Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'm a 40 y/o who has played sax since junior high, but i haven't owned a tenor in a long while. I was pleasantly surprised but what I got for the price here. I can't really understand the criticisms about worksmanship or quality, the sax feels significant, the springs are plenty snappy, the keys and stems are as thick as on any other instrument i've ever seen. i got the gold laquer version and it looks very cool, shiny and pro. the keys are probably plastic but they are a decent impression of mother-of-pearl, and they don't look cheap. someone mentioned the thumb rest as looking cheap, and i really don't see it. looks like every other sax i've seen. i also liked the fact that it came with all the things you would normally have to buy separately, even at this low price point. the tuner is better than your average tuner, even has a built in metronome. the case came with backpack style shoulder straps. even came with some cork grease and a rather uncomfortable neck strap that i will probably toss. the tone is totally acceptable for non-professionals. it doesn't sound cheap or honky to me. it hits all notes in the normal playing range easily and according to the included tuner the intonation is as it should be. the starter reeds were not terrible if you had none to begin with, and an entire box was included. one minor criticism is that the stem of the octave pad on the top of the neck was slightly out of whack on the first play. i applied a slight bend to it (it's already bent by design, I just adjusted it) and since then i've had no trouble registering upper or lower octave. this is a problem i've seen on other horns and any sax can become similarly bent through shipping or abuse. overall the horn is a remarkable deal and i'm pleased with the purchase. i don't usually write reviews, but i wanted to let people know that if they're looking for a beginner sax there's no reason to steer clear of this one, you can safely ignore the haters. this sax will get the job done until you land a gig with Wham! and make the big bucks.