I see the point Pete is trying to make. A student Yamaha is a safe choice. It feels like their higher line stuff and you can get a perfectly fine tone out of it given some level of talent.
When I started to play I used a Bundy II. The intonation is pretty good since it was based on the design of the Buescher Aristocrat (which has outstanding intonation). The ergos are not as nice as a Mark VI but it does have table keys that look like a Selmer. The mechanism is totally different so it has what could only be described as a spongy feel to it. I played it from 5th grade on. When I was in my early 30's I finally upgraded to a better horn. It now sits under my guest bed but gets pulled out once in a while and I can say that I sound better on it than I remember sounding when I was much younger. :-D
I think the key to a good student horn is that it is built like a tank and that it plays well in tune. In some ways the quality of a student horn matters more than a pro horn. By that I mean that you want a horn that stays in adjustment really well because little Johnny or Joan is going to beat the crap out of it. It's only going to see a tech when something is really wrong with it. Most of the time parents have no clue about the instrument their child is playing. So built like a tank is a big plus in my book.
For sentimental reasons I would still choose a Bundy II over a Yamaha 23.
When I started to play I used a Bundy II. The intonation is pretty good since it was based on the design of the Buescher Aristocrat (which has outstanding intonation). The ergos are not as nice as a Mark VI but it does have table keys that look like a Selmer. The mechanism is totally different so it has what could only be described as a spongy feel to it. I played it from 5th grade on. When I was in my early 30's I finally upgraded to a better horn. It now sits under my guest bed but gets pulled out once in a while and I can say that I sound better on it than I remember sounding when I was much younger. :-D
I think the key to a good student horn is that it is built like a tank and that it plays well in tune. In some ways the quality of a student horn matters more than a pro horn. By that I mean that you want a horn that stays in adjustment really well because little Johnny or Joan is going to beat the crap out of it. It's only going to see a tech when something is really wrong with it. Most of the time parents have no clue about the instrument their child is playing. So built like a tank is a big plus in my book.
For sentimental reasons I would still choose a Bundy II over a Yamaha 23.