your AS-400!! Your my Kenny G! 😉
Hahahahaa
Nice “Body & Soul”
Thinking of buying this, love the sax sound, I only played the electric guitar so far, is it worth, hard to get into?
Thanks for using Music and Arts rental prices 😃😉
Please do the tenor edition!
Hi, thank you so much for the video. I just bought one. But I got a question that as a beginner, some one recommend me to upgrade a mouthpiece. Do you think it is reasonable？ if is, do you have any recommendation？ thank you so much again for.the video, that help me a lot.
Brilliant! What was your setup?
Have i been putting my ligurature on wrong this whole time? Are the screws supposed to face up?
Well this ligature specifically has to have it like that because the other side is curved for the reed. But on a standard 2 screw ligature, you can put it on either side - makes NO difference.
Do you play on the Just Joe's gel strap? I think I may have asked this before but I forgot.
Yes I do, and I LOVE it! Ultra comfortable and the perfect length.
How are you getting such a high sound without using octave key mine sound way to low on main notes
It’s definitely a great sax, I thought of playing sax but my current instrument is clarinet but one question that’s the only sax they got so there’s no tenner sax at a lower price?
Go check out their website! There's a link in the description.
Jean Paul has a tenor as well. I have one and can say it plays great.
Thanks for the advice, I’ll check out the site
Nice horn 👌
Maybe they've REALLY upped their game since two years ago, (or maybe this horn was actually set up properly) but their horns are really bad (metal is way too soft) and I strongly recommend against them. My stomach always sank to the bottom when the parents bought their kids this saxophone for Christmas/ birthday/ doing well on NYSSMA. Thank you for the review though, you are absolutely smoking and the review was good.
Hello Dave
Hello
Does the Jean paul AS400 have all of the keys as the Yamaha YAS 480?
I have the same sax and it pretty good. And I cant tell if like half of this video was sarcastic or not, cause i know you be like that.
Not sarcastic at all
@@DavePollack haha. Thanks for replying. Have a great day.
Question what do you think about silver plated saxophone thank you!
It’s just for the look, so if you like it, go for it! I don’t dig it so I wouldn’t buy one.
How do you sound so good on that cheap mouthpiece?!
Anyone can do it! It's about controlling your embouchure and having a sound in your head that you constantly strive to get out through the horn.
You can have a fantastic sound out of a Yamaha mouthepice that costs around USD 50. You don't need an expensive mouthpiece, you just need a good one and work a lot on it
Dedication and practise is pretty high on the list, willingness to continue after the ‘it sucks practise’, a long journey with rich rewards
@@DavePollack Anybody else would've just said "longtones" lmao that's what I like about you dave you don't just give a vague answer
Can you review the cannonball fat neck. I'm considering purchasing just the neck, but I want to hear you thoughts on it
Sure, if someone sends me one! I don't think I know anyone personally with one.
@@DavePollack just shoot cannonball an email, and I bet that they would surly send you one. They'd probably want you to be an artist honstly
@@DavePollack Honestly dave i wouldn't be surprised if cannonball sent you one if you emailed them. They'd probably want ou to review it for advertisement and etc.
Do they have this in tenor ? I'm looking a tenor sax.
I believe so - check their website!
there's like a lot of reviews saying that the company sent broken parts and there's no follow ups? not sure
That wasn’t my experience, nor the experience of a colleague who brought this instrument earlier this year. These are really good instruments and the company are solid. genuine review from personal experience.
@@nigelcreasy6046 Hm do you know of experiences of people that shipped overseas?
Was this a review or a concert???
Thanks for the great vid! When my students (and their parents) ask me about horns at super low price points, my questions are always:
1.) Will it break within a year?
2.) Does it play somewhat in tune?
3.) Is the setup consistent, or will you need to take it to a repair tech straight out the box to re-seat pads, etc.?
4.) Can you afford a used YAS-23 from ebay?
I’ve had my Jean Paul Alto for over two years as a matter of fact I pulled it out of the case after watching this video and played it and it’s a great student horn. I keep it as backup now after buying a Yamaha yas62iii a few months ago.
@@vladimirlopez7840 Cool!
Vladimir Lopez I actually prefer my Jean Paul to a yamaha
@@vladimirlopez7840I am beginner and my Age is 64 I am from India and my budget is $500-650 please fairly suggest me good Alto saxophone. 🙏🏿
Is this comparable to the Etude?
Perspective of someone who's had one for a while:
I've practiced daily on my AS-400 since last Christmas, and it's not bad. There's this weird thing with how it's put together where the low C# key can get stuck sometimes. Also one of the springs on the octave key broke after a few months. Other than that it's pretty good. It's not the sturdiest instrument ever, but if you take good care of it, it'll last.
I own one too. I haven’t had those issues. Sticky keys is common to all horns even pro horns.
@@vladimirlopez7840 yeah I just meant that other altos I've seen have the low C# key pushed open, whereas the AS-400's is just released to be opened by its spring. On every other horn I've used the C# key physically can't stick like the G# key.
Low C# gets stuck on MANY horns. Mine used to get stuck all the time on my Mark VI, but not since I started using Key Leaves!
@@DavePollack oh interesting! Nice key leaves plug too 😉
Hylian Alph Gaming and they work! Have them on both tenor and alto
Not bad for under $500.
Mark VI owners and Meyers 5M holly grail users say godbye to all that overprice material 😁
Ha!
I’m not agree the saxophone is the student level for the students can be OK but for a professional that’s impossible to get it
What do you mean impossible to get it?
I smell nonsense, nah it was me
Wait was it me