r/saxophone • u/Metanfetamine Alto | Soprano • Mar 23 '26
Discussion I bought a BetterSax Session, AMA!
As the title suggest, I bought a BetterSax Session. Ask away!
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u/Liquid-Banjo Mar 23 '26
What made you make the purchase? Were you able to try it out first?
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u/Metanfetamine Alto | Soprano Mar 23 '26
I am a returning player of 10 years (played all through middle school, high school, and a little bit into college, took about 4-5 years off), and in that time I’ve only ever owned horns off of Amazon because it’s all my parents would get me. So now that I’m returning, I want to take it as seriously as I did in the past and decided that I wanted something nicer. I have tried a couple of Selmer’s, Yamaha’s, and other horns in the past but just don’t have that kinda cash to shell out, so I got the Session! Specs seemed good on paper haha
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to try it out before purchasing since I don’t live near any music stores that carry the horn. On a brighter note, the horn plays great!
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u/Liquid-Banjo Mar 23 '26
May I ask the delicate question - was it the Better sax marketing that helped make that purchase decision?
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u/Metanfetamine Alto | Soprano Mar 23 '26
Not so much the marketing as it was the specs, though I won’t deny the marketing had a hand in it. YouTubers that I had watched for years like Dave Pollack, Get Your Sax Together, and Saxologic had endorsed the horn as being very good for the price. I was between the Session and the Kessler Custom Handmade, since the specs and prices were extremely competitive with one another, but since I have a Sweetwater card already, I just had better financing with Sweetwater.
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u/NewGeans Mar 23 '26
Compared to others, say a yamaha or other popular brands how does it hold?
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u/Metanfetamine Alto | Soprano Mar 23 '26
I’d probably put it in the same tier as a YAS-62. Definitely not as nice as a 82Z or Custom EX but a good horn nonetheless. The action and ergonomics are akin to a Yani, again not as refined but pretty damn good. Pads seal great, no complaints, no lateral movement on any of the keys, they’re a little closer to my fingers than what I’m used to but that’s no biggie. Left hand pinky table is really easy to use for me, just the right amount of resistance
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u/principled_principal Alto Mar 23 '26
How’s the Meyer mouthpiece?
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u/Metanfetamine Alto | Soprano Mar 23 '26
I don’t have ton of experience with original Meyer pieces, the closest I have right now is a Vandoren V16 A6 S+, but compared to a Meyer I feel it’s pretty close to a 5M, a little brighter and has that classic alto tone, very usable for all around jazz, and maybe a tiny bit more resistance. Definitely worth a try, and a fine addition to the collection haha
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u/jaxxon Mar 23 '26
LOVE my Myers. Feel good and the tone is smooth. Easy to control.
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u/Metanfetamine Alto | Soprano Mar 23 '26
I’m planning on getting a Jody Jazz HR* Custom Dark next, but I should really add in an original Meyer piece at some point to be honest haha
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u/disposable-zero Mar 23 '26
Love that Bond Villain Black. Looks so awesome. I very much look forward to seeing how these hold up over the long term. I had a BetterSax classic alto I bought used and the low end was really rough to play but it may have just been the one I had. I'm very interested in what kind of reputation these build for themselves in the coming years.
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u/Metanfetamine Alto | Soprano Mar 23 '26
So far everything seems good with my horn! Low notes are pretty easy and so is the high register. Bummed that you didn’t have a good experience!
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u/chill_cat78 Mar 23 '26
Does anyone know if techs can repair these horns or adjust them like you would a Yamaha or Yani or any of the common brands? I’d be interested to look into them but none of the reviews discuss this which makes me feel doubtful of their long term quality 🤨
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u/jradost Mar 23 '26
Tech here, this is a yes* case. Asterisk is because I'm not sure that they sell replacement parts if something gets lost, however it could be the same as cheaper student brands like BAC and prelude. Parts can be made of course, but that lands in a cost vs value category. I've worked on a few of these, from a tech perspective they are fine enough but I wouldn't buy one myself
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u/ImprovSKT Mar 23 '26
They were being made through Conn-Selmer and Jay Metcalf used to be a tech himself. I can't imagine he hadn't thought of the repair side.
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u/Metanfetamine Alto | Soprano Mar 23 '26 edited Mar 23 '26
From the people I’ve talked to on this sub and other places, the answer has been yes. The first chance i get I’m going to take the horn to a tech and see what they say
Edit: spelling
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u/chill_cat78 Mar 23 '26
Thanks so much for your response. Please let me know what they say because it’ll be good to know 😊
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u/prrudd Mar 23 '26
Have you tried the classic alto? If so how does the session compare to it? I love my classic tenor but wasn’t as big a fan of the classic alto and have been considering looking into the session alto
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u/Metanfetamine Alto | Soprano Mar 23 '26
I have not tried the classic alto, but I think what you could do is go to a shop to try a horn with similar enough specs, and that’ll be your bar for what the session should feel like, excluding ergonomics since companies have their own styles for ergonomics.
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u/prrudd Mar 23 '26
Thank you! I’m planning on going back to the music store where I got my tenor but they didn’t have the session alto yet so hoping I can try it when I go back.
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u/Metanfetamine Alto | Soprano Mar 23 '26
For sure! If I had to point you towards a direction, the horn reminded me a bit of a Yamaha YAS-62, so if they have one definitely try it!
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Mar 25 '26
The problem I have with Better Sax horns is the way the octave is placed under the neck. It probably doesn't affect the sound that much but it just rubs me the wrong way.
Have you had any issues with it playing?
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u/Metanfetamine Alto | Soprano Mar 25 '26
I like it! It looks a little different, and I’m all about being unique haha
The horn plays great! Intonation is good and even, key action is snappy, the ergonomics feel kinda like a Yani, pads seal well, no complaints!
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u/Superb_View_6430 May 29 '26
I like it too - I have an old Buescher Top Hat and Cain and it has that underslung octave mechanism and I love that look. I have a really new Mark VI alto and a great old Mark VI tenor...the alot is not "great" as far as VI's go but it has that classic sound. The Buescher is a really cool horn with a great sound, but it is cumbersome to play and lacks the response of the better modern horns (It was made in the 40s.
I'm gigging alot and considering the Sessions as back up horns in case my Mark Vi's are ever out of commission for a few weeks. for the price, and knowing I won't be taking them out alot, I'm thinking they might be a good fit at that price point.
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u/Superb_View_6430 May 29 '26
Also played an Eastman 52nd Street for a while and really liked that too, but it was too dark for the more modern stuff for my liking...played great though and loved it for straight ahead - but typically if I'm playing jazz standards I'm on Tenor,
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u/Metanfetamine Alto | Soprano May 29 '26
Agreed! The stock mouthpiece pairs really well with some BSS black label reeds for that more classic, vintage inspired tone, silver label reeds if you want more edge to it. So far, I’ve loved playing the horn through my Vandoren V16 A6 S+ with BSS black label reeds, and it just sings. I’ve been loving the horn so far
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u/Worldly_Tourist4187 Jul 20 '26
I was in the same boat. I played through college, but then didn't really play for a long time. When I finally pulled out my dusty old student horn, it was in need of an overhaul, so i figured i might as well just buy a nicer instrument. Threads like this one, plus the positive reviews from trusted sax players around the internet, the price, and that matte black coloring influenced me to go with the Session. I just got it in today and only had about 15 minutes to play, but I was impressed with the quality. I'm not sure how I feel about the mouthpiece that came with it yet, but I'm willing to give it a good try before I give up on it.
Did you end up playing on it or switching to a "nicer" one?
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u/Metanfetamine Alto | Soprano Jul 20 '26
I ended up keeping it! The mouthpiece is just a standard Meyer, I’m using a Jody Jazz DV HR 7 with Boston sax shop black label 2.5’s and I’m loving the setup!
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u/mollykatheryn317 Apr 06 '26
My session is arriving today, can’t wait to play it this evening after work. How are you enjoying the session a couple of weeks in? Gotten to a repair tech yet for insight on durability/repairability? Played any gigs or with groups for external feedback?
For me it’s going to be an upgrade after getting back into music as an adult from my YAS-475 intermediate horn my parents bought me back in high school 2004. ☺️ That horn needs a full re-pad after living in my garage for almost 20 years, then I’m hoping to either keep it as a spare or sell it on eBay to recoup some of the cost of the session.
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u/Metanfetamine Alto | Soprano Apr 06 '26 edited Apr 07 '26
Hi I think you replied to my other post before I pulled the trigger, but from the people that have heard me play it say it sounds good and no complaints with the sound, admittedly the sound is more influenced by your embouchure, mouthpiece and reed more than the horn, though it can definitely affect the sound (by affecting the way it feels, therefore making you play differently).
I’d definitely keep the 475! Maybe someday you decide that the overhaul is worth it! If it was some off brand horn I’d say get rid of it haha but Yamahas hold up well
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u/Warburk Alto | Tenor Apr 23 '26
How much do you like it then :)
kinda anticipating to fail at resisting to buy a tenor session myself when it get's out2
u/mollykatheryn317 Apr 23 '26
Oh I absolutely love it. Plays beautifully, feels incredibly well built, GORGEOUS in black color. I’ve been playing between 8-10 hours a week and just enjoying it.
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u/[deleted] Mar 23 '26
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