Please be aware that I am in no way affiliated with Bently Music and have not spoken to a single employee of the company before writing this article (or since, so far). My only dealings with them have been buying an instrument and the usual email correspondence that occurs during a transaction like that. The purpose of this (my first entry on my Blogger blog) is to provide some information that may help others to decide whether to buy a Bently tenor saxophone. Apologies for being so long and exhaustive but if you get the time to read this it may help you to make the correct purchasing decision. At the time I could have done with some info like this myself.
My Background
I used to play saxophone and clarinet in an army band in the UK for 15 years. Also during that time I taught music for ten years to adults and children as well as played with numerous bands and orchestra’s outside of the forces. I left the army to pursue another career (in IT) and didn’t touch a musical instrument for over eight years. Until recently.
I played on several different models of saxophone including Selmer Mark V11, Selmer SA80, Yamaha, Yanagisawa, Beuscher, Trevor James and duff instruments that I have had to borrow from time to time or that pupils played such as Earlham, Parrot etc. . It took a long time but I have got the bug back again and want to get back into playing my first love, Jazz (after many failed attempts over the years). I recently had a milestone birthday and I was going to spend some of the money I received on a flying lesson or two but decided to buy a saxophone instead (much to the relief of my wife).
Buying from eBay
I didn’t have much to spend so I started scouring eBay for some bargains. After a month or so I had an idea of what was available in my price range so I placed a couple of bids but didn’t win them, they were all second hand instruments so I am pretty glad I didn’t get them to be honest.
Regular adverts are displayed from a company called Bently Music. You are taking a risk buying an instrument you haven’t played especially from eBay, and have never bought an instrument in the past without testing it first. But I have to admit I was taken in by the description of their saxophones.
Copy and pasted verbatim from one of their adverts:
Bently saxophones are famous for their effortless light action, good even intonation and rich deep vintage sound.
Features:
Bently saxophones have all the features of top professional models
Single piece annealed bell
FREE pad saver
Drawn neck, body and tone holes
Fully ribbed construction
Each saxophone security marked
Premium leather pads
Leather bound solid wood luxury sturdy snug fit case that not only looks good, but also protects your instrument
Nickel tone reflectors
Front F#
Mixture of blue steel and stainless steel springs give Bently's a truly unique even action
Machined tapered pivot screws
High G as standard on all straight soprano models
Natural cork & pressed felt used throughout
Subtle engraving on the bell creating an understated classy designer appearance
Coloured saxophones have brass inner so they sound just as good as the brass models
All instruments fully set up & tested before dispatch
No reserve auction items include our 2 Year Warranty
I looked at the feedback for the seller and it was very positive but given that most of the buyers would be newbies or young people, seeing a shiny new instrument might influence them. I tried to Google for some decent in depth reviews but couldn’t find any of substance which was one of the reasons why I wrote this.
There are two places that these instruments can be bought – from their eBay site and from their website. The instruments are half price from the former so that’s where you should get one from if you decide to do so. So I looked through the Bently eBay site and decided upon the Jet or black finish and placed my order in the usual way at about 23:30 on a Sunday night. I received a courtesy email from Bently thanking them for the purchase and an email from UPS that included a link from where I could track the parcel’s progress.
The box arrived on time midmorning on the following Tuesday and delivery (for me anyhow) was included in the £279 price.
In the Box
The case was well wrapped in a snugly fitting brown cardboard box. It looked a reasonably well made case – black and stippled to look like leather though after a couple of weeks one of the studs on the bottom fell off and had to be refitted. There are two “clasp” catches but no locks. This is not such a big deal as the key locks, even on professional expensive cases are a synch to pick or jimmy open. The clasps clipped down well but if I was to put the case in the hold of a plane I would buy one of those luggage straps to ensure the lid didn’t pop open.
Inside there were the regular compartments – a slot/recess for main body of saxophone, hole for the mouthpiece, slot and hole for the neck, which all seemed to fit in nice with a minimum amount of movement, and an open compartment for reeds, sling etc. Also included was a pad saver fitted inside the main body of the instrument and a reed attached to the mouthpiece which were both unbranded.
The saxophone body, neck and mouthpiece were wrapped in plastic bags.
There were two pieces of paper with care instructions and some, IMHO, dubious advice. Not bad advice but not something I would have told a student - pad clamps are vehemently advocated for long journeys (though none were fitted on its journey from the factory to my house). But I have never used pad clamps and when I was a pro musician my saxophones followed me as far a field as Japan, Hong Kong and the US without problems. Also if you look up people’s opinions online at Sax on the Web etc you will find that approximately 80 – 90% of people don’t recommend them.
I have been out of touch with the scene for a while and it mentioned that Charlie A's "Magical" Stop Stick Gig DustTM or Runyon Pad dope will stop sticking pads. I would be interested to try this stuff as it can be an absolute nuisance when a pad sticks. It also mentions some Runyon Pad Dope for softening new pads to make the seal better – again I have never used nor found the need to use a product like this in the past.
Something else that sparks controversy are “pad savers” (a furry stick that you put down the instrument to absorb moisture after playing). Again, I have never used one in the past and thinking about it, obstructing air flowing around the instrument is more likely to keep the pads moist rather than dry them out. However, a plug is definitely needed where the neck enters the main body as the octave key mechanism stands proud of the body and is very easy to bend (I’ve seen many students do this). So unless you have one available continue to use the pad saver – a replacement pad or two caused by rotting is cheaper than having to replace the octave mechanism.
It also suggests that the instrument is oiled weekly. This isn’t a bad idea provided the oil is put on frugally as I have known corks to come loose due to excessive oil. Some people have gone really deeply into what oil to use but I have never had any problem with the off the shelf stuff you can buy at any music shop. After owning the instrument for a week the octave mechanism became extremely sluggish (I thought I was going to have to send the instrument back) but a couple of drops of oil sorted it. And I have to be honest and say that I have oiled it a couple of times now and it does make a big difference to the feel of the keys. I have not had to worry about this very much on the pro horns I have owned.
First Impressions
After unpacking the instrument I found it was suitably heavy and the metal of the body was clearly of a reasonable hardness and thickness. It looked nice and shiny black contrasted with the gold keywork. My wife thought it looked very pretty.
Lacquer/finish
The black lacquer seemed quite well applied as far as coverage is concerned with no bubbles or areas missed. There was one tiny little pimple on the top of a post that I couldn’t resist picking at and it did come off showing the gold colour below – that’ll teach me. The finish is not going to last too long I feel, alas. I’ve had the horn for about a month now and there are already a couple of additional chips in it and I’m quite careful with it. As far as I am concerned I’m not really bothered. I would prefer to have a dull or antique finish (as it is sometimes called), or no lacquer/shininess at all but for me the next best was black. However, I would imagine this would upset a young person or newbie where looks matter.
On some professional instruments, they are lacquered before the engraving is performed but it can be clearly seen from the bell that the engraving had been done first and lacquered over the top. This is to be expected – it is a “value” instrument and to keep costs down it would have been rolled off the production line with all the others, including the engraving, and the lacquer/finish applied afterwards.
There is a fancy “B” on the right hand side of the bell that at first glance may look like an engraving but I think it is a gold coloured transfer, so far it hasn’t chipped or worn off.
Keywork
The setup of the keys has really impressed me. It’s not uncommon for a professional musician to spend 2, 3 or 4 thousand pounds on a new saxophone and take it straight over to his repair man and get it completely overhauled before he takes it on gigs as they feel the factory setup is not right for them.
For me there are only two dodgy keys on this instrument: the low D on the right hand third finger will not close fully with normal pressure which can lead to miss-fires ; and on the left hand little finger key cluster, the B key is set to far below the Bb when pressed and so it can’t slide across to the lower note. I have found this on many instruments – it must be a difficult thing to get right. But I am pleased to say that even though a complete slide is not possible there is enough movement so that it can still be played.
The left hand high note palm keys are pretty well placed and do have a very nice action.
Sliding between low Eb and C on the right hand little finger is good.
The posts for the keywork are not soldered directly on to the body of the instrument but on to plates that are themselves soldered on. I am no technician but I think I saw somewhere that the “plate approach” is the more preferable.
The right hand thumb rest is movable and fairly comfortable but is metal without any sort of cushioning, perhaps this would become an issue for some people.
Whether the keywork will stand the test of time, we’ll have to wait and see.
Stop Press: Last night, after a month of use, the cork on the top D fell off. But this really is not a major issue. There are so many tiny little corks on an instrument like this it is bound to happen. Now where is that old stick of shellac I used to have...
Tone and intonation
Like all musical instruments and all saxophones not all notes are made equal. The lower range, from open C# downwards, makes a large rich and fairly even sound. As long as I remember to press a little harder on my right hand third finger (see above) it subtone’s easily, much easier than the Selmer’s I have owned.
Middle D (third line up in the stave) is by far the weakest note on the whole instrument. It is not as stuffy as some but more air is required to make the sound “balance” with other notes such as F on the top line and the lower register which sing out loudly.
Top B down to the E below it can sound a little harsh and edgy if blown hard. But I haven’t decided if it is the instrument or down to the metal STM Link 6* I use or slightly soft reeds as when I put a harder one on (2.5 Vandoren ZZ) the tone becomes fuller and less bright.
The high left hand palm notes sound well at all volumes.
I haven’t gone too far up in the altissimo range – just to an A and they play well and in tune but I have had to discover some new fingerings as the ones I have used in the past do not work at all.
I have yet to get out my chromatic tuner but I haven’t noticed any glaring intonation problems. I haven’t played with anyone else yet (apart from some play along CD’s) and that’s when it becomes most obvious. What I will say is that I tend to use quite a slack embouchure in the lower register and I have to tighten up considerably for the high notes to get the octaves sounding in tune. Which probably isn’t anything out of the ordinary.
Accessories
The mouthpiece – Is a fairly standard non-playable plastic affair that is supplied with nearly every saxophone under the sun from beginner instrument to pro. This is something that has annoyed me since I started playing woodwind instruments nearly 30 years ago. Surely it wouldn’t cost too much to provide a Yamaha 4C or at least provide one as an option?
The ligature and reed/mouthpiece cap is the usual gold plated metal type that served me fine for donkey’s years until all the new fangled types came out.
The reed is a non-branded something or other but not playable.
The sling is a quite narrow non padded variety. Some may find it hard on the neck but my problem with the wide padded type is that they interfere with the collar and/or the bow tie while wearing a gig-suit (dinner jacket/tuxedo).
Also included is a cloth, just a regular yellow dust cloth that they recommend you use to wipe down the instrument after it’s played, which is fair enough. I have seen some saxophones on eBay that come with a pair of cotton gloves – very peculiar.
How does it blow?
Ultimately what matters is how does it blow? It doesn’t blow as freely as the beautiful Yanagisawa I used to own or one of the Yamaha’s but it is slightly freer blowing than any of the Selmer’s. The feel of the keys is positive but not too strenuous on the fingers provided I remember to put a little more pressure on the low D key as mentioned. The tone is probably darker and richer in the lower register than all of the above mentioned instruments but if using a soft reed not as full as the Selmer in the upper register. I found Yanagisawa’s to be much more consistent throughout all ranges and Yamaha’s were similar.
The Bently saxophone is so much better than student models of years gone by when instruments were so awful it would put a newbie off. I am no beginner but I have no intention of buying a “better” instrument provided this one keeps playing as it is currently (normal wear and tear accepting of course).
Summary
Pros
Body of the instrument is made of a reasonable quality and thickness of metal
Keywork (apart from the cons listed below) is very good for a cheap instrument. The long poles are not too soft and should stay in shape.
Well setup out of the box
Rich full tone in lower register
Cons
Not sure how long the black finish will last; it doesn’t seem to be hardened enough. Perhaps an additional clear lacquer on top may help but that may affect the tone and intonation.
Low D key pad cup needs to be nearer the body to avoid having to put extra pressure on it to close
It is not possible to easily slide between the low B and Bb though it is still usable, just.
Mouthpiece is very dodgy which might put of newbies who don’t realise that one nearly always has to provide a different one.
Conclusion
For the money this instrument is excellent value. Apart from needing to find another mouthpiece that is all you need worry about when purchasing it
Obviously, time will tell how long the workmanship will last but with a two year guarantee it makes sense to buy one of these compared to a second hand Jupiter, Earlham etc where you are stuck if it goes wrong.
I haven’t used the saxophone very long, as I mentioned – just over a month now, and I haven’t played it a live setting but I will report back any more findings as they become apparent.
I hope those of you who have read this rather long review will find it useful in deciding whether to purchase a Bently Music tenor saxophone or not.
Links
www.bentlymusic.com
stores.ebay.co.uk/Bently-Music
www.saxontheweb.net
www.shwoodwind.co.uk
www.gigdust.com
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