Choosing the Best Saxophone Brands

ThBuffet Crampon Saxophonee first thing you’ll need to do is familiarize yourself with brands and models.  There are many different brands and models of saxophones and it can be a daunting task to wade through the sea of instruments available to the prospective buyer.  There’s endless amounts of information online but for many this can add to the confusion.  Enlisting the help of school teachers/private lesson teachers, local professionals and music store employees will help narrow down the search.  Once you’ve decided on a specific make/model or two you can then use the internet more effectively by reading reviews and gathering what you can from the manufacturer’s website to act as your own saxophone buyer’s guide.

You don't have to buy the most expensive instrument but you should always try to get the best instrument you can afford.  Nicer instruments with a reputable brand name tend to hold their value much better than the smaller off-brand variety.  Another factor may be the type of playing one chooses to do, you wouldn't want to bring your expensive professional model saxophone to marching band practice where it could be easily damaged.  If you're just beginning your musical journey it's best to go with a good student model horn for this very reason.

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Used Instrument Warranty

When it's time to replace a musical instrument, sometimes purchasing a brand new instrument may not be an option. Midwest Musical Imports is pleased to offer a wide selection of high quality used instruments that will fit your needs.  We also offer a 1-year maintenance and crack warranty included with the purchase of select used oboes, bassoons, clarinets, and saxophones!

Call our instrument specialists at 612-331-4717 for further information and trial availability!

Stolen Instrument Information

If you have any information related to the whereabouts of these instruments, or find any of them for sale, please contact us. This post will be updated as instruments are found or new ones reported lost or stolen.

Oboes & English Horns:
Fox Model 300 #23413
Fox Model 300 #23673

Fox Model 400 #23520

Fox Model 800 #23302
Fox Model 800 #23378
Fox Model 800 #23458

Fox Model 555 English Horn #638
Fox Model 500 English Horn #1271--owned by MMI, stolen in the Chicago area, October 2012

Fossati Tiery English Horn #8119
Fossati Tiery English Horn #8185
Fossati Tiery English Horn #8199

Loree Model c+3 AK #QD69
Loree Model c+3 AK #QC89

Loree Model cR+3 Royale #QA83
Loree Model cR+3 Royale #QC06

Loree Model cR+3 Royale AK #QC53
Loree Model cR+3 Royale AK #QE20

Loree English Horn #OL73- Stolen March 10, 2014 from St. Paul, MN
Loree Oboe d'amore #RV05 - Stolen March 10, 2014 from St. Paul, MN

Bassoons:

Fox Renard Model 220 #41133
Fox Renard Model 240 #41298
Fox Renard Model 240 #41516
Fox Renard Model 222D #41098
Fox Renard Model 41 #41212

Francisco Mela and Brandon Wozniak

I’ll be performing in a quartet with with NYC drummer (by way of Cuba) Francisco Mela (member of Joe Lovano’s US Five, McCoy Tyner, Esperanza Spalding) at the MacPhail Center for Music this Saturday, April 20, 2013,  at 8:00 pm.  Francisco tours much of the year with some of the biggest names in jazz and also leads his own group called Francisco Mela's Cuban Safari.  Local favorites Tanner Taylor (piano) and Graydon Peterson (bass) will round out the rhythm section.  We hope to see you there.

Francisco Mela
Francisco Mela

Francisco Mela is currently a favorite among elite jazz instrumentalists such as Joe Lovano (Us Five), John Scofield (John Scofield Trio), and Joanne Brackeen. He is a regular member of Kenny Barron’s working trio, all of whom cite his charisma, sophistication, and life-affirming spirit.

His first opportunity to perform outside of Cuba came when Hernández was booked for an appearance at the Cancún Jazz Festival. In 1997, Francisco returned to Mexico to perform in Cancún with his own group, the MelaSon Latin Jazz Band. Then, a chance encounter with Panamanian jazz pianist Danilo Pérez led him to a life-changing decision. “Danilo encouraged me to move to Boston,” Francisco reminisces. “He said, ‘Don’t worry. if you come to Boston, you’re going to end up playing with better people than me.’”

He initially planned to study at either Berklee College or The New England Conservatory of Music, but professional opportunities headed him in another direction. It wasn’t long before Francisco was the house drummer of Wally’s Café, one of Boston’s hottest jazz clubs. While honing his own sound as a jazz drummer and broadening his leadership role as leader of a quintet, he also had an opportunity to back such world class talent as Pérez, fellow Cuban Gonzalo Rubalcaba, and his longtime idol, drummer Roy Haynes.

Eventually, he started playing with music professors at Berklee. Then, one day, he received a call to teach at the prestigious institution. He currently balances a hectic schedule of appearances with the aforementioned pianist Kenny Barron, saxophonists Joe Lovano and George Garzone, bassist John Patitucci, and guitarist John Scofield. Francisco’s professional and artistic horizons continue to broaden as he collaborates with more and more musicians.

Keilwerth Saxophones

Keilwerth Logo

MMI is proud to now be carrying Keilwerth saxophones.  These instruments are made in Germany using the highest quality materials insuring the most durable construction and consistent resonance and sound.  All key work and mechanics are created by hand to ensure the most precise fit and accurate performance.  This high level of workmanship is realized through every aspect of the build, from the key work to the hand soldered posts and tone hole rings.

The Julius Keilwerth SX90R Saxophone allows the player to shape their music.  With innovative bore and bow designs and signature "rolled tone holes" feature, this model is reminiscent of the "big tone" saxophones of the 1940's but with modern precision and quality manufacturing. Read More...

Diagnosing Common Oboe Reed Problems

An oboe reed can make or break an oboe's usability and sound. A good reed is responsive, balanced, and stable. But too often, reeds are too thick, too long, too open, too closed, too sharp -- you name a problem, and it's a possibility for an oboe reed. So how do you determine the right adjustments for your reed? First, you need to diagnose common oboe reed problems. Start with this guide, then check out our guide to oboe reed adjustments.

Common Flat Reed Issues:

Gouge - using cane that is gouged too thin can result in reeds being flat in pitch.  If you're gouging your own cane, always keeping an eye on the measurements of your cane is crucial.  If you tend to favor cane that is gouged on the thinner side then adjusting your scrape will be necessary as to not take too much cane out at the beginning stages of reed making.

Tip opening - often times, no matter how well the reed is scraped, a tip opening that is too large can result in flat reeds.  Something to keep in mind, scraping on a reed that is too open to adjust pitch will likely not solve the problem.  If the pitch is already flat to begin with, then removing cane will only lower the pitch further.  In the early stages of the reed's life you can always attempt to squeeze the tip closed with your thumb and forefinger or you can also squeeze at the bottom of the reed just above the string.  In both these cases you can risk cracking the reed.  Never use anything other than your fingers - avoid pliers or any thing else as you risk damaging the shape of the top of the staple effectively making it unusable again.  After a few days the piece of cane may settle down but if the opening is consistency too large you may need to start a new reed.

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Oboe Reed Adjustment Basics

As oboists, reeds are either our best friends or our mortal (or not so mortal) enemies.  They can make or break our practice sessions, performances, and auditions.  They can be as fickle as the wind or the weather and can quickly become the bane of our existence.  All this being said, reeds are the equivalent to any good puzzle - it just takes time, understanding, and patience to find the solution.  Wherever you fall on the 'reed-making spectrum' (a beginner just learning the ropes or an advanced, self-sufficient reed-maker), our expert oboists, Steven and Jeff, would like to offer some basic adjustment ideas to help you along your way.  Remember - these are just suggestions and may or may not apply to your reed-making.  Consider this food for thought!

Before adjusting an oboe reed, determine what the reed needs. Check out our guidelines for diagnosing common oboe reed issues. Once you've got an idea of what you'd like to accomplish, you're ready to get started.

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New Heckel Bocals

With our newest shipment of the most popular CC and CD bocals, our Heckel bocal inventory reaches nearly 100 new bocals! This is in addition to our currently rather large selection of excellent and gently used Heckel bocals.

We also have a new type in stock, a C-XL type. Only currently available in #1 length and silver plated, these are a perfect match for a Fox Renard 240, with more focus to the sound than a CD-XL, but more vibrancy than the CC-XL. Any of the XL bocals are highly recommended with any Fox bassoon.

Contact Trent or Jessica at 1-800-926-5587 to set up a trial.

English Horn Bocals - A Basic Guide

An important part of any successful English horn performance is not just having a great reed, but also the right bocal.  Just like with bassoons, finding a good match for your English horn or oboe d'Amore is a process that takes some time and effort, and there are a lot of questions that come up along the way.  The most common question we receive is what are the differences between the makers and the different styles?  We're proud to stock a wide selection of new and used bocals by Hiniker, Ross, Laubin, Dallas, and Loree, and we're hoping this guide can answer a few of these questions for you if it's time to consider a new English horn bocal! Read More...

Great Tips for Bassoon Reed Balancing and Adjusting

Jessica and I have long been fans of Christian Davidsson's really simple reed balancing guide.

Before you get to the finer details of the scraping points of the guide, if you're using Gouged, Shaped, and Profiled cane, the first thing you probably need to do is crape out of what Christian labels (18) on the reed. My strategy for scraping out of that area is to scrape against the grain of the reed from the center out towards the corner, like so: Read More...

Clarinet Reeds Guide

Reeds

Reeds can be one of the most frustrating, but important, parts of playing any woodwind instrument. Reeds are expensive, and many times parents opt for the cheapest box of reeds available but this can have serious effects on a young player's musical development. Cheap reeds can be stuffy and hard to play, making it difficult to produce a good sound. There are many different brands of reeds and they come in different strengths, shapes or cuts. Read More...