SOPRANO STRAIGHT OR CURVED???

I am looking into buying a Soprano Sax. I am currently playing an Alto. What is the big difference, if any, between a straight and a curved Soprano? I have also noticed that many Sopranos come with either a curved or straight neck and some come with both. Why? Is there a difference?

I have been looking at purchasing an LA Sax. The colored ones sure do look nice, but what about their playability. Are these good saxophones? I have read that a Soprano is the hardest sax to play. What is the big difference that makes it the hardest to play?

Thanks

I've played both straight and curved neck, and also curved bodied sopranos. I think the biggest difference is in the angle at which you play. To me playing on a straight soprano feels like a clarinet. The same goes with a curved neck. The angle is better but it still has the same basic feel of a clarinet. Over time, to me, both straight and curved neck sopranos cause great fatigue because your fighting the horn because it doesn't have the same angle as an alto. To me the curved bodied design solves that problem. I personally like the curved bodied sopranos like the Yani SC901 the best. Don't let anyone tell you that the intonation on curved bodied sopranos are horrible-it's the same, if not better. The saxophone is a serpentine instrument. It is supposed to be curved. That is the original design.

Most importantly, you need to try as many different sopranos as you can. See what you like the best.

Hope this helps,

Funny, Sax's 1846 patent drawing shows 6 curved saxophones, one straight with a tenor-like neck (?!), and one just straight.

Boy! Are you lucky you don't double on clarinet!

Just so I understand, 4 out of the 6 where curved? That sound like a majority to me. Yes, I am very lucky not to play much clarinet. I will if I have to, but for the most part I won't.

Also, in the 1838 during Paris Expo, I believe, Adolf Sax had a prototype saxophone, which was baritone like is size, but was damaged. It was curved. Hard to imagine a straight bari-like saxophone. So how can anyone truly know what the ORIGINAL SAXOPHONE WAS LIKE? I guess we are both up the creek. There is evidence that the saxophone was around as early as 1838. The patent is 1846., but Adolf didn't invent the saxophone in 1846. How do we know that Adolf didn't have a functioning saxophone developed in 1830? 1846 was the result of who knows how many years and hours of work.

I may be mistake on the year of that Paris Expo. It may be 1836. I'll look it up and make sure.