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JP Tenor Saxophone 042R rose brass

JP 042R rose brass Tenor Saxophone Bb Lacquer Excellent starter instrument designed with the beginner in mind. Musically versatile with good tonal and dynamic characteristics. Supplied with back pack style case. High F#. Stunning performance level. See detailed crit.

My weekend with the JP 042. Pete Long - session player

I'm not quite sure how they've done this. My first Tenor Sax was a beast known as a Powertone, and if my memory serves me right set my dad back around £400 in 1981. At the time, a student model saxophone was an expensive proposition, costing around 55% of the price of the then brand leader, the Selmer Super 80. Therefore, by rights, this instrument should weigh in at around £1450. It should also have a slightly muffled sound, a cheap looking bulky case, awkward keywork, uncertain intonation, a slightly unreliable mechanism and a look which can only be described as cheap and nasty. It really made you feel like you were a student!

On being presented with the 042, it was immediately apparent that advances in the manufacturing process over the last twenty-five years have changed the nature of the student model instrument to such a degree that its very category of "learner instrument" is now no longer really appropriate. This new tenor comes in at around 8% of the cost of the current market leader, and quite frankly, blows all the other intermediate instruments clean out of the water. There is now no point buying anything else until you feel you are ready for your first professional standard hooter. No point. Even then, it will make a very useful spare!

To see how the tenor would fare on the field of battle, I used it for my work this weekend. Early Friday night saw me at a blues bar in the City of London. With Mayor Ken's traffic regime being what it is, I felt my best move was to get to work on public transport. The case that comes with the 042 is light, strong and really surprisingly thin. Best of all, it has backpack style straps so I was able to weave my way through the Friday commuters and not be impeded by a huge wooden box in one hand, or a cumbersome gig bag dangling off one shoulder and then becoming impaled on the ticket barrier! Having had a relatively stress-free (no stress due to carrying the sax) journey in, the gig was a breeze- this tenor has a distinctive and very bright sound, ideal for cutting through in this context. Also, I felt that I had unrivalled access into the altissimo register, and I was able to play cleanly up to the F# above top F#. The lower harmonics especially felt very easy, and the top G# available here was the best I have ever had. On the quiet numbers, it was very easy to produce a bluesy subtone. The feel of the keywork was very positive, especially the low Eb/C and the left hand little finger stack, and the instrument felt proper. Unlike most budget instruments, it weighs the same as a real one, and its lacquer job leaves nothing to be desired.

After that, it was off to Ronnie Scott's for a quick blow with the house band. Here the quick precise action of the sax was a godsend as some of the tempos really got flying! Again it was great fun to be blowing something which had such a bright sound, and such easy access to all corners of the range.

Saturday's work was a tad different, and would test the instrument in a different way, as I had to do two performances at a well-known West End Show. This particular production has the band not in a pit, but in a room more akin to a recording studio. Everything is heard, if you will excuse the terrible mixed metaphor, under a microscope. Happily, the 042 sailed through the lot, bang in tune and at all the different dynamic levels. There are big rock and roll solos to play on this show, one of which ends on long and extremely exposed top F#. All no problem! The chap next to me on the other sax was flabbergasted when I told him that I was playing £260's worth of Chinese hooter! He said it sounded better than his rather more expensive all-singing all-dancing silver plated Japanese one. We also noted with some mirth that, since the first note of the gig the night before, by about 8.15pm on the Saturday, the instrument had actually paid for itself!

Amazing.

Pete Long has had an illustrious career including work with the Jools Holland R & B Orchestra, Stereophonics, Claire Teale and many other household names.

UPDATE - This sax was played by Pete Long on Radio 2's 'Friday Night is Music Night' on May 4th 2007 including the lead solo!
Please note that, as is common practice, Pete uses his own choice of mouthpiece on this saxophone.

An extract from a recent email…………..

Hi John

Just to corroborate Pete Long's, Jamie Talbots's and John Whelan's comments regarding your sax range.

For a start both the tenor and sop I ordered came within four days. Both of them have a clear, full and even sound with wonderful intonation, and even the mouthpieces that came with them are perfectly acceptable for students. Before I opened the cases I just thought of emailing you to say that, despite having a sling, smashing carry case, shoulder straps and mouthpiece and ligature you slipped up by not including a reed - but - silly me, a reed was on the mouthpiece and an extra in the case!

I am using these instruments solely now and everyone is most impressed. I wish I could have had them in the ultra busy days of the 60's to 80's when I was blowing myself out every night with the Eric Winstone band and touring and recording with Sammy Davis, Sarah Vaughn et al. The demanding work of the Sondheim musicals would also have been much easier with the ease of playing that these surprising horns have.

Please bring out a master clarinet and range of flutes soon and we'll all be happy!


All the best

John Franchi

The 042 was used by John in the recording of the Royal Variety performance 2007!

Dear Sir or Madam, I have just received my JP042R tenor saxophone, assembled it and having put the mouthpiece on, started to play one the best
instruments I've ever come across. During 40 years of playing for a living I've had a Mk 6 and two Selmer super 80s and this one is every bit as good. Great action, tuning and finish. But most of all a beautiful rounded tone from top to bottom, and it goes from a whisper to scream without losing itself. Thank you for setting it up so well. By the way, the mouthpiece and reed that came with are not what you'd expect from a "budget" instrument. The mouthpiece is good' un.
Thanks again.
Best wishes,

Geoff Driscoll

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