Thinking of buying the best soprano saxophone?
When you’re choosing a soprano saxophone, what should you think about? How do you know which is the best soprano to buy?
It’s a question I’ve been getting a lot from our Sax School members. So today, I’m checking out three amazing choices from P. Mauriat.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- The 3 best soprano saxophones
- How to choose the best soprano saxophone
- Tips for aspiring saxophonists
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Top 3 Soprano Saxophones
We’ve got the mid-range La Bravo.
Plus, we’re looking at their “Vintage Personified” model – the System 76.
And if you like your sopranos bendy, we’re looking at this – this is the curved version of the System 76.
This is going to be a packed session. Let’s get stuck in.
Now my mate Jim, down at sax.co.uk in London, sent these sopranos up to me to test. And he was telling me that this unlacquered System 76 is their most popular model.
But I’m a big fan of an underdog, so I’m very excited to see how this Le Bravo compares. So, let’s start with that one first.
Le Bravo 200
The Le Bravo from P. Mauriat costs around £1800.00 Sterling ($2250). I tested the alto version of this recently, and I was super-impressed because it’s got a bright, punchy sound. They’ve got these nickel silver necks on them. Very, very cool.
On the soprano sax, it’s actually silver plated, and you get a straight neck, plus you get a curved neck. Some people prefer the angle of the curved neck. It’s a personal choice thing. For me, I’m a straight soprano guy.
The body of this is gold brass, and the key work, I have to say, feels fantastic.
So, let’s listen and see what it sounds like.
By the way, I’m using the same mouthpiece for all the tests today. So this is a standard Jody Jazz HR star in a seven, and I’m using a Vandoren blue box size 3 reed.
Listen to my playtest.
Ah, this is a nice soprano to play. What do you think of the sound?
There are a couple of things, though. I find these side keys really low. I like the top one here. This is great. But the B flat and the C are so low. I have to change my hand position to be able to reach them.
And it’s the same for the palm keys. I find it easy to get the D, but the E flat and the E are just a little bit low for me.
But overall, the keys feel smooth. It’s really easy to get all the way down to low B flat. It feels nice on your fingers. And I also noticed there are quite a lot of adjustment screws on here, which I really like.
System 76
Moving on to System 76, you can see there are quite a lot of differences in the shape of the keys. The keywork also feels different. The key mechanism feels lovely and smooth under your fingers.
P. Mauriat says the bore is bigger on this soprano saxophone. I wonder if we’ll be able to hear the difference in the sound.
Now, in this finish, the System 76 comes in at about £2,800 Sterling ($3399). That is way cheaper than the comparable saxophones from Selmer, Yanagisawa, or Yamaha. It’s only about two-thirds the price of my 875 Yamaha soprano in black lacquer that I normally play.
Now, I like the one-piece designof this System 76 as well. Somehow, without the faffy necks moving around, it just feels a bit more connected.
And also, on this soprano, there’s something magical that’s going on with the sound. Have a listen and see what you think.
Listen to my play test.
So, what do you think about the sound?
For me, there’s something cool going on with this soprano. There’s a richness and a warmth to it. It just feels so lovely to play.
You know, there’s nothing for me to dislike about this saxophone. I still find the side keys are a little bit too low for me.
But to be honest with you, it was so engaging. Once I started playing, I pretty much forgot all about that.
And also, I love the feel of the keywork. I love the feel of the back thumb rests and little changes like the octave mechanism with this little indentation on there. Also, the high F sharp key feels great. Everything about it just feels smooth. I love this saxophone.
So, how are you getting on choosing a soprano saxophone? Have you decided between these two options yet? Hold your horses because there’s a third option I want to show you.
System 76 “Curved”
So, you’ll most commonly see sopranos in a straight format.
But you can also get them like this in a curved shape. So it’s the same length as the instrument. But it’s not a straight soprano sax, it’s a curved one. It’s shaped a little bit like an alto saxophone, except the neck is at a different angle.
Now I’ve never really been a fan of curved soprano saxophones because, to me, they always look a little bit like a toy!
But I have to say, after playing this for a few days, I’ve enjoyed it. A couple of things struck me.
First of all, I’d expected to have my hands close together and to feel a little bit trapped as I’m playing it.
But the distance between the right and the left hand is the same on this, as it is on a straight soprano.
And you don’t need to use a neck strap. You can – but with a neck strap, I do feel a little bit trapped.
But the coolest thing about a curved soprano is because the bell bends up and faces up at you, you really can hear what’s coming out of your saxophone. And I have to say it’s got a beautiful sound as well.
So mechanically, this curved soprano sax is pretty similar to the straight System 76. This one is a little bit cheaper, though, at about £2,400 Sterling ($2949 USD).
Let’s see if we can hear a difference in the play test.
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The cases
So both the Le Bravo and the Straight System 76 come in this case. It’s a nice case with two strong handles. It’s got big pockets on the front, and you’ve got backpack straps on the back too.
But check out the case for the Curved System 76. This is extra special. It has nice big handles on it. It’s got a big pocket on the front. But on the back, it’s got an integrated rain cover. There’s also access here for your headphones. And a massive pocket on the back, which has got your backpack straps in as well.
Choosing a soprano saxophone: my favourite
So, which of these two straight sopranos is my favourite?
Well, to be honest with you, it’ll probably be the unlacquered System 76. There’s something really special about this saxophone – both the way it feels and the way it sounds.
But listening back to the recordings, I am super-impressed with this Le Bravo. I think it’s such a great-value saxophone, and it plays well.
So, if you’re choosing a soprano saxophone, I think either of these models would be a great choice.
In fact, overall, testing the alto and the soprano saxophones from P. Mauriat, I’ve been really impressed with all of them. So if you get a chance, check them out.
Advice when choosing a soprano saxophone
Now, whichever saxophone you choose, it’s really important to remember that you must be prepared to spend some time getting used to that saxophone.
Because it doesn’t matter what price range you’re buying in, every saxophone has got its quirks, whether that’s a keywork thing or an intonation thing.
So you need to spend a few weeks of focussed warm-up and technique practice to dial in, get used to the new instrument, and be able to get the best sound you can out of your beautiful new saxophone.
Plus, if you get the chance, it’s always best to go somewhere like sax.co down in London, where you can try a whole range of different saxophones. You can get some great advice, too. That way, you can find a saxophone that speaks to you. What we’re looking for is a saxophone, whether it’s alto, soprano, or tenor saxophone, which you absolutely want to pick up and play every single day.
Play test side-by-side
Well, there’s just one thing left to do. Let’s listen to all of these saxophones side by side with the backing track so we can hear them in context.
Have a listen now as we swap between all three options and see which soprano saxophone sounds best to you.
If you’re learning soprano saxophone (or alto sax, baritone, or tenor saxophones) and you want access to world-class lessons, tutor support, and our worldwide Community of learners, try Sax School PRO with a 14 day free trial.