I have a Venova, bought it 2 weeks ago. It was hard to get a mellow sound in the beginning, then I learned how to hydrate the reed . But then I saw the Xaphoon while looking for lessons, and just ordered one. Anyway, I have to play them as breathing exercises, I lost part of my breath after getting COVID.

You need to play all 3 decently to do a review like this.

This is a helpful video. The thing with the Xaphoon is, the guy put many, many years into making them, out of bamboo for quite a lot of that time and then he wanted to make a mass-produced one out of plastic but (he at least used to have the whole saga of this process online) it had to be accurately molded, durable, stable, etc. In other words, a lot better quality than, say, a plastic soap dish. I have two "I wonders" about the Xaphoon. One is, I have small hands and I keep hearing the top two holes are a real stretch. Secondly, I keep hearing about the mouthpiece being, well, a real mouthful. I don't think I'm going to answer these questions without just going on ahead and buying a xaphoon. As for the Ammoon/Chinese mini-sax, if you just wanna make some noise, it looks great for that. As for the Venova, what the hell was someone thinking about when they designed that monster? Why in hell did Yamaha invest the time to make a horrible thing like that when with a lot less research they could have worked on making a good plastic shakuhachi, on a par with their excellent plastic recorders? Shakuhachi is not a hugely popular instrument and I still bet it would outsell the Venova 10 to 1.

Had a minisax, but couldn't get anything useful on it. So I sent it back and bought a Maui Xaphoon, and after a frustrating time I managed to get a sound that wasn't too horrible. I'd recommend the Maui and it's sounding a little better every day.

Огромное спасибо за ваше мнение об этих инструментах. Я долго думал что именно купить. Теперь я принял решение. Thanks!

I kinda lowkey love how dirty that venovo sounds, you could really play some sultry Coltrane on that thing no cap

The Venova is the superior instrument. You would benefit greatly from some flute ,clarinet ,or sax lessons even on You Tube here .You shouldn’t be getting so much spit in the chamber just from a few minutes . Learning the proper use of a mouthpiece will greatly benefit your results .Take your time just take mental notes while you need to while you play guitar .Do the prep a little a few minutes a day at first do the simplest lessons .Like when you first started guitar it was irritating right ..but we get over it . It can be more irritating to not progress .Depends on what project or song you want it for .Good luck rock on 🤘🏻

Very good comparison video! I can stop considering the Venova. That sound ain’t down my alley - especially compared to the genuine Xaphoon 🎵🎶🎵

I thought that I bought a Xaphoon, but after watching your vid I realised I bought a Venova, bummer!

Thanks, just what I was looking for.

Thank you Stuart for your presentation. I hope in the next one, you could include the Hichiriko created by Kouhei in Japan and the bambbo saxophone created by Erik "the flutemaker" in Florida .

Thanks!!! Iam gonna buy a Maui Xaphoon.

glad to hear that I have already made the right choice. I'm expecting my xaphoon in a week or so :-)

This is the video i needed

Thanks mate for the review

Thanks to your advice, I decided to have Maui Xaphoon! But I haven't had any experience trying reed instrument yet; wouldn't it that much difficult to make "sounds" with Maui xaphoon for beginners?

Sorry to correct you, but a proper clarinet cloth is better, the have a weight on a cord, and you pull it through once. They are handy, and fit in your pocket book!

The mini sax sounds like a mosquito flying around your head.. quality of sound is 10/10, would definitely attract them to you.

Thanks

thx, I will pick up Xaphoon

İ know that a xaphoon (Maui) can produce a clarinet and a sax sounds. İ want to take this instrument. There is one more instrument which İ am interested in: a chalumeau (Comet in resine in C or B°). İ have listened to chalumeau sound and they are different, some of them sound like clarinet, some of them like a sax.. Should İ take also a chalumeau or just one xaphoon with its 2 sounds is enough?

Hi, Nice review of all three instruments. Have a quick question. My daughter plays traditional recorder very good, but learnt to play as left-handed player ie right hand on top left on bottom. I see u play the same. Where did you get your Venova from, as I see it's set up for a lefty player. I'd like to buy for my daughter. But can't find anywhere on Internet the Venova that's made for left handed finger player. Any help much appreciated.

The Venova thing at least sounds like a sax. I wonder they have a tenor version or something.

The Chinese one do have a name called little sax, but it is really difficult to control.

Xaphoon is the best, hands down

I get where you are coming from ,because I have the same enthusiasm for taking up interesting sounding instruments.It doesn’t seem like you are doing any half hole finger positions. On many woodwinds that’s where the notes you are missing are located . I get where you are coming from ,but any serious woodwind player would be kinda irritated by this video 😂 .I personally think the Zaphoon sounds kinda like a kazoo with holes -either the wrong holes ,not enough or you aren’t doing the half hole fingering on one or more of the notes .Which can be awkward at first but it’s woodwind 101 .Or just having a hole on the back that alternates with the very furthest finger hole(s) out can take care of that short of octave problem.

So they're basically a recorder with a reed? They sound like a raspy recorder.

Would you happen to know where I can get reeds for the mini (little) sax? The black one you said was under $40?

I got the Alto venova and its much nicer sounding. I was going to get the soprano but I read that the Alto was.just better over all

Should Xaphoon also be cleaned ? Or dosent need to 😊 thanks

Get the company to pay you NOT to try their minisax instruments

Did you try the Woobasax?;)

Is that the Xaphoon Pocket Sax?

There are even some superior to those? Something that sound more as a sax and less as a clarinet? thanx

"reeds' need to be premoistened before you can play them well. Some people will dip them in water before mounting them on the mouthpiece. Playing a reed isn't like a guitar, you have to "warm up" the instrument before you can really play it. Where as a guitar, warming up is really a condition of the artist, excluding any tuning being done. Try swapping mouth pieces around? Put your Xaphoon mouth piece on a Vanova? Maybe you just play better with that strange mouthpiece for some reason?

I was a Reed major these sound like a kazoo

Back in the day, did you ever own an old Car called 'Christine'?

Can any of them do more than one octave?

Xaphoon sounds like a clarinet, not a sax. Venova sounds like a sax like you're having trouble playing. Minisax trouble playing and a clarinet.

my xaphoon sounds like your yellow instrument, loud and horrible, affraid to not disturb neighbours

The minisax sounded horrible to me;it brings back bad memories of an out of tune baritone sax I owned some thirty years ago.

lol they are all horrible buy a 50 buck clarinet from the pawn shop.

This is practically an unpacking video for non reed/non flute players. A bit like reviewing a guitar or piano with gloves on - it does no justice to the instrument.

4:12 2:45

спапибо большое на трость от тенора саксофона и внизу он звучит как тенор а наверху как кларнет значит и постановка амбюшуроа будет разная у других инструментов трость от альт саксофона и постановка не меняеться и легче следить за интонацией звука

Músicos ruins sempre colocam a culpa no instrumento!!!!

😂😂😂

Too much sax and violins on KZfaq.