Posts Tagged ‘saxophone’
Did you know South Jersey has a SAX SHED?
Posted by topsax in Friends, General Info on February 16th, 2009
I have been in the saxophone business for a number of years. I truly enjoy this business. When I built the Topsax Weblog I had a primary goal in mind. I wanted to talk about my friends, associates and customers that I personally know or do business with. I really get excited when these people send me sound tracks, links or articles relating to their love of saxophones.
One such friend is Skip Spratt. I love his website. Skip calls it the SHED. What do I enjoy about the site? For starters, it is full of information.. just like a great website should be. The Shed is designed to help people who want to learn the saxophone, get involved with transcriptions, read cool interviews and find other saxophone links.
The SHED also has a great section housed under “tools.” Just to name some of the categories there’s: Basic Scales, Study Guides, Practice Helpers, For Doublers, Jazz Scales, .. and more!
On a personal note, Skip is a BIG Facebook fan. I think he went skiing this weekend.. at least that is what is facebook page says!
If you looking for a fun website (Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet and Drums.. yes, he has other Sheds) then you can visit this link. I have been all over Skip’s website.. I ran across this neat photo.. It shows you what the SHED really looks like.
Skip, just one question? You look so organized.. how do you do that? 
Cheers,
Bob
Super Cool Book from Eric Daniel - Saxophone Survival KIT
Posted by topsax in Friends, General Info on February 2nd, 2009
Hey Guys, you have to check this out! Eric Daniel in Rome just gave me a download link to a really nifty book.
I downloaded it yesterday and started reading it. I am really impressed to say the least. This book is just what an aspiring muscian is looking for. It covers everything from A to Z about the business. Below is a short synopsis about the book.
The Saxophone Survival Kit (Eric’s new book)… is Available now as a FREE Download (until February 28th).
Description: “The purpose of this book is to help you better understand how to prepare yourself to become a professional sax player.”
You’ll discover that many types of playing situations are discussed in detail (”Live” playing, Studio work, TV work, touring of all types, musical preparation, etc) and with the insight gained from 35 years of professional saxophone playing in exactly these kinds of situations!
Hopefully, after reading this little book you’ll have a much more clear idea of how to proceed day by day toward your goal… It’s full of tried and true concepts that will definitely help you improve your chances for… Saxophone Survival!
This book will answer many of your questions about the world of Professional Saxophone Playing…so it’s up to you… Will you act now, or will you miss this great opportunity to discover all you need to know to get ready for a satisfying pro career?
For those of you that don’t know, Eric Daniel is one of the most respected saxophone players in the business. He knows what he is talking about and can help you. This book is priceless.. don’t let this opportunity pass to get your FREE copy. Use the download link above and you will be smiling.
Don’t forget to check out Eric’s hangout at MySpace.. he has some cool soundtracks you can listen to at the same time.
Cheers,
Bob
Paul Jimenez - Latin Flavor from San Diego
Posted by topsax in Friends, General Info on January 26th, 2009
My new friend is Paul Jimenez from San Diego. Now if you are an Arizona boy like myself then you know San Diego is God’s Country when it comes to climate and beauty. Every spring there is a mass exodus of Arizona folks to this wonderful seaside city.
Paul has a nice YouTube website which is where we met. He goes by the handle of SDSaxMan on the web channel.
The SaxMan has a vivid history. In his words,
I grew up listening to Big Band music that my Father always had playing on his record player. As I got older I got into Classic Rock from the 70’s & 80’s and R&B Soul.
Paul loved hearing the saxophone in many of these bands and decided it would be cool to learn to play the horn. He started with band in middle school and stayed with it for a couple of years until the kids he was running with in High School thought he was not so cool. Later in his life he realized that he had given up something he really loved.
Paul started playing sax again in 1996 around the time his Mother passed away. He found that playing the Sax helped him through the pain of his loss. A girlfriend took him to a family reunion in Palm Springs and entered him in a talent show.
When I heard all the people clapping and cheering for me, I knew I wanted to play on stage in a band. So I later joined a few bands where I played at some local events and street fairs in San Diego.
Some of his most memorable gigs were playing at the BB Kings Blues club in Hollywood, and Opening for Morris Day and the Time who starred in the Prince movie Purple Rain.
Paul sent me a soundtrack which I embedded here for your listening pleasure. It is titled, “Siempre Hay Esperanza.” Enjoy!
Topsax ULTIMATE track from Vern Green in Detroit, MI
Posted by topsax in Friends, General Info on January 18th, 2009
Who says the Topsax Ultimate doesn’t deliver? I have known this for years. Pound for pound, note for note, the Topsax delivers the “goods.”
I just received a Jazz soundtrack from Vern Green in Detroit. His wife, brother, and he have a new production studio there. The sound track he sent me is just FANTASTIC! It is 5 minutes long and features a Topsax Ultimate as lead (PLUS he is using a new F-6 mouthpiece). I am going to cut a small portion of the track out to use as a website embed and will be posting it soon. You will really appreciate this man’s work and his fine sax playing.
Vern gave me this bit of information about his production company:
“Our business in Detroit, Michigan is for all artists who require production, engineered and mastered music. (Jazz, gospel, hip hop, classical and more). We write, compose, and also play accompaniment for studio artists. We can also supply those with studio time that simply want to produce their demo.”
Engineering: Dezert Tracks (Pro Tools & Live 6) 313.483.2232
Operations Manager: Vernard Green (Sax & Bass) 313.427.0696
Special Thanks to: Vern ,Tia (Vern’s wife) and Brother.. I wish you guys the best of luck. Please stay in touch.
Happy New Year,
Bob
Soundtrack is now ready to listen to
It is awesome and of course Vern is playing his Topsax Ultimate Alto seen in the photos here. The soundtrack should download fairly quickly as it is only 0.7MB in size. I hope you enjoy the nice smooth Jazz on the track.
Below is the MP3 player with controls for starting the music. There is also a pause and volumn control. If you have any problems with the player please let me know.
Series IV Black Nickel/Gold Keys BEAUTY!
Posted by topsax in Feedback Letters on January 18th, 2009
Letter Date: Dec 10, 2008, Submitted by: Tony
Hello Bob:
Thank you for all of your work with me on the Elite Winds Black Nickel
Alto Saxophone purchase. The instrument arrived safely at our home
yesterday morning, Friday, November 28. I have had the opportunity
during the holiday weekend here to thoroughly examine and play the
instrument at some length. The black nickel finish is indeed beautiful,
and the key action, intonation and tone quality are all quite good for
an instrument in this price range. It will serve us well as Luke
progresses with his clarinet, and now, saxophone studies.
Also wanted to let you know that I may be interested in purchasing
either a Legend IV or the Elite Winds Tenor Saxophone in Black Nickel/
Gold Plated Keys, and possibly the Legend IV Soprano, also in the Black Nickel/ Gold Keys finish. If possible, could you give me a bit more information on the soprano? I know that Buffet does not (yet) market a 400 Soprano. You mentioned to me in a previous e-mail that the soprano parts are imported from Taiwan and assembled at your factory. Is the quality of the brass and other parts, the construction quality, and especially the intonation of the soprano on par with the Legend IV alto and tenor? Is this perhaps the instrument which will eventually become the Buffet 400 soprano? Any information you could provide would be most appreciated.
Thanks again, and we look forward to hearing from you at your
convenience. Best wishes for an enjoyable, and not too hectic, holiday
season.
Tony Simons
Daniel in Germany ~ Reedguard.com
I just had an interesting Tweet (jive for a message-post on Twitter) from a Daniel in Germany. Over the years I have done business with quite a few people in Germany. It is one of my favorite Countries.
Awhile back we imported some copper alloy brass (85% copper/brass mix) from Germany to make some special Legend Series IV Altos and Tenors. WOW, the horns turned out exceptional. The special brass seems to give the horn just a tad more projection — definitely has a beautiful and unique sound.
I hope to hear back from Daniel to find out more about his sax business in Germany. When I receive the information from him I will feature his “profile” for others to find here on the blog.
Cheers,
Bob
~~~~~ UPDATE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I heard back from Daniel today. He is in the saxophone reed business. He has a nice website. You can check it out here:
Topsax and Legendsax trivia and history..
Posted by topsax in General Info on January 17th, 2009
The factory which produces the Topsax Series III and Legend Series IV saxophones has a rich and colorful history. Forty-five years ago everything started in Taiwan. When China decided to open its doors to private industry the company made its move. The factory has flourished and prospered since then. The company is small by most standards with around 300 employees. Its production is approximately 15,000 saxophones per year.
The key advantage to having a smaller factory is quality control. Most of the employees have been with the factory for years and have successfully honed their skills. The company is still operated on a daily basis by the original owner. The owner’s son is a United States citizen and educated in Engineering. This has given the factory a distinct advantage in doing business in China and abroad.
In recent years the factory entered into major partnerships with some very well known French, German, and American companies to develop, market and improve its products.
The Topsax and Legend is exclusively distributed by Topsax™ (a USA based company). We offer outstanding products, below market prices, direct Express shipping and a 100% money back guarantee. Buying a saxophone from Topsax is a wise investment. The quality in sound and feel will make you smile. Our saxophones are built to last a lifetime!
Link to remember: blog.topsax.us
Posted by topsax in General Info on January 10th, 2009
By the way, I set up a sub-domain so it would be easy to remember the link to the weblog.. blog.topsax.us
All you have to do is type this address in the browser.. you don’t even need the “http://” part.. the browser should take you right to the Topsax weblog.
Cheers,
Bob
Welcome to the new Topsax Weblog
Posted by topsax in General Info on January 9th, 2009
This year I thought it be great to introduce something new. The Topsax website has had a Website Forum forum.topsax.us for a number of years. It has been used to post customer feedback letters. I feel a weblog will be more fun. In addition to allowing me to post articles, tutorials and Topsax news, people can now leave comments in the blog.
You can CLICK the FEEDBACK tab above to see where the customer letters will be posted from now on.
I sincerely hope you enjoy the new website..
Best Wishes for the New Year,
Bob Campbell
~~~~~~~~~ UPDATE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Forum web address (forum.topsax.us) is now being forwarded directly to the blog address: The Blog on Topsax
