Saxophones It's a Yamaha, yes, BUT IT HAS A BUFFET NECK STRAP!!

[DavidUK]

YTS-23 arrived today and it's as described by the seller apart from a slight dip in the bell, easily sorted by my new dent man Matt at Connolly-MIR no doubt, along with the other four dings I did know about. Retail seller of all kinds of instruments so may have missed the bell bend. I've asked for some more money off. You know me!

THAT musty smell, you know the one, which tells you this has been stashed away for years and not seen the light of day. Green tinge to some of the pads, which I'd seen in emailed photos and thought might mean a re-pad. Hang on... the green rubs off, the pads are soft. Yes, they'll clean up well with a little disassembly when I have time.

Its Buffet neck strap, identical to my current one, is in perfect condition. I'm guessing the previous owner had to let one of his horns go and, naturally, the Yam went before any of his Buffets?

But does it play?....

Firstly with Selmer Soloist F + MJ 2 1/2, which I usually like. Hmmm... not so good. Am I sending the sax back...?

Let's try a TJ MP with the Marca. Ah, now that's much better.

Windcraft Student with Marca. Yes, great!!

It's own Yam MP (not numbered). Horrible!!

Back to the Windcraft MP and some improv as I had no music. Eerily I was able to play "fly me to the moon" straight off with almost no mistakes, and I've never even attempted that tune before! Just shows what you can do when you can't be bothered to get your "music book" out! Yes, I find myself en...joy...ing... a Yamaha!! For the first time! The other Yams have all been altos and had my Buffet 400 to contend with.

Tenor-wise I'd tried BW, Carmichael, Grassi Standard, TJ Rev II. The 23 has a "raunchy" kind of sound I've not come across but have been looking for, and that's straight out of the (musty) case. No adjustment, no fettling.
I dare say it'll need a proper set up but apart from the few dings etc, oh... and the green pads, it's a rather... lovely old thing. There, I've said it.

How it will compare to the Grassi 2000 Pro, who knows. I'll find out in a couple of weeks.

🙂

 

[daveysaxboy]

Yamaha 21,23,25 and 32 = all fantastic,well I think so.

 

[DavidUK]

Just been playing it again. Now I see what Steve Howard saw in it all those years. Great build quality to withstand all those years of neglect, locked away in its case, and a great sound too. Actually is really does remind me of the Buffet 400 for the edge to its voice, the ability to bend the note which I found lacking in the YAS-275.

Must compare it to the Carmichael. Didn't tonight as I just couldn't put the 23 down, even though my sore old back was begging me to! Can't wait to see if the prof has a similar experience? The market could be flooded with Martins!

 

[Ads]

Just been playing it again. Now I see what Steve Howard saw in it all those years. Great build quality to withstand all those years of neglect, locked away in its case, and a great sound too. Actually is really does remind me of the Buffet 400 for the edge to its voice, the ability to bend the note which I found lacking in the YAS-275.
!

S'funny , I didn`t care too much for the Tenor version of the 275 either when I tried one (Bland?) though found the 62 was excellent as is my 62 Alto . I found a good Yam has a complex enough sound but also doesn`t get in the way, I really liked the YAS62 as soon as it landed but as I get more and more I get into it, it just gets better and better and that`s how it should be, this is why it takes time to get to know a horn and squeeze the best from it and the better the sax, the more you`ll get before coming to its (or your) limitations ..

Maybe if I`d bought that 275 Tenor as a backup years ago I`d have got far more from it in time, maybe more than I`ll ever get from the BW I e`ve eventually bought ? Dunno we`ll never know but nothing at all grabbed me from the start (like your experience with the alto version David) and you need at least some incentive to continue.

 

[Jamesmac]

S'funny , I didn`t care too much for the Tenor version of the 275 either when I tried one (Bland?) though found the 62 was excellent as is my 62 Alto . I found a good Yam has a complex enough sound but also doesn`t get in the way, I really liked the YAS62 as soon as it landed but as I get more and more I get into it, it just gets better and better and that`s how it should be, this is why it takes time to get to know a horn and squeeze the best from it and the better the sax, the more you`ll get before coming to its (or your) limitations ..

Maybe if I`d bought that 275 Tenor as a backup years ago I`d have got far more from it in time, maybe more than I`ll ever get from the BW I e`ve eventually bought ? Dunno we`ll never know but nothing at all grabbed me from the start (like your experience with the alto version David) and you need at least some incentive to continue.

You make some very good points. Especially the player actually meeting the demands of the instrument. Also how the Yamaha sax can be a blank canvas for the player to impose himself on. I once did a side by side comparison with a Conn Chu Berry Alto and my Custom YAS 855. Same MP, reed. At first The Conn had that Conn sound that I like. The Yamaha sounded different. Playing briefly on each, and swapping them, I found the Yamaha was starting to sound Conn like.
I believe I was able to do this because I have the chops to do it.

 

[daveysaxboy]

Any top horn is a great horn .Its what floats your boat.I must say though I kind of laugh when I hear the vintage or Selmer crowd go on about how much core,complex and character there vintage or selmer horns have and then saying that Yamaha have none and are bland.I've asked this question before so here it is again . So do selmer/vintage horn players sound better than us Yamaha players.....my answer is no,theres no better.The player is 90% the sound.All the top brands are top for a reason.Like I've said before finding a sax and mp that suits you is a combo that does not get in the way of you being free and just playing.

 

[Little My]

Aha, the neck strap, so that's where I'm going wrong!

Enjoy your Yamaha. They don't have their good reputation for nothing.

 

[daveysaxboy]

Aha, the neck strap, so that's where I'm going wrong!

Enjoy your Yamaha. They don't have their good reputation for nothing.

For the best sound use Selmer Paris cork grease,then you sound amazing.

 

[DavidUK]

Any top horn is a great horn .Its what floats your boat.I must say though I kind of laugh when I hear the vintage or Selmer crowd go on about how much core,complex and character there vintage or selmer horns have and then saying that Yamaha have none and are bland.I've asked this question before so here it is again . So do selmer/vintage horn players sound better than us Yamaha players.....my answer is no,theres no better.The player is 90% the sound.All the top brands are top for a reason.Like I've said before finding a sax and mp that suits you is a combo that does not get in the way of you being free and just playing.

I'm sure there are guys on this forum that play Yamaha instruments better than I will ever play any sax!

Like you say, it's down to the combo suiting the player's own individual sound.

;}

 

[thesaxman71]

I'm sure there are guys on this forum that play Yamaha instruments better than I will ever play any sax!

Like you say, it's down to the combo suiting the player's own individual sound.

;}

As a Yamaha player i can say i have just found many a great sax in other brands, but Yamaha does it for me, personal taste, BUT my most recent (i bought) being the new Buffet 400 (matte look) alto it plays amazing, solid horn up there with the top altos i have played, and i have tried most.
but be it Yamaha, Buffet or whatever brand I agree that it is more about the player than the sax.

 

[DavidUK]

As a Yamaha player i can say i have just found many a great sax in other brands, but Yamaha does it for me, personal taste, BUT my most recent (i bought) being the new Buffet 400 (matte look) alto it plays amazing, solid horn up there with the top altos i have played, and i have tried most.
but be it Yamaha, Buffet or whatever brand I agree that it is more about the player than the sax.

Wel, well, welcome to the Buffet Brigade! Mine's a matt one too, as is TomMapfumo's. Are you going to give us a fuller "review" of it in a separate thread? How about a comparison with your Yamaha alto, and any other altos you have? That would be useful to many I think.

 

[thesaxman71]

Wel, well, welcome to the Buffet Brigade! Mine's a matt one too, as is TomMapfumo's. Are you going to give us a fuller "review" of it in a separate thread? How about a comparison with your Yamaha alto, and any other altos you have? That would be useful to many I think.

if i get the chance, no problem.

 

[daveysaxboy]

I'm sure there are guys on this forum that play Yamaha instruments better than I will ever play any sax!

Like you say, it's down to the combo suiting the player's own individual sound.

;}

Yea that's what I think,combo is the tiny fraction bit ,the player is the one.And just for the record keep me clear of the quote ( I'm sure there are guys on this forum that play Yamaha instruments better than I will ever play any sax!)
that's got nothing to do with me ;}

 

[altissimo]

🙂

 

[DavidUK]

I emailed Yamaha UK yesterday morning asking for info on my serial number 004078. By 9.07am today they had emailed Japan and replied as follows;

"I am sorry that this product is quite old and there is no detailed information left.
This model was launched in 1979, so it seems that this was made in early 1980s in Japan.

Kind regards,
Keiko"

Quite an early one then. 🙂

 

[thesaxman71]

I emailed Yamaha UK yesterday morning asking for info on my serial number 004078. By 9.07am today they had emailed Japan and replied as follows;

"I am sorry that this product is quite old and there is no detailed information left.
This model was launched in 1979, so it seems that this was made in early 1980s in Japan.

Kind regards,
Keiko"

Quite an early one then. 🙂

my tenor is only a few numbers away from yours and yamaha told me, on good authority, it is from 1981, so yours will be the same year maybe if that helps

 

[DavidUK]

my tenor is only a few numbers away from yours and yamaha told me, on good authority, it is from 1981, so yours will be the same year maybe if that helps

Is yours a 23 too? Imagine that... same Buffet, same Yamaha... ;}

 

[thesaxman71]

Is yours a 23 too? Imagine that... same Buffet, same Yamaha... ;}

no, mine is a 62 but same buffet

 

[old git]

Okay, so who is going to start a thread on the effect of the neck strap on the sound of the saxophone and whether cryonic technology is a help or a hindrance?

 

[Ads]

The sling can have a massive effect, if you use the shamefully crappy one Yamaha give you with the 62 then you`ll be wincing so much from neck soreness that it`ll have a serious effect on your playing .... Now you know why Yamaha players use Buffet neck straps, I`ve seen better straps supplied with £25 chinese guitars than the stock item... :ashamed