support Tutorials CDs PPT mouthpieces

Saxophones In a quandary - Yamaha

jonf

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,471
Locality
Betelgeuse
A month or so ago, I bought a well used Yamaha YAS21 at a low price, to sort out and sell on. Needed a couple of small pads at the top and a bit of a tweak, that's all. Did the work and play tested it. Hmm, now we have a problem, and it's a thornier one than normal. It plays brilliantly, despite its battered looks, and a very slightly clattery action where a couple of corks have gone hard. A really beefy, rich tone. I've had half a dozen YAS21/23/25s over the years, and they've all been good, but this one is head and shoulders above all the others. So now I don't want to sell it. I'm lucky enough to already have two other brilliant altos, a silver Buescher True Tone from the 1920s, and a battered but superb Yanagisawa A6. So I really can't justify keeping it, but I've played it nearly every day for the last month.

What am I going to do?:headscratch:
 
I agree with Chris - keep it.

Yamaha make great saxophones, but if you get one that plays exceptionally you would be a fool to sell and probably regret it later...:w00t:

Here's Troy Roberts playing a 21 series Yamaha tenor with James Morrison at the Sydney Opera House...:thumb:


If I recall from the days of the saxophone newsgroups where Steve Howard and Pete Thomas use to post a lot, Steve H mentioned that Steve Grainger from Culture Club fame use to play a 21 series Yamaha alto doing studio and session work...

Is it possible to own too many saxophones...?:headscratch:

Cheers,

Greg S.
 
Sell me the Buescher - for about what you paid for the yamaha.
 
You have a great sax at a bargain price and this causes you problems? Wanna swap lives?

It looks like the perfect trio to me. A vintage, a good modern and a quality rat.
 
It plays brilliantly, despite its battered looks, and a very slightly clattery action where a couple of corks have gone hard. A really beefy, rich tone. I've had half a dozen YAS21/23/25s over the years, and they've all been good, but this one is head and shoulders above all the others.

My Pruple Rat is like that. KEEP it , the only thing which separates mine from a 61 is the action and I mean a really good 61 . Sound and characterwise I prefer it to the brand new 62 MK3 I had and others I've played

Lets face it Jon, it`s not as if the horn is going to make you a mint if you sell it , is it
 
I think it makes it worse when you get something which requires a bit of work, I have 4 at the moment 2 altos and 2 tenors, all of which I have stripped, cleaned and re-assembled with new pads and corks if required, I can't part with any of them at the moment, but I have yet to try one of those H N White thingys.
 
I had a play on a tatty but well setup and top sounding YAS61 last night so could do a direct comparison and I AM suffering a bit of keywork envy but to less of a degree than I thought I would , the 61 is slicker but it`s not night and day at either end of the horn , the difference even in the bell note speed and feel isn`t as wide as comparing a USA made Conn 14M to a 6M, the 61 does have better consistency of action feel across the body.. though remember that these are two scruffy Pro thrashed horns from the early/mid 70s - although both recently setup by reknown technicians . the 61 feels classier all round in build and everything , I can live with the difference for the £600 or so extra it`d cost to upgrade - of course if a 61 lands in my lap for next to nothing, I`ll upgrade from the Pruple Common Rat to the full blown Pruple King Sewer Rat .

the sound difference was negligible, both are clear, incisive but rich and powerful, fast but with bags of character, the 62s I`ve played including MK1s sound "safe" in comparison to both . if I want safe`n`smoochy I`ll play the SA80-wannabe Sakkusu Elky Deluxe, when I play a Yamaha Alto I want Attitude at both ends of the Audio spectrum :D
 
My pic is of me playing my trusty YAS21 with one of my bands. I've tried other saxes but I prefer my battered Yamaha. Another advantage of the YAS21 is that it's cheap to insure.
 
Wow, if that`s battered, mines a Derelict !! - LOL - though it does look better after I RAW'd the bell & bow and put a Yamaha logo (Bike Tank badge) on the side of the bell - the purple logo had but all scratched off
 
Wow, if that`s battered, mines a Derelict !! - LOL - though it does look better after I RAW'd the bell & bow and put a Yamaha logo (Bike Tank badge) on the side of the bell - the purple logo had but all scratched off

I'd like to see that!
 
I'd like to see that!

Here it is


YAS21-Badge.jpg
 
Back
Top Bottom