Thomann CMS-600 S C- Melody Sax

J'écris cette évaluation pour donner des informations importantes qui selon moi ne sont pas claires pour un futur acheteur.
Premièrement, en tant que débutant au saxophone, je peux dire que je suis très satisfait de ce saxophone.
Déjà il est très joli, bien plus que sur la photo ou il a l'air vraiment trop chromé brillant. En réalité il est plus beau. Il sonne bien et est agréable à jouer. J'ai juste un soucis d'accordage qui n'est pas très précis à mon goût (et celui des mes amis musiciens). Cela dit, il faut avouer qu'après l'avoir signalé au SAV, celui ci (qui semblait surpris) m'a immédiatement proposé un retour pour réglages ou remboursement intégral. C'est quand même assez pro!
J'ai choisi de le garder comme ca et éventuellement payer un léger accordage par la suite.
Ensuite, pour quelqu'un qui souhaite acheter ce saxophone, il est important de noter:
- Il arrive dans son étui rigide sac à dos qui est parfait.
- Un écouvillon est fourni (pas précisé)
- Les seules anches compatible (à ma connaissance) sont les anches Thomann:
<a class="article link" href="https://www.thomann.de/fr/thomann_sample_reeds_c_melody_sax.htm">Thomann Sample Reeds C- Melody Sax</a>
- La sangle fournie est assez basique est inconfortable. Suffisante pour un débutant mais je recommande celle ci que j'ai acheté par la suite (bon rapport qualité prix):
<a class="article link" href="https://www.thomann.de/fr/bg_s80sh_saxophone_strap.htm">BG France S80SH Saxophone Strap</a>
- Quelques chiffons de nettoyage sont fournis mais pas suffisant ni très adaptés. Je n'ai pas encore trouvé l'idéal pour le corps du saxo mais j'ai acheté ca qui n'est pas trop mal:
<a class="article link" href="https://www.thomann.de/fr/koelbl_6510.htm">Thomann 6510 Swab Saxophone</a>
- Pour le bec et le bocal par contre j'ai trouvé le chiffon idéal:
<a class="article link" href="https://www.thomann.de/fr/koelbl_6030_wischer.htm">Thomann 6033 Swab S-Bow Saxophone</a>
- Enfin un pied robuste (peu esthétique toutefois):
<a class="article link" href="https://www.thomann.de/fr/hercules_stands_ds532b_mehrfachstaender.htm">Hercules Stands DS532B Multi Stand</a>

En espérant que ce soit utile!

Edit:
Après plus d'un an d'utilisation, il est clair que ce saxophone est une petite pépite, le son est vraiment bon (avis unanime de plusieurs musiciens et saxophonistes pros), l'ergonomie est très bonne.
Information importante: Le bec d'origine ne permet que d'utiliser des anches spéciales vendues par thomann (donc un peu limité).
Un bec de saxophone alto est compatible. Personellement j'ai opté pour un Selmer prologue (bec d'étude Selmer) qui fait très bien l'affaire.

Petite critique: le liège du bocal est de très mauvaise qualité mais c'est une opération très basique de le faire remplacer.

Musicalement...

J'avais hésité à commander ce saxophone en raison des réserves des autres acheteurs. En fait l'ergonomie est très bonne et la fabrication est excellente. L'Intonation avec le bec fourni laisse un peu à désirer mais avec un bec ténor ou avec mon bec c-melody (sans marque) tout va bien. Une seule réserve: la vis d'accord me semble inutile. Bravo à Thomann pour la rapidité d'envoi.

I usually play Bb tenor or Eb alto with jazz musicians, but do occasionally enjoy playing with blues or rock musicians who tend to play in keys that suit the guitar, like E and A major. For alto players, the guitar key of E major has to be transposed into C# major with seven sharps, or, on tenor, F# major with six sharps

Now, playing seven sharps can be managed but it is a bit of a challenge particularly in fast tempi and improvised solos, hence the attraction of a C-melody sax.

C-melody saxes were very popular in the 1920s and can often be found for sale on eBay, particularly in the United States. There are some very good instruments available, but the downsides to buying one this way are that the instrument pitch may not be aligned with today?s 440 tunings, there will be increased shipping charges to Europe, and very little consumer protection if you?ve been unfortunate enough to buy a dud.

I looked at other modern various offerings mainly from China, but decided to go for the instrument retailed by Thomann because they have to maintain their reputation with good quality control and with European consumer protection.

The instrument came in a lightweight case with shoulder straps. I like the lightness of the case but it?s perhaps not very sturdy ? only time will tell. There is an outer panel on the case, but it is not terribly useful as it is too small to carry music scores or, say, a lightweight stand; a larger outer pocket would be useful. Inside the case is the saxophone, neck and Zinner 62C Ebonite 4C mouthpiece with ligature and guard, as well as two No2 Thomann also reeds, a neck strap, a pad saver (love them or hate them?), a cleaning cloth and a pair of white cotton gloves. Three of the lower keys came with removable plastic inserts to protect them during transit.

Once assembled, how does it sound? Well,I didn?t expect it to sound like a Selmer VI, but once I had swapped the Zinner mouthpiece for an alto metal No7 with strength 2.5 and 3 reeds, I found that I was getting a good free-flowing sound throughout the range except perhaps with top G which is a bit shrill. However, I?m pleased with the overall sound which (dependent upon the mouthpiece chosen) is suitable for everything from classical through jazz to blues.

Getting the best mouthpiece/reed combination is a matter of personal choice but I really did not like the Zinner which had an excessively warm (to the point of being muffled) sound in the middle range. I found it difficult above top D and impossible at the low B/Bb. I tried harder alto reeds which made little difference, as well as tenor reeds which did not fit at all well. The Zinner 4C with a #2 reed might suit some people but I would strongly suggest that people try other combinations. Alto mouthpieces seem to fit the neck.

The neck has a tuning mechanism which I have not seen before. That seems to work well enough and I assume that it was designed to accommodate and fine tune (alto) mouthpieces with different characteristics. The corked end of the crook does feel slightly loose but that does not seem to affect the sound. From a health point of view, I expect that the tuning mechanism could be a breeding ground for germs and should be cleaned regularly.

How does it feel? I agree with comments in other reviews that the key layout and spacing is not ideal. For the left hand, location and layout of the keys for the little finger are awkward, particularly for the bottom Bb. With the right hand, the thumb rest seems rather low down compared with the side levers for Bb and C. Ideally all the side levers should be within easy reach.

In summary, yes, there are issues about key layout and getting a suitable mouthpiece, but it makes a decent sound and does what it says on the tin. I have no regrets about purchasing the Thomann CMS-600 S C- Melody Sax.

It also looks good.

UPDATE: Having become more used to this instrument, my initial concerns about the layout of the right hand side levers is no longer an issue for me. I have just become used to it and find that I compensate without thinking about it.

The mouthpiece is critical for getting a a good sound. As I wrote above, the supplied Zinner mouthpiece did not work for me at all. While my metal alto mouthpiece was pretty good, the top G was very shrill. However, since then I have been playing with my old Otto Link Tone Edge 6* ebonite alto mouthpiece, and found that it is ideal for this sax using Rigotti Gold No3 reeds. This combination gives me a good free blowing and consistent sound from bottom Bb through to top G - sounds good all the way. Embouchure is a very personal thing so what suits me may not be ideal for others.

I've been playing in arty little dance and improvising bands for 40 years , mostly alto and tenor . Until recently it never occurred to me to consider a C-melody sax . I became interested in acquiring one primarily because I am so slow at transposition and a lot of music I want to learn is written for instruments in C . What does a C-melody sound and feel like? This CMS-600 S C-melody with the right mouthpiece has a very compelling and supple sound to my ear . It is also a beautiful and solidly built horn . Thomas provides a very good mouthpiece which I will use but I'm also enjoying playing with a Morgan C5 immensely . Before I bought this horn I acquired a newly manufactured unbranded C melody from China which has very good intonation and sound as well as quite decent playability BUT the clunkiest octave mechanism I've ever tried to work with . I immediately started searching for a more modern design . The CMS-600 S C-melody 's octave key works great !! My main " complaint " about this horn is that if you don't have large hands / long fingers you have to do some serious stretching and quick repositioning on many occasions ( playing high E , F and low B , B flat ) Though I wish it was designed more like my P. Mauriat alto and tenor , key layout wise , I am getting used to it and do love its significantly strong sound. Already my band is arranging and composing material to incorporate its distinct voice