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Linky Lee
Senior Member
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- Salisbury, UK
Today I was supposed to go to Sussex university for an admissions day, didn't quite work out so I took my dad off to the sax.co.uk shop in Crowborough.
I had a go on various saxophones; P.Mauriats, Yanagisawas, TJJ's.
I was so suprised by the quality of the TJJ's that I decided to make this thread, even though the Yanagisawa T902 won the day.
I tried a standard custom series brass horn and the Phosphor Bronze that I was slightly more interested in. The phosphor bronze had a really nice contrast between the gold lacquer finish keywork and the body. The lacquer seemed to be of good quality. I couldn't find anything wrong with the mechanism. It was slick, went with you, didn't drag behind or push forwards. Felt comfortable under the fingers and had nice feedback.
Both models felt the same and the consistency was good.
The only difference was the sound.
The brass model had a really nice sound but I'd have to say it was basic. It was saxophone, good quality saxophone but it's character and personality wasn't quite there.
The Phosphor bronze model was very different. The sound was pleasingly dark (darker than the T902) and projected brilliantly! I immediately felt some buzz coming from this horn in it's sound but my father said this wasn't coming through in what was coming out the bell and projecting to the audience. It was slightly more resistive than the Brass model but it's tone stayed more consistent and was really rich in the higher register and altissimo. The low C key was perfect (for my hands). The mechanism rivaled the Yanigasawas, only slightly worse but this C key made up for it.
Over all I felt it was a fantastic horn, much better than I expected and worth every penny.
I tried two different P. Mauriats, a System 76 (two different ones) and a 66R which was sold a few minutes afterwards, the last one they had! I tried the 76 first and It felt big. Like a Keilworth. It forced me to stand awkwardly and I didn't get on with that at all. I sat down which was better and had a go on the horn. The finish was good quality but felt 'furry' and really strange under the fingers. I don't think the finish is that realistic either it's to nicely done. The sound was big. Huge. The sax just did not do quiet. It was really rich and powerful and sounded fantastic when given the whack. astounding for Rock and R 'n' B work, or anything with electric instruments really. The 66R was basically the same just with a darker sound, this was better dynamically but still was best very loud. I didn't find them comfortable or versatile enough to warrant any further investigation as time was limited. A point I'd like to make was that the second 76 didn't play as the Bb closed with the B key. Bit dodgy, I pointed this out and it got fixed but not so great really. The mechanism wasn't quite right on either of them and didn't feel responsive. The low notes were a bit of a push as well.
The big big winner was the Yanagisawa T902 which blew me away and even now I can't get over how good this horn was. Amazing. I played one very briefly a week ago and was impressed and after today It's my favorite tenor I've ever gotten my hands on.
I picked up this horn and the first thing I noticed was that it was small. The keys were closer together, lower to the body and the key cups were smaller. The mechanism was solid and so it was lighter in weight. A great bonus! The saxophone sat comfortably either upright, or off to the side. Sitting down was no hassle either.
I immediately felt at home on this horn and it felt great before I'd even played a note.
I played few a few scales and riffs at various speeds and I was astounded by the action. It was so so slick and smooth. The octave key was great! hardly moves at the thumb but has a big affect on the pad by the octave nipple and was super quick. The low C key also felt really solid and comfortable, a key I usually find to be a bit randomly placed and generally either feels too heavy or floppy. The palm keys were easily accessible but didn't get knocked during playing as they were too high or accessible.
The sound was lovely, really dark but still pure. It didn't have the projection of the TJJ until you played loudly when the sax opened up and it got a bit brighter. The Altissimo spoke effortlessly and was instant. Everything responded immediately.
The biggest thing that impressed me was it's dynamic range. It played so quietly! The quietest I have ever heard any saxophone ever! I was almost struggling to hear it over the general noise of blowing a saxophone and it absolutely soared when blown. It had feathery lightness, it was smooth and sexy, then it could suddenly jump to raucous and proud. The horn let every nuance through, the articulation was projected and was really nice to hear clearly.
This horn just felt like magic under my hands and was incredibly relaxing to play. my fingers flew yet it felt effortless it allowed me to express myself to a greater contrast and the sound it let me produce gave me such a good feeling you couldn't help but grin stupidly and whack it back in your gob to play your favorite tunes!
I played a T901 briefly, it felt the same. Gorgeous, but just didn't quite have the sound has the T902. More contemporary and brighter, didn't quite have the dynamics of the T902 either, still extremely good though.
At the end of the day I would of been more than happy with either of the T902 or the TJJ and though the T902 certainly won the day, the TJJ really struck home and surprised. In a good way!
I had a go on various saxophones; P.Mauriats, Yanagisawas, TJJ's.
I was so suprised by the quality of the TJJ's that I decided to make this thread, even though the Yanagisawa T902 won the day.
I tried a standard custom series brass horn and the Phosphor Bronze that I was slightly more interested in. The phosphor bronze had a really nice contrast between the gold lacquer finish keywork and the body. The lacquer seemed to be of good quality. I couldn't find anything wrong with the mechanism. It was slick, went with you, didn't drag behind or push forwards. Felt comfortable under the fingers and had nice feedback.
Both models felt the same and the consistency was good.
The only difference was the sound.
The brass model had a really nice sound but I'd have to say it was basic. It was saxophone, good quality saxophone but it's character and personality wasn't quite there.
The Phosphor bronze model was very different. The sound was pleasingly dark (darker than the T902) and projected brilliantly! I immediately felt some buzz coming from this horn in it's sound but my father said this wasn't coming through in what was coming out the bell and projecting to the audience. It was slightly more resistive than the Brass model but it's tone stayed more consistent and was really rich in the higher register and altissimo. The low C key was perfect (for my hands). The mechanism rivaled the Yanigasawas, only slightly worse but this C key made up for it.
Over all I felt it was a fantastic horn, much better than I expected and worth every penny.
I tried two different P. Mauriats, a System 76 (two different ones) and a 66R which was sold a few minutes afterwards, the last one they had! I tried the 76 first and It felt big. Like a Keilworth. It forced me to stand awkwardly and I didn't get on with that at all. I sat down which was better and had a go on the horn. The finish was good quality but felt 'furry' and really strange under the fingers. I don't think the finish is that realistic either it's to nicely done. The sound was big. Huge. The sax just did not do quiet. It was really rich and powerful and sounded fantastic when given the whack. astounding for Rock and R 'n' B work, or anything with electric instruments really. The 66R was basically the same just with a darker sound, this was better dynamically but still was best very loud. I didn't find them comfortable or versatile enough to warrant any further investigation as time was limited. A point I'd like to make was that the second 76 didn't play as the Bb closed with the B key. Bit dodgy, I pointed this out and it got fixed but not so great really. The mechanism wasn't quite right on either of them and didn't feel responsive. The low notes were a bit of a push as well.
The big big winner was the Yanagisawa T902 which blew me away and even now I can't get over how good this horn was. Amazing. I played one very briefly a week ago and was impressed and after today It's my favorite tenor I've ever gotten my hands on.
I picked up this horn and the first thing I noticed was that it was small. The keys were closer together, lower to the body and the key cups were smaller. The mechanism was solid and so it was lighter in weight. A great bonus! The saxophone sat comfortably either upright, or off to the side. Sitting down was no hassle either.
I immediately felt at home on this horn and it felt great before I'd even played a note.
I played few a few scales and riffs at various speeds and I was astounded by the action. It was so so slick and smooth. The octave key was great! hardly moves at the thumb but has a big affect on the pad by the octave nipple and was super quick. The low C key also felt really solid and comfortable, a key I usually find to be a bit randomly placed and generally either feels too heavy or floppy. The palm keys were easily accessible but didn't get knocked during playing as they were too high or accessible.
The sound was lovely, really dark but still pure. It didn't have the projection of the TJJ until you played loudly when the sax opened up and it got a bit brighter. The Altissimo spoke effortlessly and was instant. Everything responded immediately.
The biggest thing that impressed me was it's dynamic range. It played so quietly! The quietest I have ever heard any saxophone ever! I was almost struggling to hear it over the general noise of blowing a saxophone and it absolutely soared when blown. It had feathery lightness, it was smooth and sexy, then it could suddenly jump to raucous and proud. The horn let every nuance through, the articulation was projected and was really nice to hear clearly.
This horn just felt like magic under my hands and was incredibly relaxing to play. my fingers flew yet it felt effortless it allowed me to express myself to a greater contrast and the sound it let me produce gave me such a good feeling you couldn't help but grin stupidly and whack it back in your gob to play your favorite tunes!
I played a T901 briefly, it felt the same. Gorgeous, but just didn't quite have the sound has the T902. More contemporary and brighter, didn't quite have the dynamics of the T902 either, still extremely good though.
At the end of the day I would of been more than happy with either of the T902 or the TJJ and though the T902 certainly won the day, the TJJ really struck home and surprised. In a good way!
