HornFinder | Saxbarn

Need instrument buying help?

I know that for a lot of people, there's a chance you could find yourself in one of the following situations:

You're looking for a specific brand or model of instrument, but you don't have a good feeling about braving the used instrument marketplace without some proper guidance
Your child's teacher has told you, "he/she/they needs a new instrument," but hasn't offered any further advice regarding brand/model
Looking through instruments on eBay, Reverb, Facebook Marketplace, etc. has become overwhelming
You'd like to get yourself into a vintage instrument, but have no idea which ones to look at
You just plain don't feel comfortable about all this stuff and you want some help!

That's where I come in! All I need to do is have a brief conversation with you about what you're looking for (as general or specific as that may be) and what kind of budget you had in mind, and I just may be able to find an instrument that fits your needs AND your wallet!

Tell to me more about this -- how does it work...?

I built the HornFinder service based on some other concepts I've seen out in the marketplace. This is how I've been helping people find instruments for years as a hobby -- now it's the driving force of my business.

What if I want to try out multiple instruments? Well, then maybe this isn't the route for you! SaxBarn does have future plans to hold more inventory, but for now, we are concentrating our efforts in the HornFinder service as our business grows. Check back later on for updates on in-stock inventory!

For many buyers, they're not looking for a "forever-instrument." In fact, the majority of my customers are young players and their parents. (This doesn't mean that HornFinder is only for notice players -- quite the contrary. More on that later...) They are looking for a student level, step-up/intermediate, or maybe even a professional level instrument, but they've come to the used market to get something decent without spending a whole lot of money. And I believe they're right for doing so!

So rather than holding a large inventory of instruments and consequentially raising my prices to compensate, I wait for people to get ahold of me, then I just go out and buy an instrument for them as if I was buying it for myself. All I need to know is what I'm to be hunting for. This could be as general as, "I need a student saxophone/flute/trumpet/etc." Great, I can do that. It could be more specific like, "My child's teacher recommended either a Yamaha or a Gemeinhardt flute, and we're looking for open-holed with at least a solid silver headjoint." Great, I can do that too. Or it could be as specific as, "I'm looking for a Selmer Mark VI alto saxophone, preferably a mid-bow model from the early to mid 60's." Even better.

Once we can establish what you're in the market for and what you can afford to spend, I will go looking around all the places where I do business and find you a horn. I've been doing this part since I was a child (literally). I have extensive background knowledge in what's out there and what are good brand/model choices. Then once I have something, it takes a full trip through the repair shop -- cleaning/oiling/adjustment/pads/corks, etc. I take this step very seriously -- the instruments are repaired right by highly qualified and skilled technicians. After that, we schedule our final meeting to hopefully deliver you your new horn!

Do I still get to test it before I buy it?

Of course! You aren't obligated to pay me anything until you agree to purchase the finished instrument.

What if I'm a serious player looking for a unique or vintage instrument? SaxBarn can help you too. Check out our collection page to see what horns we have in the SaxBarn Collection. These instruments are not for sale. However, if you're curious to get in to something vintage, but you have no idea what you might like, come play mine! If you find something in the collection that you really like, I can go find another one for you and have my personal repair tech set it up as close to mine as possible.