The Maui Xaphoon Pocket Sax

Update: I've had my Xaphoon for 2 months now. Still love it. Just finished my quest for the perfect reed. I started with 2 1/2 strength cane reeds. The good ones sounded great, but...2 out of 4 were not so so good. I think a lot of the fun of this instrument is being able to just pick it up and play. With the cane reeds, there is a lot of taking the reed of and on to wet it to play and dry it after playing. Plus they don't last very long and you have to buy a bunch to find some good ones. So I thought a synthetic read would be the ticket. I got a Fibercell 1 1/2 strength. I went to the 1 1/2 since the 2 1/2 takes work and some facial muscles to play I thought why not go softer ? That turned out to be a mistake. The sound became very kazoo like and it was impossible to get the high notes. So then I ordered a Fibercell 2 1/2. They sent an Alto reed, I returned it and they replaced it with...another Alto reed. After the second try Amazon gave me a credit and I bought a Bari soft.reed. Turns out this is the end of my quest. The Bari plays great. I think it is a little easier to play than a 2 1/2 cane reed, sounds really good, and it's very easy to get the highest notes. And I can leave it in place. And it will last a long time. I am now one happy Xaphoonist. I love my Xaphoon. I have had it a little more than 2 weeks and was able to play a scale (with help from the book) the first time I picked it up. Since then I have been learning the fingering for flats and sharps, which is odd in places, and have also made strides in getting a good tone. I played clarinet long ago so knew how the reed works but it probably helped that I haven't played lately so I did not try to use the mouthpiece the way you would with a clarinet or sax. It is definitely different. The sound is amazing for the size of the thing which I attribute to the big reed and the shape of the mouthpiece. DO NOT leave the reed in place between sessions. I started out doing that so that I could just pick it up and play. When I did take it off there was stuff starting to grow on the back of the reed. Ewww. After looking up some information on how to take care of the reed I have started taking it off and dipping it in a small jar of 50% peroxide and water after playing. I also play guitar and figured out that I can clip my "Snark" at the bottom of the barrel to check the pitch when I am playing so that I get used to playing in key. The pitch can change pretty easily by mouth and air pressure which is great for vibrato and bending notes but playing with others will require I can stay on pitch most of the time. This is definitely a real musical instrument that requires patience and practice like any other instrument. I think the negative reviews come from folks who thought they would be able to just pick it up and jam and are disappointed that there is work involved.

As a child, I played the clarinet. But that was decades ago. So, it was interested to try this new woodwind instrument, the Xaphoon. It's small, lightweight, and very portable. It has no moving parts - nothing to move, get stuck, or needing lubrication. Like any instrument, you need to expect a learning curve. For beginners, just getting a note to sound correctly can be a challenge, especially if you have never played a reed instrument before. I took the advice of another reviewer and replaced the 2.5 reed with a 1.5 reed (tenor sax reed). This will make it easier to play. Sometimes, hitting the low C can be hard - you need to have your mouth positioned correctly on the mouthpiece and give it a good blow. The instrument is similar in some ways to a recorder, but it produces a louder sound and also takes more air pressure. The little instruction book is helpful, although I recommend going online and downloading and printing the .pdf file of the 2-page fingering chart. I am using a small booklet of simple campfire sing-a-long songs to practice, and this is helpful. I am still a beginner. For example, I haven't yet started playing the upper register (upper octave) which seems more difficult than the lower. So, the very lowest notes (low D and low C) might be challenging at first, and also the upper register. If you can hit the note correctly, the instrument's tone is nice - somewhere between a tenor sax and a clarinet. I bought a clean-out rag/stick for a soprano sax. This is long enough to clean out and dry the inside after practicing. Overall, I'm very happy with this instrument and I'm having a good time learning and progressing. One other point: there is no way to adjust the tuning this instrument, such as you can do with a sax or clarinet. I checked the tuning against my digital keyboard and the tuning is a bit off. This might be important if you ever play this instrument in an ensemble - everyone else will need to tune to you.

I've been playing this fine instrument for a couple of months, and I am getting pretty comfortable with it. Having never played a reed instrument before (just harmonica, recorder and penny whistle) I didn't understand the learning curve. First, a lot more air is required than the aforementioned instruments, so it is important to develop abdominal diaphragm strength. And getting the embrasure (mouth shape) right takes practice and strength. It isn't hard, but it takes dedication. Second, the actual playing isn't as easy as it might appear on the videos. You must adjust lip pressure at different points of the register - less pressure for the low notes and more pressure for the higher notes. And controlling the pitch of the higher notes is tricky. You must hold the instrument still and keep the pressure on the reed very consistent or the sound will waver. And speaking of high notes...they claim that you can play a full two octave chromatic scale, which I've seen on the video but not been able to do myself, yet. Playing the scales (with all the sharps and flats) isn't difficult, but getting just the right amount of pressure on the reed to reach the top half octave is beyond me so far. Again, I've only been playing for a couple of months so my expectations may be a bit unreasonable. If you are used to playing a recorder or penny whistle you might find the fact the holes in the Xaphoon are not evenly spaced to be a challenge to adjust to (I did at first). As you can see in the pictures, two pairs of holes are very close together and some others are quite aways apart...especially the top two closest to the mouth piece, which are 1-1/2" apart. Small hands might have trouble with this. Third, the reeds. It comes with a Rico 2.5 installed, but it won't last a long time. They aren't expensive, about $4 or $5 each, and once you build your skills you'll want to experiment to find one of the right stiffness for you. They come in half-steps from 1-5. The Xaphoon is fitted with a 2.5, which seems like a good place to start. Reeds are kind of like guitar strings - they lose their tone and playability over time and have to be replaced. And, like guitar strings, some people like light, some medium and some heavy. But unlike guitar strings, natural reeds are not consistent, and some brand new ones will be all but unusable right out of the box - unless you pay for the premium brands. Of course, there are lots of YouTube videos that show you how to "fix" a bad reed, which isn't hard, but it is just one more skill that needs to be mastered...unless you want to spend about $30 on a synthetic reed. I haven't bought one yet, but by the end of today I will have ordered my first one. Why, you ask, am I putting up with all of this? Because, bottomline, I think it is worth it. Learning a new instrument that is only for soloing is a really interesting and fun experience for me. I play mostly acoustic guitar now, and I'm looking forward to trotting this little guy out at the next jam and seeing what everyone thinks. So, what about the Xaphoon itself? To my eyes and ears and fingers this is a really well made, nice sounding instrument. I love the look, feel and portability. I've had a couple of emails with the manufacturer in Hawaii and they are very supportive and informative. The manual that comes with the Xaphoon is a good start, but I'd like to see a little more info either there or on their website about reeds and playing technique. However, just look up tenor sax information on YouTube and you'll find everything you'd every want to know that applies to the Xaphoon. Lastly, I haven't tried any of the other competing brands of similar products...and there are several...but I'm quite confident that everything I've said here applies to them as well. At a fundamental level one reed instrument is like any other that uses the same reed just like one guitar is much like any other. I hope this has been a helpful review/dissertation, and that if you decide to take the plunge that you enjoy the Xaphoon as much as I have.

Fun little instrument! I just bought one. I've played sax about 2 years ago, and for me the biggest difference is the awkward finger settings and the large mouthpiece. I wished it would have come with a smaller one! Closing the holes is much harder than with a recorder. Playing octaves is much harder than on a sax (not the reed, as much as closing the holes correctly). The fingering also is not that of a recorder, neither of a sax; which makes it somewhat more complicated. the Xaphoon is made out of a plastic body, which is better than wood in a sense, as with such a small instrument wood or plastic makes only very little difference in sound. All of it's corners are rounded off; both on the finger holes and on the exit on the bottom. This makes the sound less sharp, like with those $2 recorders. As far as intonation, the instrument never gets 'on the dot' of a note, but always was very close to the correct note. Depending on how hard you blow, how high pressure you put on the mouth piece, and how far your lip goes on the reed, you can manipulate the tones (frequency of the note played) somewhat. It's not a very loud instrument, unlike a sax, this instrument you could play inside of a house without bothering the neighbors. Perhaps in an apartment complex they will still be bothered but way less. It has something from the sax, but IMHO more of the sound of a clarinet; a more tubular sound. It's sound is not big enough for live play in a band without amplification. It's also not big enough to be anywhere directional. It's sound is best heard in a 5-10 meter radius, and because of it's size kind of is more omnidirectional like a clarinet (if it had a bigger horn, it would have been more directional).

I don't really have much to add to what other 4 and 5 star raters have said, primarily i just wanted to contribute my star rating to add to the overall average and help counteract those who have inappropriately downrated this because of shipping or other issues not related to the instrument. Reviewers seem kind of evenly split as to whether this instrument is loud or soft. Some say that it is quiet enough to play while people are sleeping. My opinion is that it is loud. My cats hate it, they run when they see me reach for it. They do not mind my accordion, in fact they will sit right next to me while i play accordion but they head for the hills when either this or the bagpipe comes out. Thus, i am thinking that the volume of this is comparable to that of a bagpipe chanter. My main issue with this has just been intonation. When i play it in what seems to me to be the most natural way, it is basically a full half step flat from what it is supposed to be. I.e. the bottom note, C, sounds like B instead. I can bend it up to somewhere around a C using mouth and air pressure, but it makes it harder for me to play, and the note isn't very stable then, because it doesn't seem like the note that the instrument really "wants" to play but rather is being forced to play. I have had my pocket sax for nearly a month now and play it some almost every day, and still i continue to have this issue after this time. Another minor complaint that i have is just the sound of the B note. This is obtained using a cross fingering, fingering a C and then lowering it by leaving a hole open and closing the one below that. To me, this sounds like it just bends the C note down a hair, and not like it is its own separate true note. I like to hear a clear break in the sound when going from one note to another. On any other non-accidental note throughout the fundamental register you can hear this--even if it's just a half step. When you open or close a hole crisply and cleanly, there is a disruption in the wave generated as it suddenly changes wavelength and you can actually hear that little crack in the sound. This does not happen between the B and C, it doesn't sound like you are playing two distinct notes but rather just varying the pitch of one note a little bit. This is likely true on other cross-fingered accidentals as well, though i have not advanced to the point where i am playing things that need accidentals outside of the "natural" scale of the instrument, other than B, so i can't attest to that for sure. (I call B an accidental because of the cross-fingering, whereas the note that comes naturally by lifting fingers in succession is B flat. For this reason the instrument, although nominally in "C", actually plays more easily and naturally in keys of F, natural D minor, and Dorian G minor. These keys also have an advantage over playing in C because you can go below the tonic, whereas in C, that's the bottom note of the instrument, which for many or most melodies--beyond Mary Had a Little Lamb--just isn't adequate.) As other reviewers have noted, this instrument is unlike any other, and you will have to devote time and effort into playing it decently. The embouchure is different from other reed instruments (my professional clarinetist friend couldn't make a sound when he first put it to his mouth) and the fingering is different from other woodwinds. Other reviewers seemed to find the fingering system to be flawed and marked it down because of that, but i don't see where this should be an issue. All instruments have their own fingering. This would be like downrating a mandolin because it is fingered differently from a guitar. There are people who play both instruments well, you just learn and use the fingering of each different instrument as it is. I play Irish whistle with six fingers and diatonic note spacing, and i play Bulgarian kaval with eight fingers and quasi-chromatic note spacing, and it's not a problem. I can play many tunes on either instrument and knowing how to finger it on one doesn't interfere in any way with playing it on the other. I don't even think about it, my fingers know what to do when they feel what instrument they are lying on. Now, i have yet another fingering system to become familiar with, i'm not concerned in the least.

Besides not coming with any manual/documentation, and missing the gold emblem on the bottom (authenticity in question here), the quality of the actual product seems very good. The sound in uncanny/good. The spacing of the hole for the right hand are oddly spaced, with the 1st and 2nd hole spaced awkwardly distant, and the 3rd and 4th hole super close, but that is consistent with this instrument, just be aware. With a little practice, that spacing becomes more comfortable. But despite all the little nuisances, the sound is just remarkable and easier than I anticipated. It is harder than a recorder, but much more expressive. To me, was about the same difficulty as my Alto Sax I played years ago. You will have to look up fingering charts online.

This is the first reed instrument I've ever tried to play . All I could get was squeaks and squawks from this . I tried better quality reeds and still couldn't get it to play . I even tried a softer synthetic reed ( $35.00 Legere 1.5 ) and still no luck . Also , the fingering is quite difficult , as there are 8 holes on top and one on bottom . I've seen videos of people playing this same model xaphoon quite proficiently . Over a $100 investment totally wasted . If I knew a sax or clarinet player I would gift it to them , because it's worthless to me .

This thing was a real disappointment. I play a bunch of different woodwind and other instruments, and this seemed like a fun addition and highly portable. I understand the finger holes are where they have to be to make the notes, but playing this as someone with even slightly long fingers is a nightmare of unnatural contortion. Actually unpleasant to play, requires way more scrunched-up and crowded fingers than even a mandolin neck. Also, the mouthpiece has to sit in a bizarre place in the mouth to get any sound, and even then the sound is closer to a kazoo than a saxophone. I cannot for the life of me think of a reason for this instrument to exist. I am only not returning it because my mouth has been on it and ultimately it was my mistake and not the manufacturer's (who seem like good people). PLEASE, just get one of the super-cheap clarinets (or saxophone, I guess) instead — they will be more playable, have a far better sound (even if worse than a "good" clarinet or sax), AND will allow the skills gained to be transferred to a "real" instrument. And a cheap clarinet will likely cost LESS than this, AND be just about as portable whether in a case or not.

Instrument à découvrir, transportable au son puissant pour sa taille. La justesse peut, comme un sax soprano, être dure à trouver. Très amusant. La livraison s'est faite très rapidement (1 semaine), malgré sa provenance éloignée.

Brilliant invention. Very high-quality product. Made in USA.

This is a beautiful instrument. It came in great condition for being used, exactly as described. It is very fun to play. The mouthpiece takes some practice to get a good sound, but it is fine once you get used to it. I would really recommend this to anyone who would like to try a new, affordable instrument.

サックスを少しだけ経験していたので、リードの音はすぐ出せたのですが、実際の演奏になると練習が必要で少しだけ難しいですね。でも、その「少しだけ難しい」というのはちょうどいい感じです。 リードなので、口使いが難しいのは承知してたのですが、指使いが意外と難しかったです。リコーダーのようなものと思ってましたが、穴の位置が決して掴みやすいところにあるわけでないので、油断すると隙間ができてしまったりと、結構練習が必要になります。 音は小さいクラリネットやサックスのような感じで心地いいです。 もっと練習してい思い通りに吹けるようになれたらなと思います。

Nice sound