Reddit mentions: The best saxophones

It's horribly taboo, but if you want a cheap and fun sax check out the Glory saxophones. I haven't looked in awhile, but I remember they were on amazon for 100-200 bucks or something like that. I liked my $300 tenor before I upgraded, and there's a ton of great reviews for it on amazon.

Everyone on saxophone forums will blast them for not being a $1500 Yamaha or a 100 year old family heirloom that was a gift from the 3 prince of the Congo, but from my experiences and other reviews they are a cheap and dirty Chinese sax brand that gets the job done.

Edit: The mouth piece and reeds that come with it are terrible, I'd upgrade those asap. But here is a $200ish one with good reviews https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Saxophone-11reeds-Cushions-DIRECTLY/dp/B00OET2ICG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1495033826&sr=8-2&keywords=glory+alto+saxophone

I bought one and I love it. It works perfectly fine and I've had no issues. It was great for an affordable solution to get back into saxophone. I had a barrowed sax when I was in school. this is the one I got. https://www.amazon.com/Mendini-MAS-L-92D-PB-Mouthpiece/dp/B00501ISJ4 Don't let the snobs steer you away. If this is affordable and will get you playing again DO IT!

I know you said something that retails for 700 new, but I've heard great things about this sax.
I'd check out some videos about it, and consider going this route. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G4TBMLQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_-hOJDb0KCBGTN

Reeds, cork grease, neckstrap. Don't skimp on the neckstrap either, if you are serious about playing but just buy a cheap neckstrap you're really going to regret it. Oh and a ligature but that kind of goes along with the mouthpiece so you may already have one.

edit: for cleaning stuff you may want a mouthpiece swab (they look like really thick pipe cleaners), but DON'T leave it in the mouthpiece when you're done as that will build up mold! you also should probably get a regular swab to run through your instrument when you're done playing, they look like this: http://www.amazon.com/Giardinelli-SSB1-Alto-Saxophone-Swab/dp/B0002F4M5W

You can buy one on Amazon.

What do you think about this sax? The price is more than tempting, especially with those reviews.

https://www.amazon.com/Mendini-Cecilio-MAS-L-92D-PB/dp/B00501ISJ4/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?keywords=alto+sax&qid=1574453194&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzT1hKRFk2S0tORVlaJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzk2NTQ1MU9OWUZKVlRPVEs5MCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNjg1NzA2MTZDTEpFVkdKWFJURiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX3Bob25lX3NlYXJjaF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

Look up a saxonett in the Internet.

https://www.amazon.de/JUPITER-Saxonett-deutsches-inklusive-deutsch/dp/B005KRRJJ8/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=saxonett&qid=1571204685&sr=8-1

ammoon Soprano Saxophone SAX Bb Brass Lacquered Body and Keys with Lubricating Cork Grease https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0143XYCGM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_tA4gzbN21WXWE

>I've been pondering getting a saxophone and learning to play via beginner books and YouTube tutorials. I currently play no instruments. How often will I need to practice?

The general rule of thumb is to practice an hour a day if possible. This depends on many factors though. Beginners won't have the stamina for that and need to work up to that. Good players generally have a period where they practiced substantially more than that and underwent rapid improvement, although they may not need as much practice to simply maintain their skills. Many pros continue practicing more than that. Obviously this varies a lot from player to player.

>How long (average) until most people can play and it actually sounds decent?

This depends on far too many factors to really guess accurately (as well as your definition of decent itself!) but if you put a gun to my head and made me guess I'd say minimum of a year and probably more for most people. It'll be substantially longer if you try to teach yourself, and you may just teach yourself a bunch of bad habits and flawed technique to the point where you never get there.

>I also have a low budget to spend. Is this a ok beginner sax to buy?.

No. That is an expensive paperweight. The best starter sax out there is a student Yamaha. You can get a YAS-23 used for probably $500-800 depending on your local market and whether you search online. You could probably also make do with a handful of other student saxes, but most won't be substantially cheaper than the Yamaha.

>The other question is can the noise be muffled? I've seen mutes but do they really work? I cannot afford a large enclosed sound dampening case. I'd rather not annoy the wife or neighbors. I live in a house not apt.

Not really, no. Even the enclosed cases only cut about a third to half the sound. The problem is that, unlike brass instruments that can be effectively muted, saxophones (and other woodwinds) emit a large percentage of their sound through the highest open tone hole. There are many such holes, so you can't just mute the bell. There are a few products that claim to be able to do precisely that but doing so would defy the laws of physics, and they are shams.

>I've always liked Jazz, Blues, and funky beats. I've been listening to "too many zooz" and "Moon Hooch" does anyone know of any other bands similar to these? That funky tenor sax makes my ears smile.

Not exactly the same thing, but in a vague way (emphasis on vague) Snarky Puppy has some similarities.