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I’ve been playing alto sax since 7th grade and I’m now 48. I started playing in gigging bands when I was 17 and still play semi-professionally. Currently I play in a horn section of a ska/rock band. I decided to take a chance and see if these saxes are a good viable instrument to gig with. I’m very happy to say that this alto sax screams. I will say that I use my own mouthpieces. But this thing seems well balanced, the joints are tight, nothing loose, and the tone for me is great. Tone is subjective, but I’m not only happy but the other 8 band members said it sounds great. The altissimo feels effortless and isn’t nearly as finicky in the really high range as my old Conn that I’ve loved for many years. The finish is beautiful. Almost too beautiful. I notice every smudge. But I’m used to an old sax that has almost no lacquer left and looks well worn.The only thing that isn’t perfect, is a few rough spots around the round part that holds a couple of key pearls. But nothing problematic. It looks good but is a little rough. I’ll file it a little of it bothers me but so far it doesn’t at all. I only say point it out in the interest of being super critical. I should also say that I tried the supplied mouthpiece and it was super easy to play, exactly like a beginner mouthpiece should.I’ve been long winded, but this has been a great purchase. I’m super happy with it. And at this price, I may get a couple of different colors for “show bling” in the future. I chose the all silver plated model.

Ok I’m a dad with a sixth grader who wanted to get into band. She tried some of the instruments during open house and decided to go with the alto sax. At our local music shop it’s about $50-65/mo to rent and even the “entry” level alto saxes are $650 and up. Yikes! So I did some Amazon/youtube research and settled on this. $239 and two day shipping with prime. Verdict, WoW! You can not go wrong with this. I was apprehensive about some of the reviews as well despite all the 5 stars reviews. I think there is always some people that have a minor issue with something and automatically give it a 1star. I’m giving this a 5 because, for the price it is an amazing value. Check out YouTube for some comparison videos as far as sound quality goes. I am assuming that all these Chinese saxes, Mendini, Lade, Lazarro (this model), are probably manufactured at the same root business or at least on par as far as quality. The YouTube videos are tell tale for sound quality. Yes, a pro with a better mouthpiece/reed set up does have a slight and I mean slight difference in sound quality however that’s comparing $239 to nearly $6000. I’m a musician myself so although not a sax player I do have an art for instrument sound quality. So for me being able to get something that sounds good and is fully functional for the cost of about 4 months rental is an easy choice. Comes with everything you need to get started. Including white gloves (still don’t get that but whatever). Even came with a small amount of cork grease but I suggest getting another stick as there isn’t much in it. Build quality seems adequate. I saw the guy on YouTube demo it so I checked for the same loose keys/fittings and found none. Case is good. It’s a hard styrofoam with cloth shell adequate for small bumps. You obviously wouldn’t want to drop off a roof or anything but good for band rooms. As a sixth grader starting out she was able to key and play every note so even the low notes were able to be played easily. No honking/squeaking sounds which is a bonus for parents. I took a bit of a shot on the one but I’m glad I did. I would probably get the extra warranty plan now that I see the quality. I don’t mean that in a bad way though. This thing is great quality and I think if something broke the warranty would pay for itself on the first job. I you have any questions shoot me them but so far it’s a great great value for the price.

I played alto saxophone in school. Middle school, high school, and some on my own after school. I loved it.But, as many people end up finding out...life happens, and when life happens, sometimes you have to take away some things that you aren't really doing to try to make a living. So, when I was 22 years old, I sold my alto saxophone after not having really played it in about two years. It was one of those situations where the moment I shipped it away, I kind of regretted it...but again, life happens, and I soon kind of forgot about how much I loved playing.Fast forward to earlier this year. I'm at work, and I work with the public. I'm standing there when a familiar voice says: "Burtch!!! What exactly are you doing?"It was my high school marching and jazz band teacher. I had seen him off and on over the last 12 years, but only in passing around town, really. This was one of the first chances we had gotten to talk. And talk we did. Before he had to go, he asked me if I was still playing, and I told him that I was no longer playing, but that over the last couple of years I had wanted more and more to get back at it. He told me that I should, that music is good for the soul, and that I was too good of a player to have given it up.That afternoon I went home and started looking around on Amazon. I found that there were quite a few beginner style saxophones for what I felt were ridiculously low prices. I found the Lazarro 360 and liked the reviews, so I took a chance on it. I ordered it in orange, because that just seemed cool.When I got it, which was very quickly as is usually the case with Amazon, I cracked it open and inspected the contents. Beginner quality mouthpiece, reeds, and neck strap were all present, along with a very small song book. I then pulled the saxophone out, and was pretty impressed. The keys all functioned very well, the fit and finish of everything seemed easily on par with the more middling saxophones of the mid 1990s, and the case was superb. It's a very nice case, and for that matter, the saxophone was packaged very well...inside not only the carrying case, but also covered in a dust cover inside the case.I put the saxophone together while getting the reed ready. To my surprise, once I had it all together I was instantly able to play again. After all these years, it came flowing back to me and I found myself playing songs that I remembered by heart in no time. The sound was every bit as good as the beginner saxophones that I had (which cost hundreds more) back in 1995. The look was excellent. The keys moved quickly and silently.I found quickly that even reading music was coming back to me faster than I had anticipated. Before long I was playing songs out of a new book I had purchased and planning on getting a different mouthpiece and reeds.I will mention that I have since noticed that a few of the pieces of cork used for key silencing have come loose. I was able to stick them back on, but I wanted to note that I had experienced this. I don't think it's anything that a dab of glue wouldn't solve permanently, and I personally used to have them fall off all the time in marching band, and never worried about it then. I figure I won't be worrying too much about it now.I also found the included neck strap to be of minimum comfort. I have replaced that, but to be honest, I think that is to be expected. I'm guessing the only reason a strap is even included is so that Lazarro can sell this as a completely "Ready to Play" instrument. If you purchase one, I'm guessing you'll be looking to upgrade the neck strap fairly quickly as well.In the end, though, the three things that seem the most important to me are:The soundThe lookThe caseIn those three aspects, this Lazarro is an absolute home run. If you're a seasoned veteran looking to get back into the music game, this is highly recommended. If you're the parent of an aspiring musician, don't hesitate, this will serve your student well. If you're a person who plays on a budget, you'd be hard pressed to find something better for the money.Overall, I'm extremely impressed. I love it, and the fact that it's got me playing again is just too great to put into words.