I just picked up the sax. I bought a used Yamaha 21 Yas. After taxes and shipping it was just under $600. Eastar has a beginner sax for under $300 new, that I've heard one review of and it was pretty good. All things considered, if you just want to dip in a toe it seems like that would be something worth looking into. Although, I'd also posit that if you take the art seriously you'll eventually need something more legit, so it's likely best to just get something you'll want to hang on to for a while. At least a name brand will have something in the way of resale value. I doubt one could recover any any cost of an Eastar.