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Saxophones Gerald Albright Curved Soprano

Saxdiva

Older, wiser, should know better....
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Following the purchase of my Gerald Albright alto, we all touched on the soprano. It arrived at sax.co.uk for me to try and I went with some excitement to do just that.

I decided to test it against some stiff competition so also checked out the Yani SC991 & 992. I tried them with a trusty Yamaha 5c, an Aizen SO & LS, and a Jody Jazz (sorry, forgot the model).

I expected it to be a contest between the Albright and SC992.

So, firstly it looks fabulous. I tried it in the same combo as my alto. It felt solid but lighter than the John Packer I bought from Ads just for scale fingering practice (I take it to work).

Action was light and quick and it had a lovely tone. Didn't tempt me to part with cash (I actually have to wait til they sell my tenor anyway) but very nice.

Then I tried the 992. There is a reason Yanis have the reputation they do for sopranos I now know. It was solid but so light. The action was amazing. Lovely tone, hard to describe. So smooth but could certainly scream if you want a soprano to do that. I was thinking I should have tried the 991 first as it would be a disappointment.

The 991 had it. Something about the tone. It was even smoother. I didn't know it was possible to sound like that without years of embouchure and breath control training. The manager there prefers the brass Yanis to the bronze and I could hear why.

As for mpc, the Aizen LS was the winner. Yam came a close second though with the Jody Jazz too much effort to play (for me).

Obviously each to their own and we are all different. I've tried others and they are fine - Mauriat, R&C, Elkhart. But the Yani has outstripped everything in curved soprano land. For a more experienced player, the playing ease would probably factor less, but no doubt it would be appreciated. If you hate smooth & mellow, it won't be so impressive. Awesome!!

So, I want one. Can't justify it, can't afford it (unless I sell an alto...).
 
Maybe they`ll take the Yani Alto you`re selling there in P/Ex as they now do more used instruments (ever thought of Yard-sale-ing it and the Tenor too ?) .......... I have to say that when I upgrade the Elky 300 the Yani 991 would be the one I`d love to have but sadly could never warrant buying so it`d likely be a used 901 ... I`d keep the Elky though for its trumpet like sound (and that it`s hardly worth a mint) .. as a point of interest, how did you find the gap between the Yanis and the humble JP you have soundwise and what did you think of the albright ?

If you do decide to get one, I have a Metal Yani 7 sop mouthpice in the Yardsale :) . 7 isn`t as wide as you`d think on Sop , I find it an easy blow and adds beautifully to the control you get ..
 
Yani A992 is sold now, otherwise good suggestion. It paid for the Albright alto. I would love to sell the tenor here and to give a donation to the forum but sax.co.uk are selling it for £5300 at the mo. I would sell it here for £4000 (they're £6,800 new) but I think it's not really for the 'normal' buyer, so it won't go in a hurry, if at all. Sax think they'll get someone looking for a new one and as it's almost mint, they'll get a great deal. If anyone is interested they can PM me and I'll put it in the yard sale. Donation of course.

As for the sopranos, there was simply no comparison between the JP and Yanis. The JP is twice the weight, the action is clunky and slow by comparison (not just the set up) and the tone difference is indescribable. I bought it to carry into work and practice scales so it's fine for that so does its job. To be honest, I was bowled over. I knew there would be a significant difference, but it blew me away.

I liked the Albright a lot and it certainly looked the part. Very, very nice. But, given the price is virtually the same as a 991 it isn't in the ballpark. If it were cheaper it might be a consideration. It also has a straighter crook so the playing position is much more like a 901.

The only reason I would not go for a 901 (apart from the crook shape) is that the left hand pinky keys are in a less comfortable position because the bell keys were on the left. With the 991&2 they are now on the right. Given I have really small hands it could be a problem. Otherwise I'd go for one too.
 
I`ve got used to the left bell keys setup of the Elkhart so the 901 would suit me fine, they sound lovely too combining real life with that refined smoothness (as you heard in the 991) . I need a combination of my sop playing to get to a standard to warrant owning one and the funds to pay for it, it`ll come in time ..

I`d ask Pete if you can put a provisional Yard sale post about the Tenor up , if you ask £4200, pete gets a massive donation , you get almost your 4 grand back and you don`t need to pull it from Sax.co unless you sell it, I`m sure Sax.co will understand, you`ve spent enough money there and likely spend a load more if it sells to get the Yani ......

Best of luck with the Gig Btw, I`m sure you`ll be just fine ..... Enjoy !
 
I would love to sell the tenor here and to give a donation to the forum but sax.co.uk are selling it for £5300 at the mo. I would sell it here for £4000 (they're £6,800 new) but I think it's not really for the 'normal' buyer, so it won't go in a hurry, if at all. Sax think they'll get someone looking for a new one and as it's almost mint, they'll get a great deal. If anyone is interested they can PM me and I'll put it in the yard sale. Donation of course.
What tenor is it?
 
I`d ask Pete if you can put a provisional Yard sale post about the Tenor up , if you ask £4200, pete gets a massive donation , you get almost your 4 grand back and you don`t need to pull it from Sax.co unless you sell it, I`m sure Sax.co will understand, you`ve spent enough money there and likely spend a load more if it sells to get the Yani ......

I'd let Pete answer this, but he's gone off/going off...

We need to keep this legal, open, within the forum rules and above board.

It wouldn't be right to have it for sale at sax.co.uk at one price and advertise it here for less. There shouldn't be a problem with you adding it to the my ebay sales thread - the yardsale rules insist on a price, but the ebay thread is for promoting/advertising sales outside the yardsale, so would fit best there for you to promote the sale through sax.co.uk.

If you then receive offers it's between you, the seller and sax.co.uk/your agreement with them.

If your agreement with sax.co.uk allows you to advertise it elsewhere at a different price, then yard sale is OK, but I rather doubt the agreement allows this.
 
The agreement with sax.co.uk allows me to sell privately at whatever price I choose, whilst they have it, or withdraw the sax from sale at any point. It simply allows them the opportunity to sell and receive significant commission for my saxophone if they sell it whilst I make it available. They make that very clear. It is not an exclusive arrangement so there is no need to worry about being above board, or it being right.

My first point stands though. I cannot see it generating interest in the yard sale, hence me giving it to sax.co.uk in the first place, as I think they are in the best position to sell it. If anyone pms me, and it results in a sale here or via a third party, I will happily make a donation, because they've heard about it on the forum.

This thread was not an attempt to sell it off Yard Sale, it was suggested to me whilst talking about sopranos.

I hope that clarifies.
 
Stu at Wood wind exchange in Bradford would part ex it I'm sure. He has a HUGE stock of new and vintage. Best UK shop for vintage.
 
Cheers Davey, that's great. I'm looking to sell it though not px. I bought the MKVI and I'm selling to recoup the cost, but I'll give Stu a call next time I'm looking to do anything.
 
To be honest, I was bowled over. I knew there would be a significant difference, but it blew me away.

I'm not sure if I'm being helpful or leading you astray, but Howarths has a used SC991.
 
If its a minter and pretty new it`s a good price at £1800, older 901s go for up to £1200
 
And only 4 grand too direct from Saxdiva .. the great thing is that you would be a Tenor player after getting that, MMMMmmmmm Super smooooochy silversonic Yani
 
And not just any tenor, the almighty T9932J! It blows your socks off. A step beyond silversonic too. As well as the solid silver bell and crook, the body is bronze (and the keys brass). Warmth and projection. There is a layer of laquer on the silver too so no polishing. My last teacher played it and asked if I'd swap it for his MKVI.

Thank you for the heads up on Howarths. I just rang them. I hoped they might do a swap and give me the balance in cash. Sort of buying it in, which they don't do, but with a sweetener as I'd buy the sop. No go sadly but they did say they could sell the T9932J for £5500 and if I took less than £4500 privately I'd be giving it away.....

So I can leave it at sax.co or pop up to town on Saturday and swap shops. I'm not sure one is better than the other. It's just a waiting game I guess.

Annoying as I can source a new SC991 at £1800 at the moment. I'm hoping it stays put til the tenor goes.
 
There'll be lots of bargains when the Christmas credit card bill comes in. Sit tight and be patient. Where's me vulture smiley?
 
Ah patience! I could do with a good dose of that. It is a virtue, sadly not one of mine...

I often hear Darling Hubby say 'Patience, Grasshopper!', which you have to be of a certain age to comprehend. I am getting better with age but I think it's only because I can't do things so quickly!
 
It`s a shame Sax.co can`t say "" Saxdiva , you`re one of out best customers so we`ll sell the sax for a rational 10% Commission and get it out of the door faster (it`ll go for £4400, they get a whopping £400 , hardly Chickenfeed) "" that way they actually make some money instead of it collecting dust .....
also I`d think that sax.co would shift it faster than Howarths but I may be wrong .
 
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