• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Website of Steve Neff

  • BLOG
  • SHOP
  • MY ACCOUNT
  • RAVES
  • CONTACT

Search Neffmusic

You are here: Home / Reviews / Sax Reviews / MacSax Empyreal Alto Saxophone

MacSax Empyreal Alto Saxophone

July 20, 2010 by Steve 10 Comments

Today, I’m reviewing the MacSax Empyreal Alto Saxophone.  This sax is manufactured in Taiwan for the MacSax company in Austin Texas. This is the Unlacquered Finish model.  It looks like bare brass which gives it a cool vintage look.  I am told that the brass is subjected to a gas treatment that gives it a stable and uniform color.   The Empyreal Alto comes with a Theo Wanne hard rubber Gaia mouthpiece as well as a Theo Wanne  “Enlightened” ligature.  I used all of these for the sound clip below. I’ve had this horn for a couple weeks now and I am very impressed with it. From the first moment I played it,  I knew it was a great horn!  It’s one of those horns that resonate under your fingers when you play so you can feel the vibrations of the sound.  I love that!

MacSax Empyreal Alto Saxophone

  • Appearance:

The MacSax Empyreal alto saxophone has a cool vintage look to the finish.  It looks like bare brass and does have some scuffs and marks here and there but that just adds to the vintage look.  If you click on the pictures below they will enlarge so you can see more detail.  It reminds me of when you purchase that “vintified” new furniture and it has marks and scrapes on it to make it look older.

  • Build Quality:

I’m not a repair man in the least so I can’t speak with authority about issues dealing with construction and repair  but to me the sax is solid and seems to be made with high standards.  The keys are all nice and firm and it is made of strong sturdy metal.  It doesn’t feel like you will bend a key if you push it too hard like on a few other saxophones I have played.  The saxophone came setup right out of the box and had no leaks that I could see with a leak light.  A couple of things I didn’t like about the sax were that the spring tension seemed too strong for me.  I prefer a light spring tension so my fingers have to work as little as possible to push down the keys.  If I were to keep this sax, the first thing I would do is to bring it to my repairman and have all the springs adjusted to be lighter.  The rest of the key work on the sax was perfect and ergonomically pleasant feeling.  One area  that could be improved for me was the side Bb,and C.  For some reason they slope down away from the high side “E” which made them further from my hand.  Not a big deal, but  I would probably have my repairman bend those keys upward so they were closer to the palm of my hand.

  • Tone:

The tone of the horn is compact and focused.  I found it neither bright nor dark but when comparing it to my Selmer Reference alto it does have a more compact and focused sound than my Selmer.  My Selmer Reference alto has a wider more spread sound to it.  The tone does remind me of a really good Mark VI a friend of mine has.  I remember playing it once and thinking how focused the sound was.  I had the same thoughts while playing this Empyreal saxophone.

  • Control:

The MacSax Empyreal is great to play and control.  I felt at ease on it right out of it’s case.  The true test of course is playing it to music which I did pretty quickly.  It involved no effort on my part to lock it in intonation wise and play with a rhythm section.  Large intervals were easy to achieve. Altissimo was as easy as my Selmer.  The low notes spoke even easier then on my Selmer.

  • Intonation:

Intonation was great. It wasn’t perfect but I have never played a saxophone that was.  This is just as good as the most in tune saxophones I have played including my Selmer Reference and some great Mark VI altos.  Low Bb to middle C# were right on “O” on the tuner.  Perfect. Middle D-E were slightly sharp.  10-20 cents without any adjustment but this is normal for every saxophone I have ever played so it’s easy to adjust to. (You just have to “voice” those notes a bit lower)  The high register was also perfectly in tune.  The first thing I check when I play a saxophone  is the intonation between the octaves.  If I play a B and then press the octave key the note should go up an octave and be relatively  in tune without any adjustment or changes needed from my embouchure.  I have played hundreds of saxes that were incredibly sharp in the upper register.  I’m happy to say that the MacSax Empyreal was perfectly in tune with the octaves.

The MacSax Empyreal alto saxophone is another great saxophone out of Taiwan.  To be honest, if this Macsax and my RSBerkeley tenor are good indications of the quality coming out of Taiwan, I think the big 4 sax manufacturers better make sure they are on the top of their game or they will be losing some serious market share to Taiwan.  This alto plays as good or better than the best alto’s I’ve played over the last 10 years.  I would have no problem suggesting this to a student or fellow player  who was looking for a great alto.  As usual, the truth is in the playing………if you are curious about the MacSax Empyreal alto saxophone try one for yourself.  Their website is  www.macsax.com .  Tell them Steve sent you……………

    Audio Player
    https://www.neffmusic.com/images/mp3/MacSax%20Empyreal.mp3
    00:00
    00:00
    00:00
    Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume.

 

Filed Under: Sax Reviews, Saxophone Stuff Tagged With: Empyreal Alto Saxophone, Gaia, MacSax, sax mouthpiece, Taiwan saxophones, Theo Wanne

Steve

About Steve

Steve Neff has been playing and teaching saxophone and jazz improvisation around the New England area for over 30 years. He is the author of many best selling jazz improvisation methods as well as founding the popular jazz video lesson site Neffmusic.com.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AvatarRory says

    July 21, 2010 at 8:26 am

    Great review Steve. Thanks!

    Reply
  2. AvatarGerardo Avila says

    July 24, 2010 at 2:07 am

    Thanks for the information, very usefull.

    Reply
  3. AvatarMarius says

    August 5, 2010 at 3:38 pm

    Hi Steve
    What kind of rubber mouthpiece do you highly reccommend for jazz-Tenor sax.? Thanks

    Reply
    • stevesteve says

      August 5, 2010 at 11:21 pm

      Any of the ones i have reviewed on my site. Pick one you like the sound of and go for that one.

      Reply
  4. AvatarKoumou says

    May 22, 2011 at 12:59 am

    Hello,
    Quote: “One area that could be improved for me was the side Bb,and C. For some reason they slope down away from the high side “E” which made them further from my hand.”
    A lot of Taiwanese saxes have the side keys like this. I have a Barone vintage alto and I had to bent the keys up to bring them closer to my palm. It works well .

    Reply
  5. AvatarMrSalamo says

    June 16, 2012 at 2:35 pm

    Are you sure that mouthpiece comes with the sax? I checked their site and it doesn’t come with a Theo Wanne.

    Reply
    • stevesteve says

      June 21, 2012 at 10:40 pm

      I thought they did. The one I got to try came with one and I thought I read that they did back then. Maybe I’m mistaken or they changed that policy??

      Reply
  6. AvatarMrSalamo says

    June 27, 2012 at 10:09 pm

    Maybe they’ve changed it since now it comes with a D-jazz mouthpiece, which costs significantly less than the Theo Wanne, I’m not complaining, but I just found it strange that it came with a different mouthpiece than what your review said it came with.

    Reply
  7. AvatarAustin Zhang says

    October 14, 2012 at 10:42 am

    The reason why is when Steve reviewed this they didn’t have their own mouthpiece piece line. Since the review they have hired Eric Falcon (great mouthpiece maker BTW) and have shipped their own mouthpieces, which are great!

    Reply
  8. AvatarTroy says

    February 17, 2020 at 4:01 pm

    This review was what I needed to make my decision between 3 or 4 altos I’ve been looking at. Thank you!! I’m very excited to receive it.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Austin Zhang Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Cart

Subscribe to the Neffmusic Newsletter for the latest reviews and best deals delivered straight to your inbox every month. Join now and you will also receive my 40 Ultimate Michael Brecker Licks free!

Select list(s) to subscribe to


Thanks for joining!


NEFFMUSIC PRINTED BOOKS

Testimonials

1 2 3 4 5
I am enjoying your style of teaching, and you’ve done a great job with the videos….good sound quality and well constructed lessons.  Balances the more guitaristic material found on the majority of guitar based programs.  Jazz vocab is what I’m all about at this point in the journey.   I especially dig the fact that you’ve studied with Bergonzi…helps me see his voluminous output in a more  bite sized way.
Milton
1 2 3 4 5

Hello Steve,

I have not received my alto yet but have already gone through 14 lessons. I love your approach, style, knowledge and competence. I now regret so much to have stayed away from playing the sax for the past 45-50 years…(I am 65).  But It is never too late to get back to your first love. After 23 years in compuer sciences and 22 years in finances…I am now back to music for the rest of my life.

Doing some research on the net, I found this:

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?1… Read more

Claude
1 2 3 4 5
Just wanted to send you a quick note to say thank you for being you, your playing, your website and your desire to help others. I’m a professional musician in the US Army and I’ve visited your website almost every day since discovering it a couple of months ago. Your lessons are profound and easy to use. I’ve purchased most of your PDF books and now am starting to delve more into the video and audio lessons.  Thank you for being a great resource!
James
1 2 3 4 5

Love your lessons!  I have been using your lesson packages for many months now, and am learning a lot.  It is so perfect for me with a very busy adult schedule and difficulty in taking jazz/improv music lessons from reputable instructors who live and hour or more away from me.

Lenore
1 2 3 4 5
Hey Steve! I hope you and your family are well.  I’m just writing to say thank you so much for all the resources you have made available to the saxophone community. I have been using your material for many years and I always come back to it… in fact I just took a break from practicing to write this…( reviewing “CreatingModern II-V-I Lines with simple pentatonics”.) I am, and continue to be, one of your raving fans! Blessings to you and your family this holiday season! Wishing… Read more
Gerry Aylward
1 2 3 4 5
Steve’s monthly lessons are entirely valuable. Without brow beating, he tells you all the stuff you deep down know you really should be working on, instead of just relying on the same old patterns. In spite of the fact that you’re taking a video lesson, Steve’s presentation is comfortable and “real”. In a little more than a year, he’s developed a library of lessons that seem to offer any player a lifetime’s worth of practice material. I’m just glad I stumbled upon it.… Read more
Grant
1 2 3 4 5
I just wanted to write a thank you note to you for this website. I play and teach saxophone, but I have always been intimidated by the gear aspect. Your website has helped me become a lot more knowledgable. Your knowledge is staggering! I’m telling all my students about your website. Pierre
Pierre
1 2 3 4 5
I want to say something about Steve Neff’s series of lessons, Beginner Jazz Improvisation. For a couple of years I tried many beginner lessons and my problem was that there was a gap between lessons that were fairly simple and ones that I was not quite ready for and my progress stalled out. That problem was solved with the series Beginner Jazz Improvisation. He guides you step by step along the way and builds a foundation for learning jazz and blues. He leaves no question about what to practice … Read more
Pete
1 2 3 4 5
Steve- I joined your site this month and have downloaded 4 lessons and also purchased your new book and video on diatonic patterns. I just want to say I am very pleased with your approach and teaching techniques. I am getting back into playing after laying off for some time. The information you offer on your site is of great value and I am enjoying being a member. Thank you for what you are doing for the saxophone community.
Tony
1 2 3 4 5

After reading your story I will never feel quite right about complaining about any of my MINOR health issues!!    God bless Steve and I really hope that your health doesn’t stop you from fulfilling your calling.    These books have been such a help to open up my jazz vocabulary…   Thanks so much for sharing your story and for providing these great teaching tools…   John Leclerc   Saxophonist / composer/ EWI player and professional working musician of 35 years….

John Leclerc
1 2 3 4 5

Steve, just a note to say thanks.

I’ve been playing a long time, but your material, laid out in such a thoughtful way, helps me to understand concepts in a new and deeper way.

You are a true gift to the jazz community.

60 lessons and going strong,

Kevin Ledbetter

Kevin Ledbetter
1 2 3 4 5

I want to thank you for your “Ultimate II-V-I Primer”  which has sent me off on a much better path to improvisation.  The primer and the four bound books I have will keep me busy for a long time.  I like your lessons for two reasons.  The lessons work and THEY ARE FUN.  Thanks again.

Robert

Robert
1 2 3 4 5
Hey Steve, My name is Jason Freese and I play keyboards and sax in the band Green Day.  I grew up taking sax lessons from Eric Marienthal when I was a kid and got out of it for a long time. I ran into you on youtube while searching for sax stuff. I bought a whole bunch of your lessons and have been loving it! Thanks! Here is my wikipedia so you can see the albums I’ve played on….Thanks again. It’s sparked my interest in practicing again.   Jason
Jason Freese (sax player for Green Day)
1 2 3 4 5

I am enjoying your style of teaching, and you’ve done a great job with the videos….good sound quality and well constructed lessons.  Balances the more guitaristic material found on the majority of guitar based programs.  Jazz vocab is what I’m all about at this point in the journey.  I especially dig the fact that you’ve studied with Bergonzi…helps me see his voluminous output in a more bite sized way.

Milton
1 2 3 4 5

Thank You Steve. I think that I will be busy for years. Thank You for your great contribution to jazz music. Your books, more than teaching “how to play jazz”, actually teach “how to speak jazz”. I wish I found your methods years ago.  

Jean-Eric
1 2 3 4 5

I must say again how much I appreciate all your material. Including the video tutorials. It help keep me focused and knowing what to aim for. And your laid back teaching style appeals to me too. 

Thanks

P

P
1 2 3 4 5
Just to say thanks for your advice and lessons.  I’ve just read your amazing story.  I really appreciate what you do in regards to teaching.  I have bought a couple of your lessons and frankly they’re undersold.   I’ve learned much more with these two lessons than with 2 years of sax teachers.   Thanks so much………..
Mike
1 2 3 4 5
I’ve been a member of Steve’s site for about six months now and the difference it has made to my playing is immeasurable. The (many) benefits of this membership are that you can have lessons at time convenient to you, they work out A LOT cheaper than face-to-face lessons with a teacher of the same calibre and you can replay them ad infinitum. I don’t know how many times have I had lessons in the past where I’ve ended up covering the same concepts when really a ‘replay’ of the last lesson would h… Read more
Nick
1 2 3 4 5
Your lessons on playing the blues is so clear . I have been through many books on blues playing and not one of them explains as clear as your lessons . Most of them say “Play the same blues scale over all three chords of a 12 bar blues ” Its very misleading .     Thanks
Martin
1 2 3 4 5
I just started looking at my lessons and I have to say, dude you are awesome.  I ABSOLUTELY will learn from you!  I started the tenor about 1 ½ yrs ago and have since picked up an alto, and more recently a soprano.  I spend most of the time on the tenor, followed by soprano, and have only gotten to the alto a few times.  I think I’ll be sticking with tenor.  I’m having a great time and hope one day to play well enough to get regular gigs.  I’ve been playing keys for about 35 years (… Read more
Wil
1 2 3 4 5
Thank you for all the educational information you provide.  I am a classically trained musician.  Professionally, I am a 4th and 5th grade band teacher.  I have played piano and sax for many years, but now I am starting to gig out more. I have always improvised by ear in the past. I have gotten by with my strong sense of pitch, rhythm and melodic contour. However, I want to go deeper. I want to play with a greater variety of melodic and rhythmic ideas to pull from.  I have studied to gain a … Read more
Ray
1 2 3 4 5

Never really had lessons before just kinda worked things out on my own. Was in a rut but your lessons are really helpful in opening melodic possibilities. Ur an awesome resource to the saxophone community. Thanks for sharing. 

Anthony
1 2 3 4 5
Hi Steve, I live in a gorgeous but rural area of Oregon-no music store within 80 miles. Your lessons are my lifeline!  Truly the best there are anywhere online. Love your playing. Love your teaching.  Thanks again. Ed
Ed Woodmansee
1 2 3 4 5
By the way, BIG COMPLIMENTS to you, Steve! Not only are you a great player, you are also a great teacher! I, too, am a woodwinds player/teacher. I have new inspiration to play and teach because of you. The concepts and “thinking” is similar to what I already learned in College, but hearing you explain and PLAY the concepts REALLY MAKES THE DIFFERENCE! Also, your written patterns are more interesting than other books I have seen! Keep up the good work. I will be recommending your sit… Read more
I will be recommending your site to others!
Start
Stop
NextPrev

Featured Video Lessons

  • Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book) Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $19.99 Original price was: $19.99.$14.99Current price is: $14.99.
  • The Secret to Modern Outside Jazz Lines Lesson-Minor The Secret to Modern Outside Jazz Lines Lesson-Minor $9.99
  • Creating Modern II-V-I Lines with Simple Pentatonics Lesson Creating Modern II-V-I Lines with Simple Pentatonics Lesson
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • The Best Embouchure for Tone, Intonation and Endurance Lesson The Best Embouchure for Tone, Intonation and Endurance Lesson
    Rated 4.91 out of 5
    $9.99
  • The Secret to Altissimo (no one has ever told you about before) Lesson The Secret to Altissimo (no one has ever told you about before) Lesson
    Rated 4.75 out of 5
    $9.99

Now over 600 video and audio lessons to choose from!

Free Lessons

  • Free Lesson on The New Ultimate II-V-I Primer-Major Keys
  • Free Video Lesson on Mastering Altered Pentatonics
  • Free Video Lesson on Mastering the Blues Scale Volume 1 & 2
  • Free Video Lesson on Mastering the Dominant Bebop Scale and Language Book 1 & 2
  • Free Video Lesson on Approach Note Velocity Book

Recent reviews

  • Bebop Scale-Altered Scale II-V-I Practice Lesson Bebop Scale-Altered Scale II-V-I Practice Lesson by Noah
  • Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book) Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book) by Andy
  • Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book) Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Russ
  • Creating Modern II-V-I Lines with Simple Pentatonics Lesson Creating Modern II-V-I Lines with Simple Pentatonics Lesson
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Timothy
  • The Best Embouchure for Tone, Intonation and Endurance Lesson The Best Embouchure for Tone, Intonation and Endurance Lesson
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Ray Holland

Footer

Recent Comments

  • Felipe on Theo Wanne Gaia 2 Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece Review
  • Chris Carden on Amazing Charlie Parker Recording of Cherokee
  • Theodore on Amazing Charlie Parker Recording of Cherokee
  • Laurentius on What Difference Does the Saxophone Ligature Make? Part 2
  • Juan Rondón on RS Berkeley Legends Dexter Gordon Tenor Sax Mouthpiece

Top rated products

  • Mastering the Major Bebop Scale & Sound (Digital PDF Book) Mastering the Major Bebop Scale & Sound (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $14.99
  • Tune of the Week-Softly as a Morning Sunrise Lesson Tune of the Week-Softly as a Morning Sunrise Lesson
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • The Style of Dexter Gordon-Lady Bird Lesson 1 The Style of Dexter Gordon-Lady Bird Lesson 1
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • Tune of the Week-Days of Wine and Roses Lesson Tune of the Week-Days of Wine and Roses Lesson
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • Tune of the Week-Invitation Tune of the Week-Invitation
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99

Product tags

alto sax alto saxophone approach notes audio lesson bebop scale beginner beginner saxophone blues blues licks blues patterns blues scale blues scales diminished scale dominant chords ear training fundamentals II-V-I improvisation jazz improvisation jazz lines jazz patterns jazz sax jazz saxophone jazz standard jazz standards licks Mastering the Blues Scale Michael Brecker modern improv modern improvisation online lesson patterns playing outside practice habits reading music sax basics sax lessons saxophone scales smooth jazz steve neff tenor sax tenor saxophone video lesson video lessons
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • SUPPORT

Neffmusic © 2005–2025