There is plenty of information about some Chinese made instruments on the web, especially some low brass, so I'm starting my reviews with one that doesn't seem to have gotten as much coverage.

This tenor sax was purchased in August 2010 for about $800. Since then, it has been played by several students in multiple settings (concert and jazz band as well as chamber groups) and has seen daily use for four school years.

From the start, I have thought that it has a solid sound and response from low to high. Not being a saxophone player myself, I'm also pleased that it plays reasonably well in tune--no instrument is perfect, but my students and I have no problem playing in tune on this tenor.

The only issues I have had in four years are common to other saxophones and were easily fixed without sending it to the shop. Screws occasionally loosen, a spring has had to be reset a couple times, and sometimes students have squeezed the octave key on the neck so that it doesn't seal completely. Oh, and while I was recording the audio above, I noticed a student must have bumped the Eb/D# key guard so that it's bent a little and doesn't let the pad open enough...

I've played a couple of the newer Schiller Tenor Saxes (like this one) and found them to be similar in quality to the one at school. I haven't tried the newer version with the same finish, but I would expect it to be about the same. Having played a number of their saxophones (alto, tenor, and bari), I've been pleasantly surprised by how well most of them have played. The only exception was the first few altos I tried five or six years ago, and they seem to have improved in intonation markedly since then.

Each year I have taught, I've received a dollar amount for the purchase of instruments for the band program. This has been supplemented with a yearly fundraiser and receiving one grant during the past seven years. I've never gotten everything I wanted when I wanted it, but the school has supported a steady accumulation of things you expect a band program to have.

Early on, I wanted to stretch the budget further than seemed possible with brand-new, mainline brand instruments. The best used deal I have found was for a pair of vintage Ludwig copper timpani which came with a free vintage Slingerland bass drum. It was probably the best $600 I've spent; I still rely on all three drums every day.

I've seen some pretty terrible instruments (or instrument-shaped objects), but after personally playing on a number of imports that cost far less than their longstanding name-brand counterparts, I feel like I have been pretty successful in finding some things that work. Also, the quality has improved noticeably over the years I've been teaching.

For now, here is a list of the non name brand instruments my school owns. Down the road I'll provide some more detailed comments for many of them.

RS Berkeley P102 Piccolo

Schiller Model P Piccolo

Accent Oboe (used for six years)

Tempest Low Eb Bass Clarinet

RS Berkeley BS350 Bassoon

Anthem A-2000 Alto Sax (recently won at the Eau Claire Jazz Festival--haven't had much time to check it out yet)

Schiller American Heritage Tenor Saxophone (replaced by this newer model)

Schiller Model IV Elite French Horn (2, plus two owned by students in the past few years)

Schiller Compensating Euphonium

Schiller 4-valve (non-compensating) Euphonium

Schiller American Heritage 4-valve rotary tuba (used for five years)