How Good Is the BetterSax Alto?

In this video, I unbox and play-test the BetterSax EAS112 against a Yamaha Custom EXII and a Mark VI. I have concluded that the EAS112 a really solid horn that feels and sounds better than many horns I've tried that are several thousands of dollars. The sound out of it is very powerful and focused. I'm genuinely shocked it's only $900. It honestly may be the best student/intermediate horn on the market.
Table of Contents
0:00 - My First Time Trying the BetterSax
1:14 - Unboxing
4:30 - Feel Test + Observations
5:38 - Playing Comparison
9:58 - Closing Thoughts + Giveaway
10:33 - Outro + Ritual
Affiliate Link to Purchase BetterSax EAS112 (currently $100 off!):
sweetwater.sjv.io/q4yWRb
Since I am a saxophone hoarder who is happy with the saxes I already own, I'm giving this BetterSax Alto away for free with Jay Metcalf and Sweetwater's permission! Click this link below to enter the giveaway contest (it ends August 1st):
(link expired and giveaway ended! Thank you to the 7,000+ contestants who joined!)
~~~~~~
‼️ My eBook PDF Download on Daily Sax Fundamentals for Technical Agility (138 pages!) (Over 1.7K sales, thank you!!!):
linktr.ee/saxologic
- Saxophones I'd Recommend For Your First Purchase:
jeanpaulusa.com/r?id=med166
- Boston Sax Shop Products (use this affiliate link to support me!):
www.bostonsaxshop.com/?aff=10
- Saxologic Signature SYOS mouthpiece:
syos.co/en/products/alto-sign...
- NEW Saxologic Merch:
saxologic-shop.fourthwall.com
- My Instagram:
/ tgnathan​
- My Practicing Instagram:
/ sheddbro​
- My Gaming Channel LOL:
/ @smashologic8710
- My Gmail:
[e-mail]
~~~~~~~
⬇️ Gear I Use :D ⬇️
🔷 SAXOPHONES:
• Alto: imp.i114863.net/yR3kOB (My other horn is a Mark VI)
• Soprano: imp.i114863.net/DVg3qG
• Tenor: www.nexussaxophones.com (Use code SAXOLOGIC10 for 10% off Nexus reeds, mouthpieces, and ligatures, or SAXOLOGIC150 for $150 off the Nexus saxophone!!)
🔷 MOUTHPIECES:
• Jazz Alto: imp.i114863.net/oe3OGe
• Classical Alto: imp.i114863.net/b3zVqm
• Soprano (Classical & Jazz): imp.i114863.net/vn3V0W
🔷 REEDS:
• Jazz Alto & Tenor: www.bostonsaxshop.com/shop/p/... (My coupon codes are "YESSIR" or "GOODMAN")
• Classical Alto: imp.i114863.net/a1mePq
• Soprano (Classical & Jazz): imp.i114863.net/DVg3q5
🔷 RECORDING & TECHNOLOGY:
• Sax Microphone: imp.i114863.net/rn3XRd
• iPad: imp.i114863.net/P09bYj
• Video Editing Laptop: imp.i114863.net/a1meYN
• Camera: tinyurl.com/2p9fcn9d
~~~
I have been a bit inactive due to circumstances that clouded me mentally. I am now out of those circumstances, and I feel my healthy mindset coming back. I am going to commit myself to posting once a week again. I will strive to post every Wednesday at 10am! See you then.

[@bettersax]

Man always so happy to see an upload from you but this is a very special treat. Thanks for trying the horn at Sweetwater and taking the time to compare it to your other saxophones. Was great to hear the variety of playing examples as well. Love how you sounded on all three and it was interesting to hear the differences. Good luck to everyone in the giveaway. Maybe I can help you announce the winner in a livestream?

[@Zephalops]

Hi, @bettersax, I really enjoy your videos.

[@francismadale8525]

Your videos are very helpful, especially to me who is still developing my skills on playing alto sax. God bless you🙏

[@Saxologic]

Thanks for checking the video out and letting me try the horn! Yeah I’m totally down for a livestream to announce the winner.

[@skaholic_tv]

Is this a professional sir?

[@ibrahimceferov9776]

Hi ,I love your video

[@Harako15]

1:27 Hey look, a wild Mingus

[@FoolishFrankie]

My guess is that extra piece of cork is just in case any of the corks fall off you can slice a piece off and put some back on. Maybe not, but I had to do that with my Eastman and it came with a bunch of smaller pieces🙈 Great unboxing man!

[@knottednumber]

Yooo i love your channel

[@bassax7045]

not sure , maybe just Sweetwater to impress with extra cheap accesories,no white gloves though 🤣 , my better sax came without the extra cork ,rest was the same but no spare cork

[@rayjeezygames]

i remember you replied to my comment once

[@tafita_andrianasolo1512]

One of my friend use pièce of cork, like the one in the video, in order to let the hole open (i dont Know how to Write it in english) so that in doesnt stick

[@th3j0t46]

@@knottednumber same lol

[@bosephburcios]

i’m so happy you did a classical showcase i’ve been wanting to see one on the better sax for so long

[@AcevedoDMA]

This is what I need!

[@ed.z.]

The most amazing demonstration I’ve seen in forty years. And it’ll probably save sax students a fortune.

[@toddjones6946]

I always look forward to seeing you play the sax, makes my day every time

[@shoelace6836]

Every upload of yours further convinces me to learn sax

[@fshre]

Nice video. You inspire me to play. I joined the high school marching band this year. I dreamed of this durring 7th grade now im in 8th grade marching with other friendly saxophonists. I am so glad to be where I am today just because I watched a saxologic video.

[@saxofonspelaren]

I am am very glad that you are back in saxbiz you are really needed. Bettersax horn is amazing for the price even the fact that you never fail!😄

[@theyeak]

Hi Nathan! You have a lot of jazz tutorials, but do you think it would be possible to go over some classical saxophone fundamentals? Correct embouchure, tongue position, oral cavity, etc. Love the content man

[@directcurrent5751]

Even Jay's packaging is classy! We're lucky to have Jay in our life. Everything he does is top drawer. If he can make a high quality but very affordable saxophone, game changer! I think closest we have US matching those attributes is JEAN PAUL.

[@thepianokid27]

Amazing value from the BetterSax! Sounds absolutely fantastic for its price!

[@LiamAnderson-kw7mp]

Always a good day when Nathan uploads.

[@chezswing]

Youre back! Good to see some new content. Also I love that you named your dog Mingus.

[@rhamses]

Hey Nathan! Nice video. I'm looking for my first saxophone ever and have been looking into this model but other videos have not been this good in compare it with other models, thanks for that.

[@WilfredCamacho]

Excellent review. Bravo!

[@DoJ22]

love these videos, keep em coming man 👌

[@johnthomson2377]

It's great that you were able to come out to my hometown to visit Sweetwater!

[@yoshitravelsjapan]

Nice to hear how it sounds with classic setting🎉

[@Ramcazz]

Great comparision! That bettersax sounds good☺️

[@ISLEaxe]

Great sax comparisons. Im mark six and yanagisawa fan however the better sax does give a good rivalry. Thanks for great demonstrations.

[@jeffreyfelder7981]

Ive played a ton of saxophones, ive played expensive horns on gigs and $300 horns on gigs... it's not always the horn, when it comes to sound, your sound is your sound regardless of what horns you play... you sound great on all of them.

[@stevelacatena]

I like the Mark VI best for both the jazz and classical things you played. It had that Mark VI core sound. The Yamaha seemed a little brighter to me with a very slightly thinner sound than the Mark VI. It seemed like the Better Sax modeled itself around the Mark VI sound. The Better Sax seemed like a fantastic choice for a beginner, intermediate, and even advanced before moving on to a fully professional horn.

[@user-cv8uc4iy5h]

Let’s go the legend is back!

[@boyzemail4769]

BEST UNBOXING COMMENTARY EVER👌

[@Thejet9750]

The goat is back 🥳

[@dk7472]

Honestly surprised how powerful sounding the yamaha is. You make all of those saxes sound fantastic!

[@fabio93bg]

yes the Yamaha was really presente, big

[@gusmarrero]

Awesome review/unboxing and your sound is superb. By the way, I can tell your muscles " I see you ...." Beast arms.

[@Saxologic]

Haha thanks Gus yes sir!

[@TedMaciag]

Nice video. For me, a player of 60 years the YAS was the best overall. The Selmer was best on the classical passages, but I really liked the YAS there too. The BetterSax for the price is a great sounding horn. I could play that out and with a few EQ tweaks warm it up. It certainly is a good value horn. Nice job. Good luck to you.

[@anthonydevenuto6881]

This man deserves 10,000,000 views so good

[@arnaugarrofe3559]

I dig this Bob Mintzer Solo! Yeah man!

[@joedakroub]

You sound lovely on all of them. The BetterSax is a strong horn for sure. 🎷

[@TarzanSpeedruns]

I've put in my entries to the giveaway. This would be a really cool horn to have alongside my YAS-62 that I've had for almost 6 years now. The BetterSax sounds like a nice and darker contrast to my normally brighter sound. I would love to invest in a BetterSax Tenor or Soprano if those get made in the future!

[@fbales]

Very cool. And thanks!

[@brittanyatterberry]

That horn is amazing!!!

[@yddra1732]

Loved your video as always! Just had a thought though, do you think it would be possible to add the name of the pieces your playing excerpt of somewhere ? I have very little knowledge about the classical saxophone repertoire and it would be lovely to be able to find the whole thing that you are showcasing. I know it would probably be a lot of additional work for only a small amount of people interested in, so I totally understand not doing it, but I'd love it!

[@Radiosabines]

Thx for the video that confirm that the sound comme from the player, and your sound is very good, , on 3 sax, Better SAx from bundy seems reallly well made , vive la Musique!

[@brandonforster8635]

I'm saving hard for a better sax and burning mouthpiece combo!! They look amazing!!!

[@Beauweir]

I can fully respect a demo done using classical music. I've never seen that before on KZbin.

[@michaelbednall2610]

Mintzers got some tasty lines in his solo on Mosaic, nice one 👍

[@davidcooper3910]

YAS EXII: Very warm/rich tone with lots of clarity Selmer: brighter jazzy sound with slightly quieter keys BetterSax: beautiful looking horn with what feels like a bright sound as well. very well rounded for the price. W for all of them

[@ds1755]

⁠The better sax sounds really good. One thing I did noticed when you were playing it was it looks like that horn requires a lil more air/effort to blow. Maybe it’s the mouth piece or neck or maybe a combination of both. In the end I understand it’s a beginner sax but a good horn to start on. Thanks for the demo.

[@dominikn19]

Man, I don’t know a thing about saxophones, but I really enjoy watching nerdy saxophone videos a lot! 😂 Especially when they’re played that well! 🙏 Always gonna watch your wonderful content, Nathan! 🔥

[@paulgentile1024]

nerdy ?....this is hip

[@dominikn19]

@@paulgentile1024 Of course it is. By nerdy I mean "into detail". Non-saxophonists wouldn’t talk about all of this. Nerdy is kind of a synonym for passionate in this context. Have a good one!

[@bambino100011]

The Selmer VI has that classic jazz sound that I really like. =)

[@SVTapatya]

Nice job!

[@Jack-Barton]

The one bag with the cork was packing materials that originally came with the sax. When it came out of the Conn-Selmer warehouse, the cork and foam cubes were likely pressing some keys down for transportation. Since Sweetwater does an extra inspection at their warehouse, they probably removed them from the sax, but put them back in the case for some reason.

[@Jack-Barton]

@saxologic. Hooray!

[@mcruz9063]

HE'S BACK

[@kooky74]

The sound comes mainly from the player and the mouthpiece. You are a good player and it seams you used the same mouthpiece. Then all are nice. Thx for the video

[@bccoregon]

Selmer wins every shootout ive ever listened to. How does Selmer manage to sound so much better than any competition? Everybody wants to know.

[@Michelle-bn1fu]

Selmer is super pitchy in this demo.

[@ufishing8724]

Love ur videos

[@davidclaro152]

Wow! Amazing horn ata great price!

[@braedenmorris3160]

It’s such a good surprise when u click on a saxologic video and realize it posted 2 hours ago

[@Maria-In-Motion]

Love it. Is the contest closed?

[@maxdabest8326]

I loved your comparison!! I was wondering if you could share what you were pieces you were playing?

[@francismadale8525]

I'm hoping to win the that horn. I really enjoyed your contents. I love watching your videos especially when you mix it with a bit of comedy haha.

[@tabbywarrior]

Playing classical on the Mark VI gave me a good chuckle. They all sound fantastic though. Def gonna pick up a Better Sax though.

[@fortunaa_]

i love seeing mingus in the background

[@T-Slider]

Nice. Thanks

[@mrm2579]

Ps. Thanks for visiting Fort Wayne, Indiana and the Sweetwater headquarters! Come back soon.🎷🙌🏽💫🎶

[@garyboyd3255]

I like my original issue Bettersax horn better than my others. I have played Yamaha, Yani and Selmer. The Bettersax is lighter and is better in tune. I got a special setup by Sweetwater, which probably made the difference, and it was at the end of the first run of no F-Sharp. But with a Meyer's style mouthpiece, it has been great with two-years of use. A better horn than most vintage horns will be without Matt Stohrer next door.

[@cardboardmusic]

I don't know if it's the same company anymore, but Bundy used to make great plastic clarinets (and probably other stuff too). I played several of the instruments for ages, as they were good 'doubling' options - nice bass clarinet as an example. It's fun to see they still make good quality 'cheap' stuff. Also for the story (of your testing ideas), I know that John Ruocco (famous sax player and teacher in northern Europe) plays a very cheap 500€ sax nowadays. It sounds really good, and I guess if he sold off his Selmer, he's enjoying the extra cash and still making great music.

[@bilbostoy]

Yamaha sounded great. All the horns sounded great. It's the player who is responsible for the sound. What is amazing is that the Better Sax is thousands of dollars cheaper than the Mark VI and the Yamaha and sounds good along side those great horns.

[@yothisiselmo]

as a drummer who just started sax, i was like, man this guy looks familiar for some reason. lol cool channel

[@donaldphillips2648]

Thanks for your wonderful Alto BestSax comparison video! I was on the fence about getting this horn but your video made up my mind and I'm going to get it. Would you say that Amazon or Sweetwater is the best place to get this horn? The price is the same so it's a matter of service, I know about Sweetwater but have never purchased from them before. Any thoughts about it would be appreciated!

[@jpdj2715]

All sound great, in your hands and mouth. Where the differences would likely be greatest is at the upper and lower end of the ranges of these instruments. They might not be identical in range, also?

[@016_]

Its so good, its branded!

[@MaximPustovit]

Absolutely different embouchure work in different styles. Wow! How it possible to control? 🤯

[@TravvyMedia]

yaamuhoo sounds great

[@MichaIsraelKovler]

Dear Nathan Perhaps you would consider sharing with us your amazing musician side on your next videos, not just your merchant side... With love!

[@samucaeosmano9207]

dude youre so good too its unfair

[@rickspyder6159]

Glad I got the yamaha Is all I can say

[@DaveKGold]

Overall, I definitely liked the sound of the Yamaha the best. At times I liked the Better Sax better than the Selmer, especially in the later excerpts you played. Considering the price, the Better Sax is pretty dang good. And one never knows that with a different mouthpiece you may very well end up with even better sound, because you really sort of need to match the mouthpiece to the horn. I would buy one if I was in the market for an alto and didn't have a bunch of cash for it. Thanks for playing some classical stuff along with the other pieces. I really appreciate that. How's the regulation on the Better Sax out of the box? And after maybe some tweaks? Wondering if we can convince Jay in to making a Bari....! How's the regulation on all three with a tuner?

[@DustinKreidler]

To replace my Selmer Model 22 (ca. 1927) which was woefully underpowered for leading a big band (having played bari for the past 20 years), I bought the Better Sax pack (alto, Burnin' mouthpiece and the ring ligature) from Sweetwater, assuming worst case scenario, I could just return it because Sweetwater is awesome. No need. This horn rips, plays effortlessly in tune, and as this video demonstrates PERFECTLY: The Yamaha and the Selmer might be "better" horns... but they are NOT 5x or 7x better. So what does that extra $4K or $6K buy you, exactly? Name recognition? If that's worth it to you, by all means. Me, I'm holding out hope for a BetterSax bari. And if I ever need to replace my Martin Committee II tenor, I'm going straight to the BetterSax tenor. (Note: the one thing that I heard clearly was the Yamaha has the quietest key action of all three. Both the Selmer and the BetterSax had a lot more pad-clank on the classical piece than the Yamaha. I went back to re-listen, but the Yamaha was clearly the quietest horn, mechanically-speaking. Stuff to keep in mind depending on the style of music you're looking to play)

[@xianreiss]

Bummer! I just saw this video and was hoping to enter the giveaway. Nice comparison. I'm currently playing on a John Packer Alto paid 200 bucks for it and was looking for something to upgrade and can't afford thousands of dollars. Thank you for your fun video. Chris

[@EdgarByars]

yes sir

[@EdgarByars]

@saxologic.wow! this is the greatest day of my life!

[@user-eo2jp7cb6t]

I have the same alto Saxophone!

[@richardcasey7521]

All three sounded great to me. Any differences in sound is splitting hairs. For $900 I would buy the Better Sax. Of course how any horn feels has a lot to do with the choosing process.

[@brittanyatterberry]

The LOOK @7:13 😂😂😂 I busted out laughing

[@iambeckypan]

The cork might be used to prop up the G# and C# keys like key leaves

[@KingPig12]

can you do a video on the band you’re in Everything Yes? The debut album is awesome and needs to be exposed to more people!

[@omarortiz5487]

Niceeee!!!

[@seandennis3148]

Well done! For my sound concept of an alto, the Better Sax was surprisingly good in that company. I think that the only example the Mark VI outplayed it, for me, was the slow classical. To what I want sound wise from an alto, the Yamaha 875EX was delivering fabulous results and consistently outperformed both the others. I realise that at only 15% the cost of the 875EX the BetterSax horn represents excellent value. Thank you for the brilliant playing!

[@cookieman136]

I agree completely. The Yamaha performed best.

[@ekesamuel8795]

Pls do a comparison between the better sax tenor and the nexus tenor

[@adamatari]

I think the Mark VI with the heritage neck was my favorite, gotta wonder how much the neck did for it... but I liked it partly because it sounded a bit flawed. It was less even across the register than either of the other two. The BetterSax definitely seems less bright than the Yamaha, though both seem to have good projection. Never though I'd say this but the VI seemed almost dainty in a way, less powerful than the other two.

[@travisshrey6720]

Maybe it would sound different in person, but I like the way you sound on the BetterSax more than the mark 6 (ducking from projectiles of all the mark 6 fanbois).

[@episodicstudiosllc]

I don't know if I missed it in the video, but what is the lick you are paying first? It sounds similar to Paul Desmond on "Maria"

[@JazzbLu]

Are you using the same mouthpiece for all horns? If not then are you using the mouthpiece that came with the sax? My favorite is the Selmer, to which I own one. Then I would go for the BetterSax I think. Very tough decision between the Yamaha and the BetterSax.

[@AbnerBrijesh]

Hello Nathan, I had a quick question about the bettersax saxes. I’m considering buying my first tenor sometime soon, and I’m currently looking at the Jean Paul TS-400. I’m mainly a classical player but I wanted something on the cheaper side that is of good quality as I start to play more jazz. Based on your experience with this bettersax instrument and the Jean Paul alto, do you think it’s worth paying an extra 400-500 dollars for the bettersax (estimated release date in the fall) or is the difference not worth the extra money. I know this comparison isn’t perfect since you’d be basing it off the altos but if you had to say, what would you recommend. Thanks :).

[@bxsoup]

BettterSax is currently in the process of making the tenor version . You may want to wait a bit .

[@jpdj2715]

That piece of cork, is it intended to keep the octave hole open, when you're not playing? They other tone holes will be open when you don't touch the instrument, but the octave key is normally closed and the pad consequently under pressure.

[@juliocesarvargas6665]

I will always say that it is not the instrument that's the instrumentalist..! ✌🏻 😎

[@Nn-uh2kb]

Great video! Truthfully, the Yamaha and Mark VI both have their merits, but the Better Sax sounds significantly worse across the board. Still, for the price? What a great instrument.

[@dooday1]

Have you ever tried a yanagisawa, i've heard it's the best for classical

[@JoJoRock197]

How does it compare to the Jean Paul AS 400?

[@DrThornton1]

Soooo.... where does the Nexus fit in a comparison like this? Or do you not have the Nexus any longer?

[@mikebell4674]

Dude, I'm sold. I getting a Better Sax. My Wife broke my Jupiter. I'm going to replace with that. Thanks 😢

[@catherineforestier4580]

Ton niveau musical te permet de faire sonner n importe quel instrument! Meme une carotte sonnerait avec toi !😅 Merci pour cette video. Cathi

[@saxplayer377]

I would have a problem being satisfied with anything with Bundy stamped on it.

[@grenade0522]

I would say the BetterSax sounds better than my YAS-26 but I'm neither a saxophone player (its my second instrument) or currently in an ensemble or group. I am also a Computer Science major.

[@Labriction]

Try kessler and sons alto please

[@davidclaro152]

Where are the giveaway instructions? I’m interested!