Saxophones My Awesome New Tenor - YTS 32

[Tobes]

Hi all,

Just thought I share my delight at recently getting a used Yamaha 32 (paid around £700). Very pleased and surprised with how good the sound it. I was drawn to Yamaha after I got a used YAS 62 mark I, about 5 months ago, which I have absolutely no regrets about - what a fantastic horn the YAS 62 is!

Obviously as you can expect with Yamaha, the YTS 32 action, intonation and reliability are all spot on (which is a massive plus compared with my previous tenor!) but I am particularly surprised at how good the sound is, considering this is really a student / intermediate sax. It’s very free blowing, plays as lound as you want, and with the right MP set-up and embouchure, can sound really rich and mellow also.

My ideal sax would probably be a P Mauriat 66R or Reference 54, but don't have the budget at present. To be fair though, the sound I’m getting with the 32 ain't that far off - maybe it lacks some of the complexity, broadness of the P Mauriat I tried, (way too subtle perhaps for the average listener to notice) but with a good MP set-up I’d recommend the YTS 32 to anyone with a budget under £1k, that’s wants a horn you can put through it’s paces and perform at a professional level.

Anyone else had a similar experience with the YTS 32?

 

[kevgermany]

Stephen Howard's going to be pleased to read this.

Good you're enjoying yourself and the sax. What mounthpiece are you using?

 

[Taz]

I don't have any experience of the Yamaha range, but anyone who can write such a rave review must be onto a winner.
I hope you continue to enjoy your sax and your relationship with it!

 

[Tobes]

I use a customised ebonite mouthpiece - local guy made it for me for £160 - was worth every penny - I was using an otto link metal 7* before but sold that on ebay as the customised one was better - has a higher baffle so great up high, but still sounds has a full warm/rich sound in the lower register - better than any off-the-shelf mp I could find anyway, and I did try a few...

 

[Tobes]

Just saw a YTS 32 on ebay go for £450 - Typical! Not as good condition as mind though

 

[ManEast]

Love 32's

The only thing Intermediate about a 32 is the fact it was given that label by its makers.
I had one for years...and blindley traded it in for a Yamaha 875 ex Custom that in comparison felt dead. It resulted in me putting a small BlueTak Baffle in my Otto Link to get some colour out of it. The 875 was so heavy that 2hours a day practice along with 6 nights a week on the bandstand resulted in chronic neck probs.

Along with its reliablity, I would class the 32 to be very much a Pro horn. More so than many horn's labeld as "Pro".
In fact, for me there aren't that many modern Tenor's that can hold a candle to your 32.

I have just found a mint YTS 21 for a friend of mine for £300. He has just had Griff re-pad it with a set of roo's ... Also one very,VERY, fine horn !

 

[O.C.V.]

I recently sold a YTS 32 to another forum member. My only reason for selling was that all my work now is on alto and I needed to buy a decent backup alto horn to my Aristocrat. I found that the YTS 32 was a superb instrument, responsive, excellent intonation, good ergos for someone with small hands. It was mellow when mellow was needed but was able shout with the best when pushed. I always used an Otto Link STM7 with Rico Royal 2 1/2 reeds and it was able to do far more than I could ask from it. Needless to say, I bought a YAS32 which I am delighted with. I heard from the member who purchased my YTS32 recently and he seems to regard it as highly as I did.
Congratulations on your purchase, tmuir.
Regards
O.C.V.

 

[SaxyMalcolm]

I have a YTS 62II which is a great horn, very reliable and a great sound. I have also started using a custom made mpc, a Phil tone special with a .100 tip with Alexander superial 2 reeds, which has opened up the sound even more.

 

[Two Voices]

Nice one! Nothing like finding a horn that you can get on with! I like the Yamaha range and never heard anyone run down a YTS 32!

 

[Tobes]

Thought I'd put a link to me playing the new YTS 32 - recorded this today - in my view not how you'd expect a YTS 32 to sound, as I wanted to go for quite an airy / breathy sound (maybe over done slightly!) If I use a different reed the sound can be completely different - i.e. very bright and cutting. All constructive feedback welcome - go easy on me though, not been playing that long

http://www.myspace.com/tobiemuirmusic/music/songs/east-of-the-sun-on-yts-32-mp3-82187272

http://www.myspace.com/tobiemuirmusic/music/songs/east-of-the-sun-on-yts-32-mp3-82187272

I should add that I was playing against a backing track and my recording equipment consists (currently) of laptop, Logic software and Samsung USB mic, placed 2 metres from where I was playing - I think a proper sax mic would pick up attack better though...I may buy one.

 

[ManEast]

32

Sounds sweet as ! who made your mouthpiece ?...works very well on that 32.

 

[johnboy]

One word -EXCELLENT :welldone

John.

 

[Pyrografix]

Just saw a YTS 32 on ebay go for £450 - Typical! Not as good condition as mind though

A quick tip..........

Once you've found a horn that you really like.....stop looking!
.....or you'll suffer from eternal GAS!

 

[Pyrografix]

Excellent sound BTW - well done!

 

[Tobes]

Sounds sweet as ! who made your mouthpiece ?...works very well on that 32.

Thanks very much. Guy called Paul Burger in Bournemouth http://www.pdbwoodwind.co.uk/

 

[kevgermany]

Lovely tracks. You, the sax nd the mouthpiece are a very good fit!

 

[Taz]

Very very nice! You've kept it nice and simple and it's worked very well indeed. For someone who's not been playing long, you've got a great sound!

 

[Rico Vandoren]

Well done! Sounds great.

 

[Jeanette]

Nice sound :welldone:welldone

 

[Tobes]

Hey thanks for the positive comments everyone - really encouraging! On a slightly different subject, concerning the actual recording, I was experimenting today with the mic placement and previously (with the recording above) had it way too far away (about 2 meters where I was playing as too sensitive up close). Anyway, I found a '-10 db' switch on the side of the mic (1/10 for observation!), which once activated means you can place it just centimetres away - this really picks up the attacks and higher frequencies much better - basically makes the sax sound a lot better still. The mic is flippin' awesome (it's only £40 check it out at:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samson-Mic-Clip-USB-Microphone/dp/B001R76D42/ref=pd_sim_computers_27)

- you can just plug the mic straight into the laptop and with the right software get (in my view) a really impressive sound - I just clipped the mic onto my music stand so that it was about 20 cm above bell of sax when playing - I think I'll start another thread about this under the appropriate heading...

...Few hrs later - Here's the results for anyone that's interested in getting a reasonable recording set-up without spending too much (apologies to the moderators as this now has absolutely nothing what-so-ever to do with the YTS 32 as playing Alto on - although this is Yamaha also )

http://www.myspace.com/tobiemuirmusic/music/songs/joyces-samba-demo-mp3-82207330