Taiwan Trip -- Day 5

---

[youtube=zm43yevVIkw][youtube=95mzzOAqqdU][youtube=cZPG8RESuos]

This would be the last day of our trip to Taiwan.....
Very little known fact that, every one in three saxophones in the world are made in Taiwan. There is this little town called Houli that has a lot of saxophone factories filled with little old ladies hand crafting saxophones. I believe Selmer, Yamaha, and other world famous saxophone brands all have either parts made here or some of the models made here. So after a whole day of eating until we nearly threw up, today we are going for a more refined cultural experience.
The first stop is Lien Chen Saxophone museum. What, a saxophone museum? Yes indeed. A little history of this legendary Taiwanese businessman Chang Lien Chen, how he started designing and making saxophones, and lots of trying different saxophones. We are looking for a interesting look to complement our band, they definitely have all kinds of different styles / finishes / color combinations. Yikes, the prices are pretty steep.... you are looking at around $2000 - $2500 US dollars for an alto sax, so we had to go to another company to see if we can get a break. Saxplayhouse has less history, but they boast in the technical accuracy of their horns. We tried a few, the prices are definitely way better ($1500 - $1800) for an alto, but the esthetics could use some help. My dad decided to call his connection and we headed back to Taipei to P. Mauriat saxophone center. Now this is an awesome sax, we have a tenor P. Mauriat and it is like butter. Suggested retail price definitely reflects the quality and the international reputation. I don't play saxophone myself but I was feeling a little high from all the beautiful horns on display. I'm getting a little technical here, but the material of the horn itself (brass, nickel, etc) as well as the plating matters A LOT when it comes to picking a nice horn. Jazz players would probably prefer a more controlled sound, with a better definition at lower volume, where like us, rock players, would need the volume and brightness. We picked out an unlacquered finish which allows the horn to resonate freely to get the sound and personality that we need from our sax.
I am writing this on the last evening here in Taipei. I thoroughly enjoyed this trip, Taiwanese people are warm and polite, the streets are unbelievably clean, and of course the food is just incredibly good. And I am the worst critic, being from Taiwan..... but the improvement they have made over the last few decades is just amazing and that itself should set this tiny little island apart from rest of the world.

---