Ok thanks. Any advice on what kind of bari sax I should be looking for that isn't to highly priced or poorly made and cheap.
Mmmm.... Not too highly priced, poorly made, and cheap? All those qualities in a bari? That will be hard to find. Although not impossible. For example:
I was lucky enough to get a silver plated
Martin Committee III, low Bb bari that my tech had in on consignment. I managed to negotiate down the asking price because it needed a full overhaul. After my tech overhauled it for me, and including a new Protec case, the horn cost me $2,000 Cdn.
That was a smokin' hot deal, since: 1. Most vintage baris have been beat to hell and have had lots of repairs, and this one is nearly pristine, 2. The finish is highly unusual, 3. The price was really good for this horn, since a matching tenor was just listed by a vintage sax dealer for $2050, and sold in under a week.
My point is, good deals in vintage horns do come along--and I wasn't even the market for a new bari--but sometimes you have to wait for one to pop up. With baris the wait is often longer, since there are fewer of them to begin with.
A few questions you have to ask yourself are:
- Do you want a horn with modern keywork? (My Martin would not be considered modern keywork.)
- Do you want a low A or low Bb horn?
- How much $ do you have for repairs after it arrives? It's fine to get a $800 beater bari, but if you have to soak a $1000 overhaul into it, have you got that kind of cash?
The YBS-52 would be a nice horn, and if you buy it from Quinn, you know what you're getting. Whereas if you're buying it from someone unknown on eBay, there is an element of risk involved.
With Quinn you know he has what he says he has, and he is legit. His stuff is as described. And if you do buy from him, mention you are a member of the Woodwind Forum, and that you heard about him here.
So to sum up, figure out the answers to the questions I asked, and from there, broaden your search. If possible, try a few baris in your area.
Even if they are not for sale, see if you can try a bari with modern key work (post Selmer Mark VI), and compare it to a bari from before the Mark VI era. Is there someone you know who plays bari whose sax you can try? Go to a music store, they will most likely have a modern bari, if they have any at all.
FWIW, my Martin with its vintage keywork replaced my Mark VI as my main bari, despite the Selmer having much better ergos. Why? The sound. The Martin has the sound I am looking for in my day to day playing. I just got used to the weird ergos of the Martin and can get around on it just as easily as I can on my Selmer. For me, vintage keywork and ergos are not a big deal, but then I play nothing but vintage horns. But that's a personal choice, you have to try it for yourself and figure out what works for you, and what you can get used to.