www.christopherelliottinc.com

The CE Winds Difference

Many people ask us, why CE Winds?

In short, the answer is that we feel we're just different.

We are different in our attitudes towards our customers. We have a solid reputation for going above and beyond with those who contact us. We really do treat everyone they way we hope to be treated, with courtesy and respect. You are more than just a customer to us, and we work specifically with you to meet the needs that you have as a musician, as a parent, or as someone in the market for a saxophone or other musical instrument. Over 30% of our customers are repeat customers, and we work hard so that everyone has a great customer experience, so that they will refer their friends and family to CE Winds as well.

We are different because provide saxophones and other musical instruments direct to the public that we are extremely proud of. There are several levels of saxophones and other musical instruments available in the market today. We are not in the market to ‘compete’ with any other brand; we are here to offer a great, high quality instrument at price level so that anyone can afford the right instrument for their needs. From our Alpha Series to our Pro Series, there is an instrument that has been built well with quality materials, has a great sound, and will suit their needs perfectly. We have a proven track record of not only providing exceptional customer service, but by also providing an instrument you can be proud of, and we know you can’t provide one without the other and succeed as we have.

We are different because we have a vision unlike any other musical instrument label in the market today. We do not succeed because we are selling musical instruments direct to the public and saving them hundreds of dollars off of the same instruments being sold by other major companies; we succeed because we really understand who our customers are, and why, of all companies in the market, they have contacted us. We know that all musicians have been given a gift, and that we are here to help them use their gift to affect change in the world. Without music and the passion to pursuit it, the world would be a very different place.

Who builds CE Winds instruments?

A little known fact is that a majority of the saxophones built in the world today are Asian made. The same is true for the instruments we have built for us. We have teamed up with factories in China and in Taiwan to build the instruments we currently sell today. Both factories are family owned businesses that employ trade-people, not factory workers, to produce our exceptionally high quality instruments. Both work exclusively with us as their primary importer for instruments in the US, meaning that there are no other US based companies providing these same exact instruments, as far as craftsmanship. All of our instruments are based on models currently being sold under major names worldwide, being called copies or stencils.

Two major differences between us and most Asian made instruments are these; 1) the materials we use, and 2) the post manufacturing work completed here in the US.

Every saxophone we have built is finely crafted with the highest grade materials that are available in the market. A common complaint with some Asian made saxophones and other brass made instruments are that the metals are soft, pliable and sound thin, or that they are too heavy and way too resonant or shrill. Our instruments are the perfect blend of strength and sound. Technicians and professional players around the world have complimented both our Alpha Series and Pro Series instruments in both build quality and in sound.

Once a saxophone or other musical instrument gets to us here in the US, our professional technicians and musicians go over each sax and test it out both in quality of build, and playability. We carefully check every detail of each instrument to make sure that it is 100% ready to be played as soon as the case is opened.

The Alpha & the Pro Series

There is something for everyone with CE Winds. We don’t consider any of our instruments to be student or intermediate models; we consider all of our saxophones suitable for professional use, by any level player. The major differences in the Alpha Series and Pro Series are mainly styles, materials, and craftsmanship.

The Alpha Series saxophones have a variety of finishes and styles that generally appeal to younger players, and are based off of the Yamaha style for their key work and action. The have a hand hammered body, machine formed, power forged keys, ribbed construction, and use instrument grade alloys during manufacturing and construction. Because they are more cost effective to build, we are able to offer them at a more competitive price often reserved for higher grade student/intermediate level instruments. Only because of this reason can they be considered as a great option for students or beginner players, but can be played by anyone. They are also about half the cost of any major brand student or intermediate level instrument.

The Pro Series name says it all. They are built with professional musicians in mind, using the best materials available in the market today. The patented alloys used in these instruments is second to none in the saxophone manufacturing industry, and the factory that manufactures these instruments builds exclusively with CE Winds in the United States. These saxophones are hand hammered, hand formed, hand assembled from start to finish, and we know they can compete with ANY professionally made saxophone in the market today.

If we have such a high quality product, why are our prices so low?

The simple answer is that we know that in any economy, no one should have to go into debt to buy a saxophone they can be proud to own. We often tell people “If you can afford to buy a new Yamaha, Selmer, Yanagisawa, Keilwerth, without it affecting your budget you should do so. Those companies set the standard for both quality and history, and you know exactly what you will be getting, one of the finest saxophones made in the world. However, if you cannot afford one of those, or do not want to justify spending $4k-8k on a new saxophone, then we are the right company for you.”

We work factory direct, and also customer direct, so we have eliminated the several middlemen elevating the prices to such high levels. We know the costs to produce even some of the finest saxophones in the world, but sometimes by the time the product reaches you, the musician, you have spent much money paying for the instrument to go from distributor to distributor. Our factory direct programs allows is to import instruments directly and offer them to you at a competitive price, usually much lower than the same exact high quality sax with a more ‘household’ name.