I purchase the AS-860 about a year ago after viewing Doc's video. The case was definitely an issue as the horn arrived with a leg of the Bb cage loose. I called them up and immediately got the technician. They shipped me a new horn overnight air at their expense after the technician went over the new horn and sent me a video of him doing so. The new horn arrived in tact and has been a delight to play. I have had no problems with the AS-860. Just some minor adjustments of the screws as the pads settled in. The only complaint I can muster is that the horn came without any AS-860 marking. I was told the serial number would be sufficient to verify the horn was an AS-860 by calling the factory. It plays great and was a good backup while my Selmer Super Action 80 was being overhauled. I'd give the horn 5 stars for sure and 5+ for their service. Thanks Dr Wally for the review. I'm in total agreement.

It's great to see a review that is real - both in that you are not in it for financial gain AND this is more than an "immediate response" to the horn, Really living with something makes a big difference in the information that comes from the review. Many thanks!

Those were an excellent couple of reviews on the AS860 - thank you! And also very timely for me.

Your band sounds great! I can listen to you guys all day long over a great red wine. Thanks!

Thank you! Interesting, fun and informative. I stayed until the end. 👏

Dr Wally: I don’t think you have to qualify your playing this instrument as “masochistic” etc….. Back in repair school 2002-2003 we took apart a Chinese trumpet or two and they were terrible: fitment of the parts, finish, solder joints, valve tolerances, etc. Our teacher wanted two things from we students 1) take note of what’s going wrong on these Chinese horns and 2) if they want to be around in 10-20 years, expect them to improve. Lo and behold here we are. There are many great products coming from Taiwan/China these days, and it’s not masochistic at all to embrace this! Think of early Japanese (Yamaha) instrument. The early ones (1970’s to 1980’s) were excellent BEGINNINGS but benefited from development. Nobody really hesitates to give Japanese horns an honest try these days. And these companies have earned this respect the old fashioned way! This time is coming for Chinese/Taiwan instruments if it’s not already here. Thanks for your great content! You’re great!

Great review. I’m loving that companies are making excellent horns at approachable price points.

Wow! Great company and customer commitment.

Jean Paul's offerings seem like they're extremely solid for the price. I bought their intermediate torture stick (a CL-400) for doubling and it is a pretty well-built instrument that plays well with good intonation, and has held up. Of course I immediately threw a Vandoren 5JB on it like the saxophone heathen that I am.

Wonderful Video Dr. Wally, as with them all. Am 82 years of age and started playing 8 years ago, now with a Selmer Ref.54 - the only difficult part is always your ending ......... Go practice !!!!. But I do!., as far away as the UK

Thanks Dr Wally! I play tenor and I have played a Jean Paul TS 400 for about a year and a half. I love it! I can't wait until the Pro Jean Paul Tenor comes out! Thanks again for the awesome review and videos!!

Jean Paul is the real deal. I have the JP AS-400 and it's a great and fun student sax. Now I'm really considering the AS-860 as an upgrade. Thanks for the video.

Great review. I found it interesting that you mentioned that the King sax you got when trying vintage horns wasn't up-to-snuff. In the 1960's I learned on a Conn alto that I borrowed, then I bought a Selmer Mark VI. I was very pleased with the horn, but then I heard that the Selmer Mark VI was the best tenor, but the King was the best alto. The only regret I had about the Mark VI was that it got stolen after I had it for about 3 years. I stopped playing for a looong time. Now I have a used Almati, that I bought in '95, but it took me 15 years before I got it into proper playing condition.

I recently bought their curved soprano, they sell it as an intermediate horn. It’s a lot of fun! I think intonation is fine. It’s surprisingly heavy but with decent ergonomics.

Awesome and meticulous review. Also, you hitting that low Bb was as silky smooth of a Bb as I've ever heard.

I have 3 of their student saxophones, the Tenor, Alto, and Soprano, and after 3 years of playing I haven't had to have a single repair. No leaks, no wonky springs, nothing. The tuning and intonation are solid, and they are fun to play. I did have to adjust 2 of the springs on my alto when I first got it because they didn't close quite fast enough, but a little tweak with a spring tool and it's been playing fine ever since. I also started on a Jean Paul CL300 clarinet which has similarly been playing great for several years now, and while my main is an E11 now, I don't mind playing the jean paul at all. It's not like the other crap you get on Amazon. They are heavy, solid, well built, and feel like an instrument not a toy.

Happy Tuesday Dr Wallace!

I bought the AS400 alto sax about 5 months ago and have logged around 20 hours on it so far. My only complaint is that the G# keypad tended to stick to the keyhole initially. After breaking it in and cleaning it a few times this was no longer an issue. Other than that it has been fantastic to play! My other horn is an Allora Vienna series intermediate tenor sax and I've probably put 500+ hours on over the course of a decade. I know it's comparing green apples to red apples, but I have to say that my Jean Paul outplays my Allora any day of the week. Excellent reviews between this one and your review from a year ago! Let me know if you want to sell your lacquered 860 😉

Great video Dr Wally. And I guess well done Jean Paul. Are all these various branded horns coming out of the same Chinese factory, or are there several, competing for the business? Also, that piece you played at 15.45. That altissimo phrase. is gorgeous, clean and in tune. Please do a video on Altissimo fluency!

Are you going to do a review on the new Professional Jean Paul Tenor Sax? I would personally love if you did. Thank you!

Hey Dr. Wallace! Great stuff! Always appreciate an honest review. Question: what platform do you use to trade saxophones? Thanks!

Hi Doc, I have a question for you: did you see any sound inprovement on your JeanPaul after playing it for one year? Thank you in advance and great video, as usual...

Hi Doc since you been trying so many sax. Have you ever try a straight alto or tenor ? I bought a Dakota straight alto which is brand new and it's still in its box because the case is so large and it not easy to carry around, but also havn't blow for 2yrs due to chest/lungs problen but still enjoy your videos

Thank you so much for your videos. I have a Selmer Radio Improved and the intonation in the upper register is difficult for me to control. I also have an 1970's Mark VI tenor and I do not have the same issues with playing in tune on that horn. I was wondering how much was due to my skill as a player vs the horn. And on another topic, your 56 mouthpiece has made playing so much more fun. I've never bought a new piece of gear that actually OVERdelivered!

Here’s the thing about, ‘Made in China’ that has been misunderstood. China produces what the market demands. For years the American market demanded cheap, disposable products and that’s what China gave them. But they have always been capable of high quality and produced high quality for the markets that demanded it. There’s now a shift in some markets for high(er) quality and China is delivering. You want some of the highest quality electronics on the market? China. But it’s not going to be cheap. On the sax side, I’m glad you did this review. I started sax 1 1/2 years ago and started with the student version of JP and have no complaints on quality. It still plays as well as it did when new and I’ve probably got 1200-1400 hours on it (had a lot of spare time with covid). I’m considering their pro version and also want to purchase a tenor and soprano and go all in. This gives me confidence to consider JP with those horns as well. Thanks Doc Wally for this honest and candid review. 😊

Great video as always. I had the Jean Paul beginner horn for a while now and I was planning to upgrade to a pro horn. where I live I can get a used Yamaha YAS-62 and a new jean paul as860 for about the same price and I can't really decide... Since you've played both for a reasonable amount pf time... What would you do? Thanks in advance Doc ❤

Love your channel Dr. WW. Amazing teaching skills. and now, selling skills. What is the pretty sax you usually use as your prop / knee accessory when you talk to camera?

So Doc. Just a question on this sax. There are some saxophones that you pick up, they are so fun and so resonant that you can't put them down. I found that to be true of a lot of the cannonballs and keilwerths...I have an AS 400 and for me, it has some of the exciting features of a keilwerth meets selmer aspect. Do these pro horns have all of the fun quirks? Like, are they "I can't put the sax down" type horns? In some keilwerths, I can get a vibrating where I can hear some of the upper springs ring or speak- a funny quirk that I love so much. Are these pro horns like that? Do they have the interesting aspects? I can get that feeling on my AS 400.... I hope you understand my question. It's hard to really verbalize what I look for when I like a horn. And a while a lot of the newer horns are very good horns, they lack in personality. How do you rate these pro models? Thanks Doc Wally

Never-ending Story!!! Love it!

Another ver useful video, Dr. Wally. How does the JP compare to the Selmer Mk VI you’ve been playing recently? And how do these 3 compare- your Yamaha, the MKVI and your Yani?

Whilst I don't play the saxophone myself, I love your videos, and Totally Geeky sense of humour. I think you can get these in Australia, via Amazon. I'm not sure what getting spare parts would be like, here in Oz ?

Wow, what a great review. And if you really mean that you've declined their affiliate offer, then my honest respect. I'm so tired of the guys saying "that's video is not sponsored, however Native Instruments kindly send me this as a gift and you can have a discount, bla-bla..." and then I can't even return that junk to the store cause I'm in Ukraine, ugh... Thanks again and best wishes from Ukraine!

thanks doc 👍

Thanks for sharing this update! Any word or experience with Jean Paul’s tenor horns?

I can't wait to hear some music from the Sononauts! Until then, though, I will go practice....

Wow!! What a great sound!!!! Than You so very much for this video . Not only I enjoyed watching you you play it but totally got me interested. Why ?? Great question thank very much..lol I own the student tenor sax And as much as I enjoyed playing tlmy tenor O am more an Alto Saxophone player. For medical issues it's difficult for me to play th Tenor so I find myself playing the Alto Saxophone. That being said I would love to own the Unlaquer Alto Profesional Saxophone. I used saxophone as music therapy after my service in the military Desert Storm to be specific and it does help me a lot to cope with my everyday issues. But enough of that. Maybe one day I be able to get that Alto Saxophone by Jean Paul cuz it really a beautiful sound. Unlike the used Alto that it asking me for retirement.. lol

What do you think of 1986 couf alto sax my friend thanks so much

Good afternoon a quick question do these instruments have adjustment screws on the right and left hand stacks.

Would love for you to do a (similar?) review of Jay Metcalf’s Better Sax Alto. At less than $1k it seems to me another excellent value choice.

Hey Wally! How does this sax compare to a p mariet or an Eastman? Thanks!

Would love if you compared this to the BetterSax

👍 Sounds good Doc!

Would you mind sharing where the Mark VI was purchased? I heard it's hard to buy a good one because it really depends on buying from a reliable seller and who did the overhaul. Thanks for the great review! I wish I'd have considered this before spending more money on a pro horn.

@DrW: will the silver plated version tarnish like grandma's candlesticks or does it stay shiny without having to polish it??

Sounds like a good buy. Thank you. NOTE: Make sure you disable the Chi Com camera/GPS tracking uplinc...... :)

The Never Ending Story is my all-time favorite movie!! I think that if you buy the instrument, there is no conflict of interest in terms of using an affiliate link but if it is given to you by the manufacturer, that is a dicey issue. I truly hope that you use the affiliate link that they offer. Here is the math that will convince you. At 5% commission on a $1,300 sax, that grants you $65 per horn. You can reasonably sell 100 through your affiliate link over the year in that you have been playing this sax in every video. This grants you $6,500!!! Its scarier if your video goes viral and you sell 1,000. That would grant you $65,000. From a certain point of view, by not using the affiliate program you will have essentially paid $65,000 for the saxophone. I think that with the honesty and integrity you have with your channel, you deserve the commission you could earn from this. I'd love to know how many Cannonball saxophones were sold because someone watched my videos over the last 14 years.

Speaking of vintage horns... Have you played Martin Comittee III's or Beuscher Aristrocrats??

A serious question for you sir is this a better instrument than the Zen Cooper saxaphone. Good afternoon Sir.lve already practise d for today.

Mr Dr WW, your mark VI, compared to the Jean Paul, surely the JP is more user friendly? and does your mark VI require far more "TLC" then a new JP. Coming from a vintage guitar collector, they are nice to have. a pain in the butt to keep in tune / working order. I imagine it is the same for saxophones?

Joe Henderson? On this channel?! I'm very excited for that one.

Hi Do They do an unlacquered Tenor please ?

I just bought one. It's really nice compared to the AS400. I'm a total beginner. Can you please look down the inside of the horn, and see if there is a screw about an inch below where the neck attaches, and protrudes about a quarter of an inch on the inside of the horn. I got a pull through swab stuck in the horn. Also would that effect the intonation, or high notes by obstructing the airflow? I find the intonation is a tiny bit flat, and the high notes and F# are weaker and flatter than when I played them on the AS 400. Before I send it back, I'm trying to find out if that screw should be sticking out like that. I don't think it should, but I'd like to be sure. Thanks Alot.

Jean paul AS 860 vs yamaha YAZ 280. Cual es mejor?

Any plans to try and review the BetterSax by Conn-Selmer? It seems to be to the only real competitor to the Jean Paul at this price point. Would love to hear a comparison.

I have a Super 20 silversonic from the 70's intonation sucks but everything else is awesome! (OK, the keywork is a little clunky as well) Really been a frustrating experience for 40+ years but still haven't found anything I like better for the amount of money, just have to constantly think about adjusting to the intonation. Bad decisions you make when you're 16, LOL!

I'm not sure If I should buy the Jean Paul or a Yamaha YAS-62. Which one would you recommend?

Updates another year later?

If you can play, you can play. And Wally, you can play ANY horn and it’s your sound. Beautiful

Sax players seem to love paying friggin high prices to the big 3 or 4 brands. It's about time more brands get out there and compete on price.

Proud owner of the JP AS860. Love it!

Duty 860 soprano that's the one I'm thinking about buying it's 1200

Hmmm... interesting. I've have my trusty mkVI alto since 9th grade..45yrs? (I'm getting old). Rock solid.. only minor work all these years. A few year back after playing outside in a freezing rainstorm in a holiday parade it occurred to me... I really need to take better care of this instrument.. I picked up a 80's Selmer USA as110..perhaps one of the last decent American made saxes.. However I paid $700..(too much considering condition- mismatched pads and all).. then spent $800 on a total redo.. Like $1500 invested...on a horn valued at maybe $700-1000 bucks. I love the slightly more modern keywork..but probably as expected.. doesn't sing like my mk VI and weighs a bit more..So I use it for outdoor & sketchy gigs. I probably would have been much better off buying the Jean Paul.

As a non-player, I appreciate the attention to detail about the student-vs-pro model variations.

"Loudest voice on the internet forums". Was that some shade throwing at SOTW? Brilliant.

Quiero una boquilla concejo saludos maestro de México,

Cool. I just don’t understand why removing a process from the manufacturing of the instrument (lacquering) equates to a higher price for the consumer…

I have my eye on a Cannonball student model that someone is selling locally; but, if that one falls through, I have no issue saving a bit more money for a brand new Jean Paul sax. Thank you, Dr. Wally!

Love the video! I too like that it is an American company. I had already heard many wonderful things about the owners. Really wanted to buy a silver tenor, but I do my best to avoid buying as many things as possible made in communist countries.

Whomp, there it is! Trust me folks, nothing is for free! Also when these instruments are demoed, nothing is played raw. It is mixed. Don’t buy into the hype! He prefers his Mark VI because it’s the best saxophone made, period!

I need class

My IPhone Sucks , but your Horn Doesn’t Cool.Happy for you.

I dunno. I understand people wanting to pay less, but when there’s a horn still made in America then I prefer that over the slave labor from China.

D’OH! Posted before watching the end of the video. Sorry.

I'd really prefer to get the issues of journalistic integrity out of the way at the start of the video and not bury it in the middle-end, especially when you mention having such a close relationship with the family. Yes, there's no immediate financial interest and I know your main shtick isn't "saxophone reviewer", but it's probably good to mention if you're really going to drop a (even well-meaning) hype video for their new release.