Used is often the best value in saxophones – if you dodge the pitfalls. The forum threads on this are refreshingly frank. Here is what owners and techs advise.
The golden rule: get it checked
The number-one advice, everywhere: have the horn inspected by a tech before buying (or negotiate a trial). A light leak-test reveals in five minutes what the eye misses. The corollary: budget for a setup – a full repad/regulation often runs $200-600, sometimes more than a “bargain” suggests.
What to inspect
The recurring points: pad condition and leaks; dents on body and neck; key play and alignment; solder joints (tone-hole chimneys, keys); neck pull-down. Worn lacquer, by contrast, is cosmetic – it doesn’t affect the sound, so don’t overpay for shine.
Value and scams
Brands that hold value (Yamaha, Selmer) resell well – a safety net. Be wary of relacquered vintage horns sold at a premium: a relacquer can reduce a Mark VI’s value, not raise it. And the classic trap: the “amazing deal” that needs $500 of work.
The takeaway
A checked used Yamaha or Selmer, with a setup budget planned, is often the best buy available. Avoid no-name used (see our cheap-saxophone feedback) and overpriced relacquered vintage. For scored models, see our L’Anche ratings.
How owners structure a viewing
The threads describe a fairly standard routine for looking at a used horn. Play it (or have someone play it) across the full range, listening for notes that don’t speak or sit out of tune; press the keys to feel for sticky pads or lost motion; and, crucially, do a simple leak check — a light down the body or a gentle seal test reveals in minutes what a quick look misses. Owners stress bringing your own mouthpiece so the sound you judge is the horn’s, not an unfamiliar setup’s.
Budgeting for the setup, in numbers
The single most repeated warning is to plan for a setup cost on top of the price. A regulation and minor pad work might be modest, but a full repad and overhaul commonly runs into several hundred pounds — the figures owners quote often land in the $200–600 range and sometimes beyond. Fold that into your offer: a “bargain” that needs a full service may cost more than a dearer horn that’s already playing.
Which brands the threads trust
Names recur for a reason. Yamaha and Selmer dominate the “safe used buy” advice because they play well, are easy to service and hold resale — a genuine safety net if the instrument later has to move on. The flip side is caution around anonymous or no-name used horns, which combine uncertain condition with poor resale, and around vintage instruments priced on reputation rather than playing condition.
The relacquer trap and other red flags
Beyond leaks and dents, owners flag a few subtler traps. A relacquered vintage horn sold at a premium is the classic one — a relacquer can actually lower a Mark VI’s value rather than raise it, so shine is not something to overpay for. Others include neck pull-down, dodgy solder joints on tone-hole chimneys and keys, and sellers who won’t allow a trial or a technician’s inspection — often a sign there’s something to hide.
Where used genuinely wins
For all the cautions, the threads are clear that used is often the best value in saxophones — provided you buy carefully. A checked, serviced Yamaha or Selmer bought below new price, with a setup budget planned, regularly beats a new instrument at the same outlay. The pitfalls are real but avoidable; the players who come away happy are simply the ones who inspected first and budgeted honestly.
Buying remotely, in the threads’ experience
Plenty of used saxophones now change hands online, and owners offer consistent advice for buying at a distance. Ask for detailed photos of the pads, tone holes, neck and any solder joints; request a short video of the horn being played across the range; and clarify the return terms before money changes hands. Where possible, favour sellers or dealers who have already serviced the instrument and will stand behind it. The recurring warning is that a remote “bargain” carries the same setup risks as a local one, only harder to inspect — so the safest online buys tend to be from reputable dealers rather than anonymous private sellers.
A note on method
This article synthesises public exchanges between saxophonists, owners and repair techs on specialist forums (Sax on the Web and r/saxophone in particular), consulted in June 2026. Comments are paraphrased – never reproduced verbatim – and remain the opinions of their authors. We cross-check them against our own grid without conflating the two: our L’Anche rating method documents our criteria.
Communities consulted:
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