Jean Paul TS-860 Review: Can It Compare To A Mark VI?

[@JamTex1965]

A few years ago, as my son was getting into 6th grade beginners band, he wanted to play the alto saxophone. I did allot of research that kept leading to Jean Paul and their AS-400 student alto saxophone. I decided to buy it. My son played it through the 6th and 7th grade and he loved it. This year, he was told to upgrade to a professional saxophone. I thought of Jean Paul first so I decided to buy the new AS-860 10th Anniversary edition. He says it's much better with smoother, quicker responsiveness, nicer tone quality and he says it just feels better in his hands. He said he'll be more then happy with this saxophone for years to come. This is a great, very beautiful instrument and sounds so amazing. Oh yea, and they have a professional sax technician check and set up every single sax they send out and email your technicians sound check of your instrument. Great customer service as well. Thank you Jean Paul! Very satisfied with this purchase.

[@HahnJames]

I have a Jean Paul SS-400 curved soprano sax. Shortly after it arrived, the octave keypad on the neck came off. Jean Paul sent me a whole new horn. I was used to a straight soprano so playing a curved took some getting used to but, I grew to like it. I've been considering getting a tenor sax and this model was one that I looked into.

[@ChaplainAcosta]

I like the warmer sound of the TS-860. Great vid.

[@aaronbacon486]

I love this review. I am that customer. I bought the TS 860 all silver and LOVE IT. The sound is dark and pure. Intonation is good. My hands are large so I’m considering a cushion for the thumb hook. Otherwise no complaints.

[@DynamixWarePro]

The play test results surprised me,. I had them the wrong way around. I thought B was a slightly stuffy sounding but I actually liked it more than A.

[@patrickmarino8601]

I bought the tenor and lowered the right hand key height. I found the horn played much better in tune on the upper register after lowering the action in the right hand. I also had to adjust the key tention on the left hand springs. They action was very strong but now it's perfect. The horn plays great for the price! I'm going to get a gold plated neck for it for what I hope will give it a little faster response and and rich core. I think that set up will be about the best I can get with it and for the price it's a winner

[@patrickmarino8601]

I bought the 860 anniversary model after watching your play test. Thanks, that was great test. I bought a second neck from jean paul for this tenor. The neck I bought from them was a 24 ct. gold plated neck. The tone is richer, more powerful and brighter. If you play test this set up against the selmer mark six you would be amazed. The stock neck is darker and doesn't sing like the gold neck does. The horn I bought is a laquer plate. I know they sell a silver horn and I would have bought one but I already have an 875 silver custom yamaha tenor with an M1 neck.

[@flyntwick]

It seems like Jean Pauls naturally have a darker tone (which I personally prefer), so I guessed correctly. Excellent review, as always. Thank you for all of your work!

[@GeneralOccam]

Commenting before the reveal. I like B better overall, mostly for how the very quiet notes sound.

[@patam-patam]

Fortunatly, i gessed À was the Mark VI. The Sound is far away brighter and when you pass To the B it seems like you put a mute on it. Thank you very much for this very Well done test and the discovery for me of this fantastic jazz song. Best regards from France 😊

[@pimeye]

Wow - great playing. I have a '59 Mark VI and I thought it was horn B.

[@bobblues1158]

Great, thorough review! Sound good.

[@datapolo]

Guessed correct but definitely preferred the sound of the JP.

[@mikeaustin1]

I own a JP TS-400 ("student" level). Basically really like it but want to move "up". Haven't found many reviews explaining just why it's a "pro" (vs. their 400) models, or comparision to pro saxes to ferret it out. So I appreciate you comparing this to a standard (Selmer). Am likely to buy it or one like it (I'm a multi-instrumentalist who doesn't aspire to/will probably never be primarily sax monster. I took it up/like it for rock/pop to play standard solos and that's "all" I really want with a sax, but tons of enjoyment in doing "just" that!) but have wanted to know why it's worth a move "up." Your review helps. One question: I'm (not too painfully!) working a lot on altissimo which is (of course) used a lot in rock/pop/R&B. I'm not sure whether my TS-400 is conducive to that for a few reasons, it seems very inconsistent (yeah, blame it on the instrument, not me, lol!)... I was wondering how effortlessly it moves through the altissimo register for you. Any tough notes to get out (I know it varies w/people - and horns!). Just wondering on that. Also, as a vote, I do not like the key look one bit - it makes the sax look dirtier to me, like dirty fingernails (maybe if they glowed more blue than black...); fine if you're going for a vintage or "worn" lacquer look, but like you I like a shiny, bright look. I much prefer the lighter/white tone and it's a deal breaker for me, but JP said they could make the swap if I ordered with enough lead time, which I would do. So chalk up a big "thumbs down" on the keys. Thanks for the review!

[@bccoregon]

I guessed correctly. I always hear a sweeter tone from Selmers. But affording a Selmer is a stretch.

[@giUyi]

I love the sound of B

[@manuelvalencia9407]

Without looking at the results, I like them both, but A seems a bit more attractive to me. I can keep listening to this piece over a good glass of red wine. Thanks for a relaxing play test. (Update) I guessed the Mark Vi. However, for the low price, the JP TS-860 seems definitely worth the money. BTW, my Selmer Ref. 54 Alto Sax has the same hook as the JP. Thanks again for the video. Are there any other videos with you playing like this video? That playing was great!

[@keithcampbell6806]

Good afternoon good review. Seems very honest something to remember Mark Vls are old. They are overrated and overpriced. Keep up the good work.

[@pederlong1784]

Very good demonstration

[@vanellouidor8458]

B was my favorite. It has a lot more rich depth notes to it.

[@dme7689]

I liked B better. I have the AS-400, been playing it for 4 years and I like it. The thing that keeps me from buying this are those fugly key touches. I hate em. They could be replaced I suppose, for a price. Also looking at a used cannonball vintage reborn and considering buying a Yanagisawa from across the pond. We're getting ripped here in the states. Great playing!

[@v0xius785]

Do you know if the keys are still that “black pearl” plastic? It’s advertised as a sandstone on the website I believe.

[@SaxTuition]

Interesting! The pictures look the same but I don’t remember seeing them advertised as sandstone when I received mine.. Might have to reach out to JP to double check

[@nhr27]

How does this compare to a YTS-23? I could sell mine and buy this and break even!

[@hansmathiasthjomoe4817]

An interesting video. As far as I know, the sound comes from the mouthpiece, the reed, and the player. When you expect a difference, you hear a difference. If you had played the same song with the same horn and called them A and B, many would have heard a difference. Do that once.

[@robstevens9590]

Thanks for this review!

[@dvez7542]

I guessed correctly here and in another test. The JP, to me, has a sweeter darker sound which is something I seek in a horn

[@lubatico]

Nice video but why was the plane airplane going to Brazil?!!

[@jackluster5637]

Try the Viking Valkarye

[@labros475]

In the blind listening test, I liked "A" more...

[@vivianastridge2167]

No demo where a regular musical passage is used as the test piece can such a test be considered valid. The listener is distracted by the execution rather than the sound. The proper way is the playing of a slow chromatic scale. The mark vi is somewhat overrated.Based upon my experience in refurbishing of saxophones , clarinets and flutes of more than fifty years I can state with total confidence that I have not found one manufacturer consistent in the quality of their instruments. Of the large number of mark vi’s that I have worked on, I have found just one single piece that performed not merely excellently but ultra excellently. The matter of ribbed construction is a moot point. Ribs add to the rigidity of the horn which favors the highs but adds to the mass or weight of the horn which favors the lows. Whether manufacturers have researched this situation is not known and will never be revealed. The master engineering genius inventor, ultra craftsman, virtuoso and composer Theobald Boehm never did use ribs on his instr4uments and for sure he would know. Incidentally resoldering a displaced rib is a serviceman’s night mare.

[@FaithLikeAMustardSeed]

B sounds better 🐝

[@martinmordad]

B

[@dh891]

I think you need to be careful about saying your review is "unbiased" when you make money every time someone buys this saxophone using you "affiliate link". Any review is inherently biased if there is any incentive whatsoever to have more of those saxophones sold.

[@SaxTuition]

The integrity of my channel is everything to me, much more so than the small amount earned through affiliate link/s. My ethos has always been to provide full transparency to the audience, and review each instrument exactly as I see it - in that way, my review is unbiased. If an instrument has been provided to me free of charge, or an affiliate link has been included - I will always disclose that. The flip side is that if my channel was seen to be too promotional or biased in its coverage (for the sake of boosting affiliate income), it would be of little value to anyone - even the manufacturer/s who might potentially send me their products! Pointing out flaws in a product, ironically, builds trust in both the channel *and* the product being reviewed by empowering the audience to make an informed purchasing decision. So whilst intellectually, I completely agree with you - rest assured, in practice there is little to no incentive for me to ever produce a biased review 😊

[@LAJames-gi2yw]

A had the better lines and sounds better.

[@blindboyjonny]

I think most things look pretty good when they are free. I bought one of these and it arrived with an inoperable octave key due to slop. When I took it to the mechanic to look at it, he pointed out that two of the lower pads were leaking in one of them had a Non-level pad seat. Was going to need $200 worth of repairs. I would stay away from this company. Too much hit or miss. Everybody loves them, but I sure got a lemon. When I sent it back they charged me for a return postage even though what it was defective. Caveat emptor

[@SaxTuition]

Oh no - really sorry to hear about that experience! Thank you for sharing 😊 - Jeremy

[@HahnJames]

Why didn't you contact Jean Paul's customer service?

[@nhr27]

They will fix it for free or just send you a new horn.

[@benhostetler268]

Why not call their customer service they would’ve taken care of it right away.

[@AstroPinoy]

These kind of reviews are useless to me, why would you want to review a unit that was handed over to you instead of buying a random unit on the market? JP will not send a crappy unit they will hand pick it for you.

[@pederlong1784]

Very good demonstration