Fourteen Sax Shops You Should Visit Before You Die
NOTE This article, as well as many other "list post" type articles (some of which are 10 or more years old) may feature products, resources, businesses, videos, or websites that are no longer. If you find any such outdated information, please let us know via our contact page so we can make the necessary updates. Thanks in advance for bearing with us, and helping us keep this site as current as possible(!).
When you decide it’s time to upgrade your setup, it’s difficult to figure out what music store carries the equipment you need as well as the staff that can best find the horn that suits you. From my experience, searching for the right saxophone is not as easy as it sounds. To help those saxophonist looking to change their setup, I have reviewed saxophone stores in the United States that carry the equipment every saxophone player is looking for and staff’s the right people who will help you find the best horn.
1) Joe Sax
UPDATE: Sadly, since the publication of this article, Joe Sax has closed its doors.
The new JodyJazz DV HR Tenor uses the patented DV secondary window to add mid and low harmonics, resulting in a more authoritative tone than normal tenor sax mouthpieces provide. And the long straight somewhat high baffle gives the mouthpiece it’s fantastic projection and cutting power along with excellent altissimo.
JODYJAZZ.COM
The New DV HR Tenor from JodyJazz
Joe Sax is an encyclopedia when it comes to all things saxophone. Joe offers quality repair work and most importantly carries a vast line of vintage and modern saxophones. His website is easy to navigate and is constantly being updated with new sax gear.
Website: http://www.joesax.com
Location & Hours:
108 Cortland Avenue, Dumont, NJ 07628
Appointment only.
Phone: 1-800-876-8771
Outside U.S. 607-865-8088
2) Roberto’s Woodwinds
Roberto’s carries one of the largest selections of Selmer Mark’s as well as a wide selection of reeds, mouthpieces, and ligatures. I have used his reeds on both tenor and alto (currently use a Roberto’s Winds 3s for alto) and find them to be very consistent. I can guarantee that if you are looking for a specific mouthpiece, ligature, or horn, he will have it or know where to find it.
Website: http://www.robertoswinds.com
149 West 46th street New York, NY 10036
Monday thru Saturday 10:00 AM-6:00 PM, Sunday-Closed
Phone: (888)-7676-Sax or (212)-391-1315
3) USA Horn
USA Horn has a large selection of vintage and professional modern horns. Dennis carries such great saxophonists such including the Selmer Super Balanced Action and Selmer Mark VI in addition to newer horns by companies such as Yanagisawa, Yamaha, Rampone & Cazzani, and R.S. Berkley. If you are ever in New Jersey and want to test the old against the new, stop by USA Horn – you never know what you will find.
Website: http://www.usahorn.com
1988 Morris Ave Union, NJ 07083
Monday thru Friday 11:00 AM-5:00 PM (appointments appreciated, and may be arranged before and after hours.) Saturday 11:00 AM-2:00 PM, Sunday Appointments for Sales.
Phone: (908) 688-3555
4) Chuck Levin’s Washington Music Center
Chuck Levin’s offers great deals on saxophone reeds, and also carries a large inventory of vintage and new saxophones. When I visited the woodwinds section, there were over 30 saxophones in one section! In addition to the saxophones on the wall, from vintage to new, Chuck Levin’s had many rare horns in the back such as a Yanagisawa 992 pink gold soprano. Virtually any new saxophone you could think of, Chuck Levin’s carries. If you are ever in Washington and need anything related to the saxophone, stop by Chuck Levin’s.
Website: http://www.chucklevins.com
11151 Veirs Mill Road Wheaton MD 20902
Monday 10:00 AM-9:00 PM, Tuesday 10:00 AM- 6:00 PM, Wednesday 10:00 AM-9:00 PM, Thursday 10:00 AM-6:00 PM, Friday 10:00 AM-9:00 PM, Saturday 10:00 AM-6:00 PM, Sunday-Closed.
Phone: (301) 946-8808
5) Tenor Madness
Tenor Madness carries one of the largest selections of Selmer Mark VI’s as well as modern horns such as P Mauriat, Yamaha, Yanagisawa, Selmer, Keilwerth, etc. In addition to their great selection of horns, Tenor Madness owner Randy Jones has been praised by many players as one of the best saxophone repairman in the business. If you are looking to try out some of the best horns on the market or get your current horn setup up professionally by Randy Jones, definitely check out his shop.
Website: http://www.tenormadness.com
2855 Deere Rd Waterloo, IA 50701 USA.
Call for appointment.
Phone (319) 234-3561
6) Saxquest
Saxquest is a shop that has it all. It has a sax museum, teacher listings, free trading postings, and most importantly a vast line of vintage and new saxophones and sax accessories. If you are looking for a particular mouthpiece, saxophone or want to get some custom work done to your horn, you definitely have to stop in.
Website: http://www.saxquest.com
2114 Cherokee St.
St. Louis, MO 63118. Call for store hours.
Phone: (314) 664-1234
7) Saxforte
UPDATE: Sadly, since the publication of this article, Saxforte has closed its doors.
Saxforte is the place to go if you are looking to try out the best modern saxophones. Saxforte carries some of the finest modern saxophones on the market such as Selmer, Yanagisawa, and Rampone & Cazzani. In addition to a large inventory of saxophones, Saxforte carries many of the accessories that just about every player needs. Stop in to Saxforte if you are looking for the best modern saxophone.
Website: http://saxforte.com
106 Citation Way
Greenville, SC 29615-6058. Appointment only
Phone: (864) 449-4444
8) KB Saxophone Services
If you are looking for vintage Selmer’s or are interested in the new Tenor Madness™ custom saxophones, then KB saxophone services is the shop you have to visit. Kim Bock, who worked for years with Randy Jones, decided to open his own shop in the city. Kim is an excellent repairman and is constantly overhauling and setting up many local professional players’ horns. In addition to the large line of vintage Mark VI’s, Balanced Action, and Super Balanced Action saxophones, KB Saxophone Services carries vintage mouthpieces such as Berg Larsen and Otto Link. Be sure to check out his shop if interested in professionally set up vintage horns.
Website: http://www.kbsax.com
44-02 23rd Street, Studio 220, Long Island City, Queens, NY 11101.
Phone: (212) 683-2985
9) Dave Wilson Music
Music educator as well as professional saxophonist Dave Wilson carries student and professional new and old saxophones. He has a vast line of mouthpieces and horns that any player would be interested in trying out. He is very helpful when it comes to picking out the right mouthpiece and horn. Check out his website for updates on new saxophones and mouthpieces.
Website: http://www.davewilsonmusic.org
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, call for driving directions.
Phone: (717) 475-7168
10) Sax Alley
Sax Alley carries a wide range of saxophones and mouthpieces. If you are interested in the P. Mauriat line of saxophones, this is the best shop to visit. Sax Alley is the #1 dealer in P. Mauriat horns and carries almost any P. Mauriat model you can think of. Sax Alley also provides great repair work and as the name of the shop indicates, this is a store that truly focuses on saxophonists.
Website: http://saxalley.com
561 E Garden Drive, Unit E, Windsor, CO 80550-3149
Tuesday through Friday: 10AM to 1PM and 2 PM to 5PM, Saturday: 10AM until 1PM
Phone: (970) 674-0222
11) PM woodwind
If you could not get to the sax shops in NYC, this is a shop you have to check out. PM Woodwind carries many vintage and modern saxophones as well as a vast line of mouthpieces for soprano, alto, tenor, and bari. PM Woodwind provides some of the best repair work you can find and has a knowledgeable staff who will find you just what you need.
Website: http://www.pmwoodwind.com
822 Custer Ave., Evanston, IL 60202
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, & Friday- 1:00 pm – 6:00pm, Thursday- 1:00pm – 8:00pm, Saturday- 11:00am – 4:00pm
Phone: (847) 869-7049
12) Kessler & Sons Music
Kessler saxophones is your one stop shop for any new modern saxophone. Kessler carries many different model saxophones from manufacturers such as Yanagisawa, Selmer, Keilwerth, and P. Mauriat along with their own line of saxophones. In addition to saxophones, Kessler and sons carries professional-level mouthpieces such as Theo Wanne. In addition, for the doublers out there, they offer other instruments such as flutes, clarinets, bassoons, and oboes. If you are a woodwind fanatic and haven’t spent all your money or hit it big in Vegas, this is the shop to go to.
Website: http://www.kesslermusic.com
3 locations in Las Vegas. Check the “Locations” page on website for addresses and phone numbers
13) Wichita Band Instruments
Wichita Band instruments offers many different woodwinds such as flutes, clarinets, oboes, and most importantly, saxophones.Wichita carries many vintage saxophones such as King, Conn, Selmer, etc. as well as modern professional horns. Wichita offers great repair work as well as a friendly trial policy so you can find the horn that suits you.
Website: http://www.wichitaband.com
2525 E. Douglas · Wichita, Kansas 67211 USA
Hours: M-F: 9:00-6:00 Sat: 9:00-2:00 Central Time
Phone: (316) 684-0291
14) Dominic’s Music
Dominic’s music is to place to try many brands of saxophones and get great repair work done. Dominic carries student to professional lines of saxophones and provides helpful tips on his website about ways to play your instrument as well as the importance of practicing and lessons.
Website: http://www.dominicsmusic.com (website no longer active, perhaps out of business, please contact us if you have any further information).
Enterprise Center Suite 840121 Loring Ave Salem , MA 01970
Open Monday-Friday 10 – 5, Closed Saturday & Sunday
Phone: (978) 745-5255
Conclusion
I hope this list will help lead you to the right horn, mouthpiece, ligature, and reeds that you are looking for. Besides the shops I listed, there are many more sax shops that I have not gotten the chance to review, and many of these also carry some of the best saxophone equipment on the market.
July 16, 2012 @ 11:29 pm
Having a trip to Moscow, Russia don’t forget to drop Mariachi Sax Boutique over there.
That’s probably the most exсiting place for saxophonists. You can find many superstars having their clinics over there, such as James Carter, Dave Koz, Bill Evans, Igor Butman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z01Ttw2oGKY
July 18, 2012 @ 7:54 am
Hey Dmitry,
I have seen the james carter master class on youtube as well as have been following Tony Lankatos who is a amazing tenor player. I have not had the chance to visit Russia, but after checking out Mariachi Sax Boutique, I definietly need to check this shop out. Let me know if there are any other shops I need to check out.
Zach
July 19, 2012 @ 1:39 am
There’s no any in Russia.
The most exciting shop is Sax.Co.Uk but i am totally sure you know it wery well )
Here’s my interwiev I made in Frankfurt Music Messe this year
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XgJKADaMqM
Thank you for checking out our video. In two days you’re going to find fantastic Bill Evanse’s masterclass he was so kind to give us in Moscow. Check this link out http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7EEFD3FE3BE23203&feature=plcp
And I am also making some small video of horns produsing
Here they are
P. Mauriat Taiwan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRZa0aHp5Vk
Rampone Cazzanni Italy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtVSHEO87ZM&feature=plcp
I hope you’ll find these shots good )
Dmitry
January 13, 2013 @ 8:50 pm
Hey Dmitry,
Your video’s are great. I have watched the P Mauriat video many times since I have been reviewing a few of their products and can see you have created some great videos. Let me know if you if I could help you with any future video’s.
Zach
July 20, 2012 @ 8:20 pm
I bought a clarinet from Dominic when his store was in Brookline, MA. Nice guy, but his store was chaos! I was a little surprised to see that he made your list, while the better-known Rayburn Music (near Symphony Hall, and home of repair guru Emilio Lyons) didn’t make the cut.
February 23, 2014 @ 12:20 pm
I am also surprised to see Kesslers make the list. GREAT online ‘store’, nice prices and variety, but the physical stores are rather small and not a large variety. If I was to recommend a store to VISIT out west it would be the Sam Ash in Hollywood. Some new horns of course, but a LARGE selection of vintage horns.
March 25, 2014 @ 3:38 pm
Based on online accounts, I doubt Rayburn Music will be around much longer, if it is indeed still in business. Very sad stories.
July 21, 2012 @ 8:44 am
Hey everyone,
I appreciate everyone’s comments and feedback on the article. In reference to your comments Jordan, my article is on some of the great saxophone shops to check out. I did not rate any of these shops but simply listed ones I have dealt or have heard great things about to check out. I have heard of rayburn music, and emilio’s repair work and did not include them in my article because I have not been to Rayburn Music. I would greatly appreciate if you could talk a bit about your experience at Rayburns so more saxophonist will be aware of the shop. For everyone who commented, if you know of a great shop, that I have not included, please tell me about it so more and more saxophonist know where to get the right gear as well as education. This is a working list that I hope to grow. I appreciate everyone’s input
Zach
Zach
July 23, 2012 @ 10:19 am
Zach,
Thanks for this post! I’m visiting a friend near St. Louis this week, though I’ve got a morning/afternoon by myself as he’s got band camp to run. I contacted the people at Saxquest letting them know I was coming to check it out. I also live close enough to PM that I should check them out when I get serious about a sop.
July 24, 2012 @ 6:56 pm
Hey Dave,
Both places are great! Saxquest and PM have a great selection of vintage and modern horns as well as mouthpieces. Check ou tht yanagisawa 991 soprano as well as the new yamaha custom 82z soprano, I have heard great things.
Zach
July 26, 2012 @ 12:43 pm
Zach, thanks for the great article.
If you decide to do a follow-up article on “Sax Shops You Should NEVER Visit”, I suggest that you put Steve Goodson (or Saxgourmet, or Nation of Music, whatever he calls himself these days) at the top of the list. Sometime ago I sent him my Super 20 Silversonic tenor, and a substantial deposit, for an overhaul and have never seen either since. I sued him and was awarded a substantial judgement by the Court. But he says he can not pay because he has no money. I, with great sincerity, urge all sax players to avoid Steve Goodson!
Very much enjoy your website!
Jim
November 22, 2015 @ 8:09 am
Thank you for your post. I live in Mississippi and was about to drive to N A for an overhaul of my 1955 mark v1 tenor. I will not trust him to do it now. Do you know anyone else near me to take my horn ? I don’t want to ship it.
Thank you
Jody
November 22, 2015 @ 8:18 am
Not NA. New Orlean ‘s
September 5, 2016 @ 7:37 am
I bought, unseen via e-commerce, a $2k vintage horn from Goodson just before the 2001 anthrax fiasco in the USPS. It was a beautiful horn, looked like it was packed by a chimp, badly damaged perhaps in shipping, perhaps before shipping, or both. I returned it, took 3 months of demands and threats and promises to get a refund. Definitely avoid him! I was soooo dumb – he had an F with the BBB, claimed he had no idea that he had that rating or why. Very toxic psychopath. Glad to hear he’s broke, hope it’s true. Then, bought a 1941 Naked Lady tenor from John Thomas, now in Jax, FL making mouthpieces, THAT horn still totally kills!
Can anyone recommend a sax shop in mid-north Fl? John Thomas was the best but quit that business, our total loss.
July 26, 2012 @ 5:39 pm
Hey Jim,
I am glad you like the site! I am sorry to hear about your experience with Steve Goodson. A king super 20 is a great horn and to do something like that to a musician is very low. I don’t know what your current setup is but, check out tenormadness. They have a wide selection of top vintage horns in superior condition. If you are ever looking for overhauls In the future, check out ken beason as well as randy jones.
Zach
July 28, 2012 @ 10:53 am
Thanks for your comments and advice, Zach. Yes, that was a tough horn to lose, as it was a high school graduation present from my parents in the mid 60’s. And I still hope to someday get satisfaction in this matter. But, in the meantime, I hope others can benefit from my mistake and avoid dealing with Steve Goodson.
BTW, as a result of my fiasco with Goodson, I was referred to Ken Beason. Since then he has rebuilt both my alto and bari, and with terrific results! Also he guided me through the purchase of a new MACSAX Mac 8 tenor, the design of which he was/is heavily involved. I had it done in Rose brass with silver neck and bell, as a tribute to my lost Super 20 Silversonic. And I must say it is the finest playing horn ever!
So as well writing great articles, you know your stuff! Keep up the good work!
Jim
July 28, 2012 @ 9:00 pm
Hey Jim,
I am glad to hear you are still searching for your horns as well as picked up a MacSax 8 tenor. I have met Ken Beason and he is one of the best sax repairman in the world. I have played the MacSax Empyreal and was impressed by the overall construction of the horn as well as the tone. I am hoping that MacSax will come out with a empyreal tenor soon because if it is as good as the alto, I might have to add another horn to my collection. What mouthpiece are you currently using?
Zach
Robertos woodwinds | Digitalmemorie
September 2, 2012 @ 4:45 am
[…] Fourteen Sax Shops You Should Visit Before You Die | Best … […]
September 6, 2012 @ 6:03 pm
Sirs,
I would enjoy seeing your booklet and 3-part class/ Ricky, Tim & Bob but so far after several requests I have not received anything.
Tom Tolrud
tltolrud@tampabay.rr.com
813-310-6111
January 13, 2013 @ 8:52 pm
Hey Tom,
I will get in touch with Doron in regards to the booklet and have him reach out to you. I apologize for the late response.
Zach
January 13, 2013 @ 9:33 pm
Hello Tom,
Zach just let me know that you’ve been trying to get the booklet and master class audio, and this is the first time of heard of it since I’m not subscribed to the comments on this article (since I wasn’t the author).
The way to get the free content is by signing up for my newsletter, which you can do here: http://eepurl.com/bcvb-
Your email address is private and I share a lot of sax tips and techniques that my readers seem to enjoy.
Thanks for your interest!
Doron
January 14, 2013 @ 8:09 pm
With havin so much content and articles do you ever run into any problems of plagorism or copyright infringement?
My blog has a lot of exclusive content I’ve either created myself or outsourced but it appears a lot of it is popping it up all over the web without my permission. Do you know any techniques to help stop content from being stolen? I’d truly
appreciate it.
January 16, 2013 @ 3:34 pm
What blog do you have?
Zach
July 5, 2015 @ 3:45 pm
How do you get a website store and commercial and to get on lesson room
April 18, 2013 @ 6:55 pm
For what it’s worth, I was not impressed by chuck levins. It’s small, cramped, not a great wind selection. And the tech guy definitely tried to rip me off on my sax repair. There’s a place in gaithersburg that was better: L&L Music. All kinds of reeds, mouth pieces and saxes.
April 19, 2013 @ 6:23 am
Hey Wildabeast,
I am sorry to hear about your experience at Chuck Levin’s. When I visited the shop about 2 years ago. There was a wide selection of tenor’s and alto’s from vintage Selmer’s to modern Yanagisawa’s. I never worked with the repair tech. I will definietly check out the store you mentioned. I am always looking for a great music store everywhere I go in case I need a fix or am interested in some specialty equipment.
Zach
July 9, 2013 @ 7:49 pm
I am not sure what happened with Chuck Levin’s and Wildabeast. We purchased a Soprano sax for my daughter there recently. They took us back into the office/storage area—which is quite large and absolutely FULL of instruments. I can not speak to the used options there. We did have an “appointment” so to speak.
May 5, 2013 @ 7:30 am
This is a great article and look forward to visiting some of these shops when traveling. Are there any good shops to visit in greater Los Angeles area? We are looking at making a serious investment for saxophones for our kids who have now been playing for about 5-6 years on student models but will be going to college and will continue playing both classical and jazz. There are a lot of great resources online but I’ve always heard its best to try the horns out.
I guess a road trip to Vegas wouldn’t be too bad for Kessler Music but would like to start the search inLA if possible. Many of the music professors we have come in contact with have recommended Yamaha Custom Z or EX models and it doesn’t look like Kessler carries Yamaha so we can do any side by side comparisons.
Any recommendations for an LA music store with decent sax selection would be appreciated. By the way, love your whole website, fantastic content (even though I don’t play I have been very engaged!!).
May 5, 2013 @ 8:16 pm
Hey Donna,
I would recommend a place called horn connection. I have been told by players in L.A. that this is a great shop with many new and vintage horns. In addition, there is a Sam Ash in Hollywood California that has a very large selection of high end saxophones.
If you are interested in mouthpieces as well as want to find out more about the best places to check out, look into eric drake. I have heard he has one of the largest selection’s of saxophones mouthpiece anywhere.
Please shoot me an email if you have any questions.
Best of Luck
Zach
July 13, 2013 @ 9:56 am
Did you just download a list of Selmer dealers in the U.S?
July 13, 2013 @ 4:52 pm
Hey Dennis,
No. It might seem like that because most to all of these dealers carry Selmer but these are shops I have visited or have talked to multiple players who highly enjoyed visiting these shops. Actually, most of these shops carry much more then just Selmer (Keilwerth, Yanagisawa, MacSax, R.S. Berkley, Viking, Yamaha, P Mauriat, Cannonball, etc.)
Is their a horn you are looking for in particular?
Zach
July 25, 2013 @ 4:06 am
These are famous sax shop in the states? Thanks ! I think joe is good
August 16, 2013 @ 8:19 pm
We don’t really advertise, but http://www.GetASax.com in the Raleigh NC area has a better selection of pro saxophones and mouthpieces than most of the above mentioned shops. We only demo horns by appointment though, and you can contact us through the website if you’re interested.
August 17, 2013 @ 6:45 am
The shops I have listed is just a start to a working list I intend to expand upon.
Brian, your getasax.com website does have a great selection of vintage horns and mouthpieces in great condition. I have not visited the shop and understand it is appointment only.
I have had a couple people email me about the site and asked about certain saxophones in regards to condition and price.
Hopefully sometime in the future I can come visit the shop to test play some of the saxophones you have.
Zach
October 1, 2013 @ 5:18 am
I have many vintage saxophones in various states of repair. Many overhauled about 20 years ago and never played. I have a bass, couple of bari’s, tenors, altos, c melodies, curved and straight sopranos c and b flat, some very rare and unique. I live in the midwest. Time to part with them. Any suggestions on dealers who might want the whole lot and buy on site to avoid huge costs in shipping? Sorry, no Selmers, I gave my Markies to my son. I can produce a list if anyone is interested. Thanks, Greg
October 1, 2013 @ 5:20 am
Additional comments: Please email me through this site.
November 11, 2013 @ 2:42 am
Envy you guys to have such a large number of places to vet your sax. I am from India and after practicing on a locally made sax for eight months looking to buy a good one for the last two months. No luck, the only ones stocked by the most reputed shops are Jin Bao, Jupiter, Chateau and such like. Can you believe that I can’t even get as Yamaha YAS-62 series too? Now busy searching online sites so that I can import one from US/Europe. Any recommendation in this regard?
January 7, 2014 @ 8:49 pm
Hello Ashwani,
I would check out sax.co.uk for a shop and check out such brands as P Mauriat, Trevor James Andy Sheppard, Viking, Lupifaro, and others that you are interested in.
Let me know of some in particular and I can find out how to get a horn your way.
Zach
January 19, 2014 @ 9:51 am
how to purchase latest selmor saxophone in india
February 16, 2014 @ 2:10 am
Hi,
Can someone recommend a shop in Brussels, Belgium?
March 13, 2014 @ 12:36 pm
Hello G,
I don’t know anyplace in Belgium, but you should try De Saxofoonwinkel in Deventer, Netherlands.
July 11, 2014 @ 4:11 pm
Hello Everyone,
I wanted to include another saxophone shop that many of you might already know about but was new to me.
Detroit Saxophone Center
[Sorry(!), but this web page has disappeared since the original publication of this comment]
They carry modern equipment such as P. Mauriat, Theo Wanne, Ted Klum, and Jody Jazz, and also have a consistent flow of vintage equipment for customers’ selection. This along with a large selection of reeds and other accessories, an on-site repair facility, and multiple lesson studios, makes Detroit Saxophone Center a spot players should check out.
Zach
October 11, 2015 @ 4:43 am
I want buy the sax. I want know how much for yanagisawa ss991.
I from china. So I want know could you shpping to china, Thank you.
June 23, 2016 @ 11:45 am
Coles Music Service in Sewell, NJ. Ed Coles did some amazing work on my S80. Great people and they also have some vintage and new horns. I got to play a 1939 SBA!
June 27, 2016 @ 7:56 am
Paul Maslin at PM Woodwinds in Evanston, IL is a SAX REPAIR WIZARD!
Driving down to Evanston from out in Dupage, County IL is a hassle. But to keep the Antigua Winds Bari I bought from Paul in PERFECT CONDITION it’s worth every minute of the long drive.
October 2, 2016 @ 5:39 am
Looking for a good shop in San Francisco to overhaul my C-Melody and buy a decent baritone. Any ideas?
October 20, 2016 @ 6:48 pm
I am very interested in the Navarro mouthpieces. But with all of the different lines and different cutaways it’s hard to make a decision without being able to try them. I live in the Atlanta area. Do you know of any place near me that has a selection of such mouthpieces that I could try?
November 14, 2016 @ 6:34 am
@Nathan — I live in Atlanta and use Carere Music as my local store — it’s a small shop but a good one — I’ve been able to have them order something for me and then let me try it out. I am not sure if they carry Navarro but it’s worth giving them a call.
March 12, 2021 @ 8:08 pm
I know of no large sax shop anywhere in the Greater Atlanta area. Carere Music had the reputation of being the only “sax specialty” shop, but it is tiny, has few models on display, offers private lessons, and has a decent selection of sheet music books, but most of the repair techs and expert teachers have left this shop and started their own businesses in other parts of Atlanta, unfortunately. Sam Skelton was the best of all, now in Kennesaw, GA.
December 20, 2016 @ 8:04 am
Just another voice to remind people to *NOT* deal with Steve Goodson of New Orleans. He is a complete piece of garbage who stole a Selmer Mark VII from me that I left with him in the late 90s on an agreement for consignment sale. I still have the original paperwork written in his own hand that he subsequently lied about and claimed that it wasn’t anything he recognized.
Steve Goodson is a liar and a thief.
April 1, 2018 @ 7:09 pm
I know this is an old thread but as a few had already mentioned Paul Maslin and his entire staff at P.M. Woodwind in Evanston IL is the only place I frequent. Paul is the “Guru” of Saxophone repair and in terms of horns, if you can’t find it there, you won’t find it anyplace.
His expertise and customer service is second to none. He also has great workshops that take place with many well known Saxophone players from around the globe that do clinics there as well. I’ve known Paul for 30 years and I’m very fortunate that he is in my area. Even if he’s not in your area it’s most definitely worth the trip to come up or down to see him !
July 15, 2018 @ 8:12 pm
4 Words
The Boston Sax Shop
Really….you gotta check it out if you ever go to Boston!
http://www.bostonsaxshop.com/staps/
January 25, 2019 @ 3:49 pm
sax shop in mexico city?
January 27, 2019 @ 2:12 am
Hello Fraser,
That is a good question. Is there a specific saxophone you are looking to test play?
February 18, 2019 @ 4:36 am
Hello Zach,
do you’ve an idea where to buy a Cannonball Tenor (T5-BR) online with international shipping?
August 4, 2019 @ 12:56 am
Are there any shops in Poland?
September 29, 2019 @ 11:19 am
Good informations, but…
the best shops in Florida, please?…
October 6, 2019 @ 12:47 pm
Ishimori Music in Tokyo rivals best in NY and LA.
October 6, 2019 @ 2:04 pm
Hello Tait,
I finally went to Ishimori’s shop last year and it is absolutely a great spot. Ishimori has a great mix of modern and vintage gear as well as his own line of products which are quite popular.
November 8, 2019 @ 5:35 pm
I would now add JL Woodwinds in NYC.
John Leadbetter has expanded his TINY shop into a beautiful showroom with some great saxes.
His ‘anal’ attention to detail means his work is crazy good too.
He now has custom case manufacture, Ted Klum mpcs, Rigotti Reeds, and more dealership partnerships coming.
And on top of it he is just a nice guy.
November 8, 2019 @ 5:59 pm
Hey John,
Agree. I went to John’s shop a few years ago and it was a lot of fun checking out some vintage VI’s as well as his line of saxophones. I know he has recently expanded his product line so I hope to stop by in the near future when I am out in NYC.
December 1, 2019 @ 5:05 pm
Rayburn Music in Boston – Emilio Lyons , sax repair wizard. It’s been over 20 years since I had my Balanced Action Tenor overhauled by Emilio. I’ve since had it overhauled by a hack in San Francisco. The difference is night and day. Emilio, if he’s still around is the best sax repairman in the land. Rayburn Music left a lot to be desired in terms of ambience and sales appeal but I can’t say enough good things about Emilio Lyons.
March 13, 2022 @ 10:46 am
Hello,What about Perry Ritter???
April 16, 2023 @ 7:59 am
Roberto’s Winds in NYC has a new address as of 2023. It is:
15 W. 39th Street suite 802
New York, NY 10018
They are the same people, same high quality service and materials. They have simply relocated in Manhattan.