The Truth About the Orpheus Saxophones

There's some serious misinformation elsewhere on the net about the discontinued horns being sold by Noteworthy. I was the designer and in charge of manufacturing at the time those horns were being manufactured, so here are the straight facts:

(1) the Saxgourmet, Steve Goodson Model, and Orpheo horns were all made in DIFFERENT factories. They have nothing in common but the source of the pads, which was MusicMedic

(2) The Steve Goodson Model alto and tenor was made in three different factories over the production run. The factories were located in three DIFFERENT countries and owned by three DIFFERENT companies. The horns are basically the same and of equal quality. The last series, which is easily identified by the addition of a clothing guard on the upper stack, has a relocated altissimo key touch and a few other imrovements which make it the most desirable.

(3) The Orpheo was NOT made in Taiwan. They are really great horns, and probably the best buy for the money.The Orpheo horns that are currently being produced are in NO WAY the same as my designs, and come from a different factory. I do not own the Orpheo trade name.

(4) The Saxgourmet Model Six was always made in the same factory. That factory made the last run of Steve Goodson Model alto and tenors. These horns are VERY different, and the only thing they have in common is the factory and the pads. This factory does the finest job in Asia, in my opinion.

(5) the Saxgourmet Saxello was made in a different factory than any of the other horns. The same factory makes this horn for me today.

(6) The Steve Goodson Model baritone was also made in a different factory. This factory is a small shop that makes only baritone saxes. There are only two factories in Taiwan which make baritones.

(7) The Vespro and the Orpheo came from the same factory. The Orpheo was my unique design, the Vespro was somewhat "off the shelf" with a few changes

(8) The last LA Sax horns, the 750 and 850, are really good. They came from yet another factory. The LA Sax Series II and LA USA horns came from yet ANOTHER factory. The 750 and 850 are from Taiwan, the others are not.

(9) the Steve Goodson Model curved suprano came from still another factory. These are REALLY good horns

(10) the Steve Goodson sopranino was sourced from yet another factory in Taiwan.

As you can see, during my tenure at Orpheus we had dealings with many different vendors. All the horns except the Vespro were my unique designs, and were unavailable anywhere else.

I still have business dealings with all of the companies referenced above exept one. I also deal with several other ccompanies that we did not use when I was at Orpheus. All of the horns my company offers are my unique designs and are available nowhere else. All of the various models that were sold when I was at Orpheus have been discontinued and replaced with new models.

I really don't understand all of the discussion by the self appointed experts on the web about the relative quality of horns made in different countries. Quality is quality, no matter where it comes from. Some of the very best horns I've ever played have come from China.

I hear a lot about the factory workers in China being paid slave wages and undergoing poor working conditions. Nothing could be further from the truth. These workers are highly paid (by local standards) and since the factories are all new, they are as safe and well equipped as any factories anywhere in the world. It's quite unfair to judge one nation's economic system by the standards of another. It's not even an apples vs. oranges comparison. The basic economic systems are too different to compare wages on a dollar for dollar (or huan for huan) basis. You just can't do it.

The Asian people involved in the musical instrument manufacturing business are highly skilled and produce the best products in the world. They have made music affordable. They deserve our respect, and I don't understand the prejudice.

I've been doing business in Asia for many years. I plan to continue to do so. I would encourage the critics to get to know our friends in Asia, and carefully examine the products they produce. They (both the people and the products)are the best in the world. That's the reason they dominate the industry today.