There are so many “affordable” saxophones available in today’s market, that it’s becoming more and more difficult to sort the quality from the rubbish. The Bauhaus AS-PD is typical – albeit one of the better examples. It’s well built and comes with an exceptionally clean and stylish finish. What however makes this particular model really stand out from the crowd becomes apparent when you pick up the instrument and start feeling your way around the keywork – it’s almost identical to a Yanigasawa. Clearly this gives the AS-PD the edge when it comes to playability and of course players who have started on this particular instrument will immediately feel at home when they (hopefully!) move on to the real thing. Indeed, the keywork may well be key to the ASPD’s potential success.

The overall feel of the instrument is very solid and it offers a very positive response. This is further enhanced by the indented touch pieces that add to the playing comfort, while the positioning of the palm keys would seem to come straight from the Yanigasawa template. The octave mechanism is really responsive and we found that there was plenty of beef to be had in the bottom end to keep even the most critical of players happy. Intonation was good and the harmonics were solid. However, we would have ideally liked to have seen a wider dynamic range and a more individual character to the sound. But at this price point, maybe we’re asking for too much!

The AS-PD comes with a nylon denier covered, semi-rigid, preformed, plush lined zippered case with rubberised grab handles to both the top and end. There is also a full length zippered pouch pocket and a useful back harness that connects to a pair of ‘D’ rings and packs into a zippered rear compartment when not in use. (DG) For more go to www.woodwindandbrass.co.uk