As ZeroZero pointed out, a lot is a matter of taste, and although the model you mentioned has a decent reputation, there are always inconsistencies between different individual horns in the same run. As I said, when I tried out 3 with close serial numbers, the intonation signature of the three were similar but different in severity.

The Yamahas have good resale value, and a good reputation with repair people, but again, the tone is a matter of taste. I prefer a darker tone myself, which is why I didn't keep my Mark VII very long and adored my old H.Couf.

I would suspect that for a student, ease of playing and better than average intonation would be good attributes.

I also would avoid very cheap horns. I don't teach anymore, but in the past I have a few private students. One girl bought a cheap soprano sax, because she adored Kenny G. but had a difficult time playing it.

Smaller saxes are more difficult to play anyway, especially for a student, because little changes in the lip make for a bigger change in the intonation. But she could not hit a high E on the sax. I tried it and the high E was a challenge for me to hit as well. I had a Meyer classical mouthpiece at the time and I tried it, with no improvement. I had her take it back.

So if a sax tech cannot get the Jupiter in regulation (and I suggest the school look into that), it might be time for a decent student horn.

The Yamahas are bright sounding, but you can darken that with a large tip opening/chamber mouthpiece if you desire, but they have good resale value so when it's time to trade up to something better, you will get a better trade in.

There are experts on Sax On The Web forum that know a lot more about that than myself, including a lot of people who repair/overhaul saxes. Like any forum, there are a lot of people who are happy to help a newbie, especially someone who is bringing a new young sax player into the fold.

Notes

Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
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