So, the Woodwind and the Brasswind had this insane thing on their website. $4.99 for a double stand (Alto/tenor). So, I bought one. And it came today. And it is GREAT!
The Ultimate Support double stand was a freaking steal. It is basically a knockoff of the Hamilton Double Saxophone stand. They look identical.
Anyhow, it seems they are out of them now, but it was a great deal. I’d watch their site to see if they offer another deal like that soon.
Found this interesting article at WWBW (which is a great place to get stuff BTW) by Greg Vail.
“With that said, let’s start with the most common finish – lacquer. Lacquer is a liquid substance that dries hard, protecting the metal of the sax and maintaining its beautiful appearance. Most saxophones are made primarily of brass, and then lacquered. There are saxophones available that do not have lacquer on them known as un-lacquered instruments. The difference between the same model with and without lacquer can be significant.”
Check it out.
So, the other day I got the latest woodwind and brasswind catalogue the other day. Other than the prices on everything going through the roof, Yamaha seems to have some strange pricing happening. A YAS-475 (intermediate alto) and a YAS-23 (student alto) are separated by about $110. The same holds true for the YTS-23 (student tenor) and a YTS-475 (intermediate tenor).
The question is why? What is the point in having them so close in price? I’ve played on these instruments too, and they both play the same……and it’s not anything to write home about.
I’m not too sure who came up with this at the Woodwind and the Brasswind. But seriously, is this the only way to sell instruments now? You have to give them an iPod or a Dell laptop? Why not just lower the prices? I know the markup on a lot of these, and it is HUGE. Why not cut the prices and make maybe 10% profit rather than 90%?
So, I finally depleted my supply of reeds. I generally buy a couple of boxes. Last time I bought some from The Woodwind and the Brasswind. Not this time. They have this really deceptive thing going on. Example, Rico Plasticovered reeds for Tenor. For 3.5 (3 1/2) size, it’s $16.49 a box. But I use 3 size, and selecting that, the price jumps to $23 a box. WTF? Clarinet reeds have a similar thing going on.
When last I ordered reeds, back in August, the Rico Plasticovered were $15.95 a box from WWBW.
This last order of reeds went to USAReeds. They had good prices, and reasonable shipping. Anyone have a good source for reeds?