I take my Gutiars to a tech...should I take a Yamaha yas 480 to a tech and have it set up? Or is it as good as it gets from the factory and doez this instrument have resonators?
You shouldn't 'have' to take your horn to a tech - but it's often worthwhile to do so.
A factory-fresh horn is set up in a way that ensures it works (hopefully) - and in such a way that will likely appeal to the broadest range of players. But there's quite a difference in a horn that just works and one that's been carefully tweaked to both get the best out of it and to tailor it to the specific needs of the player.
For example, the height of the action from the factory is typically about 25% higher than it needs to be.
It's set like this because the lower you set the action, the more risk there is of the keys 'shading' certain notes - which leads to tuning problems and a reduction in tone. Balancing this out takes time, so for cost-effectiveness it's easier to set the action to a height where this isn't going to be an issue.
Likewise the spring tension will be set to throw up the least amount of issues - and to disguise slight flaws in the integrity of the pad seals ( you have to press harder to close a strongly-sprung key, and the harder you press, the more force you'll extert on the pad).
There may also be some storage issues to deal with. Saxes can be quite 'organic' - which is to say that once you've put them together and set everything up, some parameters may change while the instrument is waiting in the warehouse/shop. Pads can absorb moisture, corks and felts can compress...and even stresses in the metal can 'unwind'. None of this is likely to stop an instrument dead in its tracks, but it can certainly knock a few percentage points off the playability.
And there's also the issue of build quality.
From a repairer's perspective the general standard of manufacture is quite low. It's extremely common for us to be dealing with the sort of excess, unwanted movement in the keywork on a new horn as we might expect to see on a fine old Selmer that's seen a good few years of wear and tear. Again, it's unlikely such wear will stop a horn dead - but, again, it knocks a few percent off the playability.
Correcting these issues gets the best out of a horn, and helps to ensure it stays that way for some time.
Finally, it gives you - the player - the comfort of knowing your horn is performing at 100%, and that any issues you have with your playing are solely down to you and your technique. If there's a lick you can't quite get your fingers around, it's down to you to shed it until you can - but if there's a spot of misregulation or a small leak, you might never nail that lick.
As for resonators - yes, your Yamaha has them, as does every modern horn.
Over here we tend to call them 'reflectors'. It's a more accurate description of their function - which is simply to reduce the amount of absorbent material in the bore of the horn and to help prevent the skin of the pad from flapping about in the breeze.
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