Eastman 52nd Street Alto and Tenor Saxophone’s Revisited
We were an early adopter of the Eastman 52nd Street saxophone line. In our area of New York, we remain one of few retailers to actually stock these horns. It’s been a few years now, and I think it’s worth revisiting these horns.
The Eastman 52nd Street Alto comes only in a beautiful un-lacquered finish. It’s got a large bell and is quite a heavy horn. It is extremely free blowing with just a huge dark and powerful sound.
There are many fads that seem to come and go in the music industry, where horns pop up here and there, get a ton of positive coverage, and then slowly disappear into distant memory.
Eastman has remained on top, offering an amazing horn at a great price. Many of our customers have now come back two years later, still loving their horn every day, still comparing them to their vintage Mark VI’s (favorably I might add), and have horns that are functioning in excellent condition.
One of the initial apprehensions I found our customers had, was purchasing an instrument that was a new model and a new make. We’ve had horns that play amazing out of the box, then a year later pieces start falling off, the struggling small company that introduced it goes out of business, and you’re stuck with a useless instrument and no recourse. This is certainly not the case with either the alto or tenor Eastman 52nd Street saxophones.
The only struggle we’ve experienced with the Eastman horns is keeping them in stock! With their huge popularity it’s difficult to keep them in stock, they come in and go right out and we find they are backordered for weeks or months as Eastman tries to keep pace with the high demand.
We have some videos coming soon to our HysonMusicTV Youtube channel that will have sound samples and a more comprehensive overview of the entire package, including the case that is included.
Another horn that has gotten a lot of positive social publicity lately is the Viking M58S Tenor Saxophone. We are also one of few retailers in the country to carry the Viking line. If you are considering something like the Eastman 52nd tenor, you should also take a moment to check out the Viking M58 series. They are great horns and similar to each other. Many people who try both typically find themselves debating which one they like better. There is never a clear winner, so it’s worth checking them both out!
On the alto side, many people have difficulty choosing between the P. Mauriat alto saxophones and the Eastman 52nd Street horns – again, if you are in the market for a pro-level saxophone you should definitely check out the P. Mauriat line in addition to the Yamaha and Yanigsawa lines! They all offer amazing horns that are widely used by many professionals.
If you have questions, or would like to purchase a horn, please feel free to contact Hyson Music at 516.433.1107.