walstein bari Vs Yani 901 bari thoughts

[Col9]

Hi all, just a few thoughts on a comparison made on thursday night when a friend bought his new 901 to band.

The Yani is finished to a higher standard cosmetically, where as the walstein has small parts that arnt perfect (a few machining marks etc) everything is spot on on the yani. The walstein has a bigger bell than the yani and maybe a slightly bigger bore but without measuring its difficult to tell. The walstein is a bit heavier, but with a harness not really noticeable.

The octave mech on the yani is almost like pressing a button, it has only 2 or 3 mm of travel and works perfectly where as the Walstein its more like a sax key with more travel probably 5-6mm.
The pearls on the yani feel like type writer keys they seem smaller and very hard and upright. The walsteins are a litle bigger and softer somehow. His was set up with slightly stiffer spring tension which made it feel snappier.

The Walstein sounded a bit warmer and we both agreed it was easier to play. Although the top end on the yani required less effort to keep the stregnth of tone but that was with the stock walstein mouthpiece. Overall they are both really nice saxes we found good but different things on both. There really is nothing to split them other than looks pink bronze Vs.Brass and feel of keys or slight difference in tone.


col.

 

[Linky Lee]

that's exactly what I found with the Walstein tenor when I compared it to a T902, my favorite 'big name' modern horn.

 

[Pjonah]

Interesting Col9,

I fully beleive it, the difference at this stage is probably down to personal taste largely.

In ten years time will the Walstein still be going strong? We don't know for sure, but the Yani, well theres a good chance. My old Beuscher 400 Bari was built like a tank and played like one. My Bently plays like a tenor in comparison but it doesn't have ten years of hard gigging behind it as the B400 had.

Whilst the Bently and Walstein baris are very good, my feeling is when it comes to longevity there could be question marks over them or the Bently at least. Time will tell I guess.

When I start gigging with it again I'll let you know how it fairs, I have a sneaky suspicion my Bently may start to disintergrate fast which would be a shame.

Simon

 

[Pete Thomas]

If you look at Stephen Howard's comparison, you will see that he did a strength test, the Walstein appeared to him to be stronger than the Yanagisawa.

 

[onecat]

I just sold my Yani A901, while keeping the Walstein alto. I am using the money to order a Walstein tenor. 🙂

I prefer it to the Yani. It has a very nice tone for any sax, the keywork and mechanism are effective, the palm key layout is more comfortable for me and the key heights are lower to accomodate faster playing. It is durable and beautiful.

I am still getting fully used to the feel of the action and response, but I need to spend more time with it.

 

[Janosax]

Stephen Howard wrote in Walstein Tenor review that screws will be a problem, because they are pseudo type. Pads can be trashed in a few years. He advice upgrade to pivot screws. Good idea. Another good upgrade can be mother pearls, it's not very expensive : ))
My Yani T880 is 16 years old and is perfect: almost all pads are the originals, no problems with screws and mecanisms...
Hope Walstein will during many years, especially for a Bari which is expensive anyway.

 

[Pete Thomas]

Janosax wrote:
Stephen Howard wrote in Walstein Tenor review that screws will be a problem, because they are pseudo type.

He didn't actually say they will be a problem, he just mentioned that they are pseudo point screws as his only criticism, and went on to say that it's a moot point, ie not really problem in this case.

I imagine the action would take 10 to 20 years to get any appreciable wear for this to matter, by which time you would either replace with pivot screws (not a big deal if you are getting an overhaul) or you'd get a new horn.

 

[greg_strange]

There is a review for a Gear4Music baritone sax on Stephen Howard's website. It would be interesting to see a comparison against the Walstein baritone as they appear to be in a similar price range - under 1,000 pounds. I think this baritone might be Mr. Howard's personal horn. Maybe Pete can confirm?

Regards,
Greg Strange.

 

[Pete Thomas]

AFAIK, he has a Gear4music baritone so it's likely that is his own one

 

[stephen_howard]

Yep, it's my own bari now!
I shall be comparing it with a Walstein as and when I can get my hands on one.

As regards the longevity of the Walsteins, I've been 'hard-trialling' one for the last year. It gets no servicing ( other than its initial setup ), it gets played by a number of players and when not in use it lives in the boot of my car. So far I can tell you that the only issue of note is that a couple of the screws that hold the case cover in place have gone a touch rusty ( it's a bit damp in the boot of the car ).

Regards,