- Messages
- 527
- Locality
- Burgess Hill, West Sussex
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...).
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...).