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Tobes
Member
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Just thought I'd share some thoughts and deliberations over a new purchase I made. I've just got an old YTS 61 Purple logo for £700 and had it serviced and setup. Have to say, I'm more than very impressed with it. Took a bit of a punt buying as never tried one before, but gamble has more than paid off.
I've played it to a few musical friends to get a comparison between the 61 and my Mauriat 66r. The general consensus (including mine) is that the YTS is more even throughout the whole range, only slightly brighter than the 66r, but really sings; for some reason I play better on the YTS61 that the Mauriat - one of my friends commented that I sound more that a propper sax player (which can't be bad)!
I prefer the action and feel of the 61 over the the Mauriat also, even though the 61 is about 40 years older. I like the smaller more compact keywork as I find it feels slightly more nimble and responsive. I also find the high notes much easier to get, which means I can bend the pitch better and add more expression, which add so much more.
The great thing about the Mauriat is that it has that slightly more complex, darker more boomier sound, which many people are immediately impressed with, but for me, it can be at the expense of clarity, particularly in fast passages. I can also be a bit monotonous (I think Stephen Howard refered to it as a bit of a 'one-trick wonder', which I can certainly identify with). It's almost as if the sound on the Mauriat is slightly chocolately, thick but tends to get a bit mushy in places, particularly up high. The lowest notes on the Mauriat are almost unbeatable though, but it was very noticeable to my friends listening, that the sound seems to thin out at the top - I think you can compensate for this by putting more air through it though. The 61, on the other-hand, maintains a really nice vibrant sound from bottom to top without having to adjust the air levels.
The only downside so far about the 61, is that it can sound slightly metalic if you push it hard, although often it can also sound like it has more buzz or vibrancy to the sound.
Comparing to some other Yamaha's:
I've previously owned a YTS 32, borrowed a YTS 51 and also borrowed an older 82Z, the YTS61 is definitely my favourite out of these Yamaha's. The 51 is closest but just doesn't have quite the same depth to the sound and as much punch. I found the 82z too bright and sounded too clinical, almost manufactured (I think the newer ones may be better though). I tried Saxlicker's YTS62 purple logo the other week and was also very impressed with this. I think the 61 has more volume, although the tone is similar to the YTS62 purple logo. I was also very impressed with his YTS875. Great action and more volume than the 62. Anyway, if anyone's interested those are my rambling 2 cents on the YTS61 and other saxes I've tried...
I've played it to a few musical friends to get a comparison between the 61 and my Mauriat 66r. The general consensus (including mine) is that the YTS is more even throughout the whole range, only slightly brighter than the 66r, but really sings; for some reason I play better on the YTS61 that the Mauriat - one of my friends commented that I sound more that a propper sax player (which can't be bad)!
I prefer the action and feel of the 61 over the the Mauriat also, even though the 61 is about 40 years older. I like the smaller more compact keywork as I find it feels slightly more nimble and responsive. I also find the high notes much easier to get, which means I can bend the pitch better and add more expression, which add so much more.
The great thing about the Mauriat is that it has that slightly more complex, darker more boomier sound, which many people are immediately impressed with, but for me, it can be at the expense of clarity, particularly in fast passages. I can also be a bit monotonous (I think Stephen Howard refered to it as a bit of a 'one-trick wonder', which I can certainly identify with). It's almost as if the sound on the Mauriat is slightly chocolately, thick but tends to get a bit mushy in places, particularly up high. The lowest notes on the Mauriat are almost unbeatable though, but it was very noticeable to my friends listening, that the sound seems to thin out at the top - I think you can compensate for this by putting more air through it though. The 61, on the other-hand, maintains a really nice vibrant sound from bottom to top without having to adjust the air levels.
The only downside so far about the 61, is that it can sound slightly metalic if you push it hard, although often it can also sound like it has more buzz or vibrancy to the sound.
Comparing to some other Yamaha's:
I've previously owned a YTS 32, borrowed a YTS 51 and also borrowed an older 82Z, the YTS61 is definitely my favourite out of these Yamaha's. The 51 is closest but just doesn't have quite the same depth to the sound and as much punch. I found the 82z too bright and sounded too clinical, almost manufactured (I think the newer ones may be better though). I tried Saxlicker's YTS62 purple logo the other week and was also very impressed with this. I think the 61 has more volume, although the tone is similar to the YTS62 purple logo. I was also very impressed with his YTS875. Great action and more volume than the 62. Anyway, if anyone's interested those are my rambling 2 cents on the YTS61 and other saxes I've tried...
