Mendini by Cecilio MSS-L+92D Gold Lacquer Straight B Flat Soprano Saxophone with Tuner, Case, Mouthpiece, 10 Reeds and More
Color | Gold |
Brand | Mendini by Cecilio |
Instrument Key | B Flat |
Style | Mouthpiece,Flat |
Item Dimensions LxWxH | 18 x 6 x 10 inches |
About this item
- 1 Year Warranty Against Manufacturer's Defects
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Product information
Item Weight | 6.84 pounds |
---|---|
Product Dimensions | 18 x 6 x 10 inches |
ASIN | B0050K85ZM |
Item model number | MSS-L+92D |
Batteries | 2 AAA batteries required. |
Customer Reviews |
3.8 out of 5 stars |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Date First Available | May 12, 2011 |
Color Name | Gold |
Instrument Key | B Flat |
Battery type | Zinc Carbon |
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What's in the box
Product Description
Teacher approved, Mendini saxophones are the perfect instruments for the student musicians and a great addition to any level players. The large bore makes it easy for young players to get a great, full bodied sound and the fast action keys allow for easy playability for all players. The tone is deep and rich with even intonation throughout the full range. Each instrument is assembled with over 300 hand crafted parts that are all made exclusively by Cecilio. There are no off the shelf parts. Every saxophone is play tested at Cecilio's factory and re-tested at their Los Angeles distribution center to ensure that their high quality standards are met. This is why thousands of instructors have approved these saxophones. Package includes: a plush lined nylon covered hard case with backpack strap and zippered pocket, a neck strap, a mouthpiece with reed and cap, a box of 10 reeds (size 2.5"), a polishing cloth, cleaning rod, and a pair of white gloves to keep your instruments spot free when being played. Buy with confidence as it comes with a 1- year warranty against any manufacturer's defects.
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Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the appearance of the saxophone, mentioning it's beautiful. They also appreciate the value for money, saying it'll work for beginners. However, some customers have reported issues with the tuning and durability of the instrument. They mention that the octave mechanism looks poorly regulated, and the keys fall off easily. Opinions are mixed on quality, sound quality, ease of use, and performance.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers like the value of the saxophone. For example, they say it's ok for the price, works for beginners, and is not a significant investment. Some say the instrument is of reasonable quality for the money. That said, most are happy with their purchase and recommend it to others.
"...It's not a significant investment...." Read more
"...Its perfectly priced for someone that wants to learn or they just want to have one to mess around on...." Read more
"...All in all, the sax seems to be ok for the price paid...." Read more
"...The negatives are that the case is pretty cheap, though it is very light weight...." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the appearance of the brass and woodwind instruments. They mention that the case is very nice, the finish on the unit is really nice, and the sound is nice and sweet. Some mention that they like the box and other items that came in it.
"...The positives are that this instrument looks and generally sounds GREAT! I can play almost anything I want and with a nice, sweet sound...." Read more
"...The sound didn't make my skin crawl. It was pretty even. The upper register even played well although there were some minor intonation issues...." Read more
"...I received two of these... First opted for the nickel one. Looked cool so I wanted to check it out...." Read more
"...Thank you for making an instrument that does not break the bank, to look nice, and play well.Scott[..." Read more
Customers are mixed about the quality of the brass and woodwind instruments. Some mention it's a great quality instrument, while others say it'll break easily. The reeds are subpar, and the material is fragile.
"...PHYSICAL CONDITION UPON OPENINGThe horn appeared in good condition. There was a reed already on the mouthpiece...." Read more
"...The reeds they provide are almost worthless. The positives are that this instrument looks and generally sounds GREAT!..." Read more
"...Sounds mostly like a soprano sax from an timbre perspective.Decent case - easy to carry and hook up a shoulder strap. Not sure on durability." Read more
"...indication of what was overly tightened. This is now a very useable horn and I'm happy to have it at such an amazing price! I believe..." Read more
Customers are mixed about the sound quality of the brass and woodwind instruments. Some mention that it works great and sounds nice, while others say that it's horrible and the intonation isn't as nice. The built-in mic doesn't hear a thing and therefore registers nothing on the tuner.
"...The metal has a good thickness to it and I was able to get a nice clear tone even with the stock mouthpiece they provided...." Read more
"...Other reviewers said the mouthpiece on this was not very good. Honestly, I've never met a stock mouthpiece I have liked and this was no different...." Read more
"...To its credit though, the Tone was good, and it played easily. I recommend the Yamaha 4C mouthpeice though, it played much nicer with that...." Read more
"...But, with time on the horn and practice the intonation has improved greatly. I've also tried a couple different mouthpieces on the horn...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the performance of the brass and woodwind instruments. Some mention that it performs quite well with exception of the B key sticking. The tuner works great and the case seems protective. However, others say that it didn't play at all, rattles, and the metronome worked ok. The neck was very loose and the instrument was not ready to perform.
"...It was pretty even. The upper register even played well although there were some minor intonation issues...." Read more
"...The metronome worked ok, but the tuner part doesn't work at all. The built in mic doesn't hear a thing and therefore registers nothing on the tuner...." Read more
"...Went and demoed a yamaha 475 II at the music store. Wonderful and no problems, but $2200. Ouch...." Read more
"...Review-part 2.I had a gig this weekend, and this horn performed outstandingly...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the ease of use of the brass and woodwind instruments. Some mention that they could play it pretty easy, the lower register played very smoothly and freely, and the tuning took no time at all. However, others say that the very high end D-F keys were darn near impossible to play, even playing a middle G was hard, and that the soprano is a tricky instrument to play.
"...I was very impressed that the lower register played very smoothly and freely. What a delight overall...." Read more
"...best and hitting the very low notes and altissimo notes is very difficult to impossible. The reeds they provide are almost worthless...." Read more
"...To its credit though, the Tone was good, and it played easily. I recommend the Yamaha 4C mouthpeice though, it played much nicer with that...." Read more
"...The soprano is a tricky instrument to play. I have played the alto for a couple of years and it took me awhile to start sounding okay on a soprano...." Read more
Customers are dissatisfied with the tuning of the brass and woodwind instruments. They mention that the octave mechanism looks poorly regulated, and the bar on the neck is too far inward. They also say that it's hard to hit the high notes and has trouble with the tone and air leaks. Overall, customers are disappointed with the quality and performance of the product.
"...Some of the notes were a quarter to half tone off. You could not run up a scale in tune to save your life, no matter how many lip adjustments...." Read more
"...But sadly, with the unfixable intonation problem, it is going back to Amazon." Read more
"...To me, the octave mechanism looks poorly regulated...the bar on the neck is too far inward (toward the lifter) so the valve stays open in the lower..." Read more
"...What little I've tested this shows that the octave vale was slightly out of adjustment, but I've fixed that already (I think)...." Read more
Customers are dissatisfied with the durability of the brass and woodwind instruments. They mention that the screws have worked loose and some fell out. They also say the key guards and bumpers are coming off just from standard use. Customers also mention that accessories that have fallen off and the stuck keys are annoying.
"...After messing with it for nearly 2 hours, having 2 pearl keys fall off and finding another alignment issue I decided it wasn't worth it...." Read more
"...(about 5 days now), several other screws have worked loose and some fell out...." Read more
"...After playing I have started to notice that they key guards and bumpers were coming off just from standard use...." Read more
"...I addition to this, corks were either misapplied, or falling off - which means intonation would suffer, or a lot of mechanical noise would surface...." Read more
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Recently, my husband and I have been playing quite a bit more and the charts seem to be calling for more and more soprano and he figured that this might fit the bill and be fun to spite any aversions he may think I have. I was delighted and a little shocked because he knew my relationship with sopranos has not always been a positive one. He was a little nervous because he knows I play really high end horns and really hoped it would work. His gamble worked out, but not without some bumps.
PHYSICAL CONDITION UPON OPENING
The horn appeared in good condition. There was a reed already on the mouthpiece. I took it off, and noticed there was what looked to be a little mold. My first thought was that it had been used. But upon further inspection, the cork was virginal on the horn and all the reeds accounted for in the box. I think it was moisture from warehouse storage that caused what appeared to be molding on the reed. Why they would have a reed on the mouthpiece in shipping is beyond me, but there it was.
QUALITY OF CONTRUCTION/PLAYING
So I take out the horn with twin feelings of excitement and trepidation. I sanitize the mouthpiece. Get a fresh reed to conditioned and braced myself. Was I going to have bleeding eardrums after a made a horrific sound? I wanted it to sound awesome! I did not.
The generic tone was very tinny, but not quite as bad as I anticipated, so I ran some scale patterns. It was bad, really bad. Some of the notes were a quarter to half tone off. You could not run up a scale in tune to save your life, no matter how many lip adjustments. I also could not put hardly any air through the horn otherwise I'd overblow things in a bad way. I figured this was the affectation of a low end student horn set up.I do like to look on the bright side of everything. In this case, if I had a basket full of snakes, I would have been able to charm the heck out of them and summon them with the greatest of ease. Beware my enemies. However, for the application of playing charts with other live musicians, this was really not going to work.
Other reviewers said the mouthpiece on this was not very good. Honestly, I've never met a stock mouthpiece I have liked and this was no different. So, I thought, ok, I'll give it a go. I proceeded to look for a mouthpiece and buy my 'go to' reeds. La Voz, medium-hard. I ended up getting a Lakey mouthpiece that was normally $139 at Amazon Warehouse for just under $40. I was pleased and figured I wouldn't be out much if it failed miserably. I'm familiar with Lakeys and their idiosyncrasies so I figured what did I have to lose at that price.
The LaVoz reeds arrived first. I figured, what the heck, I'll stick a new reed on stock mouthpiece. Wow! But this time, in a good way. I ran up a scale and the intonation was markedly improved (nowhere near perfect). The horn still sounded tinny, but there was some improvement. Note at this stage, the very high end D-F keys were darn near impossible to play. I got very excited that with just a reed it was a night and day difference and could hardly contain my excitement. This thing was starting to sound like a soprano! That mouthpiece could not get here soon enough. While I was waiting for it's arrival, I did further inspections on the horn because other reviewers had mentioned loose screws, pearls falling off, etc...
I did find a couple of screws that needed just a little bit of tightening nowhere near the point of falling out. Also, I noted the lift between F and G is not smooth due to what seems to be a sticky pad. I can fix that easily. Also, the low c sharp seems a little muffled. Both necks are a little loose. You really have to crank the screw hard to keep in place. I'd like to see a tighter fit. The cork is pretty thick and to get the horn in tune with other instruments you have to put it pretty far down on the cork (like 85-90% of the way down). The problem is, because the neck is so loose, it's very hard to get the mouthpiece back off once you get it on. I'm been working on conditioning the pliability of the cork and it is getting a little better, but use caution so you don't bend or break any pieces off the neck trying to Hulk off the mouthpiece.
The new mouthpiece got here. I set it up and it was magic. The sound didn't make my skin crawl. It was pretty even. The upper register even played well although there were some minor intonation issues. Those were more related to me though and am happy to say I have since tamed that beast. I was very impressed that the lower register played very smoothly and freely. What a delight overall. Even more to my surprise, I am happy with the tone I am getting on it now. I'm really particular too and couldn't have been more surprised. I am one happy girl.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The minor issues with the pads and screws and looser neck fittings are all things I can live with and somewhat expect for a horn at this price point. For the price you pay, it's worth giving it a go if you're wanting to explore soprano.
To a beginning player: The stock mouthpiece is very easy to blow into and with a good reed should get you to a point where you can decide if you want to continue playing (if you don't have access to, or can't afford) and then upgrade the mouthpiece and eventually the horn. It's not a significant investment. Step one when you open the case should be make a little bon fire out of the reeds that came with it and roast marshmallows. Also, if the player is younger and is having a problem holding it up and needs the strap, try the curved neck. It should give you a better angle.
To more advanced players: With a good mouthpiece and reed, this horn would definitely pass at a gig. You will probably get guffaws from other sax players if they see a Mendini soprano sitting next to say a Selmer Mark VI. Don't worry, you can tell them how much you paid and then when they hear the sound you can get out of it, they'll be stunned into silence. It will take more control though on your part, but it does the job until you have the money to upgrade or decide that soprano really isn't for you.
My hubby hit a home run and I couldn't be more happy about his thoughtful present. However the signed photo of Kenny G that he included in the case as a joke had the unintended result of me treating him to some Songbird as payback. (Cue wicked laughter...)
Top reviews from other countries
I couldn’t be happier with my purchase.
Fantastic, totally amazing Soprano!
It had very poor intonation and was completely unplayable.
I ended up buying a Yamaha (used) which is great!