Thomann TAS-350 Alto Sax

All in all a very good saxophone. It exceeded my expectations, as Thomann did with my baritone and soprano saxes.
I did need to make some adjustments, but after that it played beautifully. I’m over the moon with this little gem.
You get a lot of sax for a very fair price. As of now Thomann has never disappointed me.
I know you can get an original version for 8 times the price, but I doubt that it will play 8 times better. The original doesn't even have the adjustable palm keys!


Pro’s
• Nicely finished.
• Very good build quality. There is absolutely no play in the rods, tight as clockwork.
• Once regulated, intonation is very good.
• Ergonomics are outstanding.
• Neck fits securely and tightly in the receiver.
• Regulator screws all over the right and left hand stacks. Always nice to have those (if you know what you are doing)
• Forestone Traditional reed as a bonus. Really good reed.

Cons
• Low notes B and Bb were almost impossible to play. G# regulation screw needed half a turn clockwise to solve the issue. Easy fix. Should have been noticed during quality control.
• Cork missing on the right hand bis key. Easy to put a new one on, but shouldn’t have happened.
• Palm key Eb cork is really squishy. Probably needs replacement with a harder cork.
• Neck cork was tapered as opposed to cylindrical. Seems a common problem with most saxes.
• Not all pads are perfectly centered, but is doesn’t affect playability.
• Adjustable palm keys are fixed with in bus or torque. Hard to see. Would have been nice to have a key supplied.
• Very sticky left hand bis key. Solved with q-tip with some lighter fluid.
• The case accessory compartment is not complemented with and adequate lid. The lid of the case does not match the shape of the compartment. This results in stuff flying around onto the sax in the case because of the gap.

To begin with let's say about the quality of the instrument and all accessories. Case Solid and fell to my liking. Made of leather, because keep it from scratching. The tool is not in it otstyvaet quickly in cold weather, so insulation is quite good. Native mouthpiece sounds good, I like it (but I recommend to change to something more worthwhile. In principle, as with any tool). Good valve linkage. No backlash is not observed. Everything runs like clockwork. When using the included mouthpiece and reed "Rico Royale" 2 size, the sound is more docile and jazz. With his cane, "Van Dorn" 2 size sound more restrained, classic. I recommend this tool for beginners and amateurs because of the low price, but good sound.

I hate having to give a bad review, but I really want to get my point across when things like these happen.

I was sent a used unit, wish visible scratches, fading paint loose keys, even after making sure to pay for a new one, not b-stock.

Playing on it wasn't that bad, I tried for about half an hour until I realized that the mouthpiece and ligature included are sub-par. If you decide to get this, buy a Yamaha 4C mouthpiece and ligature so you can efficiently play and learn the instrument.

Returning mine for a refund. I hope others have a better experience with their purchase.