Saxophones Yamaha 475 soprano vs Trevor James the Horn soprano, has anyone tried both please?

[Mix O Lydian]

I have a newish Trevor James The Horn soprano that I bought from a friend to try out.

I really like soprano, and now I am wondering, well, "GAS" is wondering whether I could get a better soprano. I have been specifically looking at the YSS 475, because it is in my price range and because I have heard good things about it.

It would always be my second instrument, my first being alto (Yamaha 62). I might be going to (a well known sax shop in South London) this week to try some out and I hope I have the willpower to remain objective in the face of so much temptation. I have considered second hand but sopranos are so finnicky I think I would prefer to buy new or second hand refurbished from a shop.

But before I go was just wondering whether anyone on here has tried both saxes and noticed any real difference in how they both sound/feel etc?

 

[Jeanette]

I upgraded my Trevor James Rev 11 to a YSS 62 and never looked back 🙂

Jx

 

[Greg Strange]

I play a Walstein ss-p Soprano and a Yamaha YSS-475 (1st generation) Soprano and the Yamaha is my main soprano - great horn - can't fault it - a Trevor James soprano is pretty rare in the southern hemisphere...

Greg S.

P.S. L.A. session sax man Jeff Driskill plays a 475 soprano...

Jeff playing a 475 soprano...

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfnNuzTz8zM&list=RDTfnNuzTz8zM&start_radio=1

 

[SuperAction80]

Finding a TJ on this side of the pond will be a rare experience if/when I ever track one down. I am familiar with the 475, though. It's arguably the best soprano ever made.

 

[Colin the Bear]

A yam475 is a superior instrument. IMHO. It will also match your 62 in so many ways.

I'm assuming you've read what Mr Howard says.

Yamaha YSS475 soprano sax review

A workbench review of the Yamaha YSS475 soprano saxophone

www.shwoodwind.co.uk

 

[dexdex]

TJs are very rare here too.
Let me give one more vote for the 475. I bought a used specimen of the early versions. Great horn all the way. I changed the plastic buttons for genuine mop, it now feels like any top tier soprano.
In tune, and very consistent, clean response all over the range, who could ask for anything more ?

 

[Mix O Lydian]

A yam475 is a superior instrument. IMHO. It will also match your 62 in so many ways.

I'm assuming you've read what Mr Howard says.

Yamaha YSS475 soprano sax review

A workbench review of the Yamaha YSS475 soprano saxophone

www.shwoodwind.co.uk

Yes I read that thank you.

 

[Tonehole]

In the past few weeks I sold my YSS61 & Purple Logo YSS62 both closet horns bought from original owners. The horns were bought when the owners were High school students. The 61 had more character then the 62P which had more character then my buddies more current production 62. My personal opinion.
Bought a minty closet Yani CS9937 soprano with the proceeds and banked the rest.

I have also owned and played Couff Supreme II a MKVI and a Yani 880 Elimona that I had for about 8 years that I regret letting go. Just this past week I sold my Brogani frosted silver Jubilee sop with 2 spare solid silver spare bells.

I play a lot of soprano so what did I keep?
My Jupiter Artist 889SG and a YSS475 II as back up, outdoor and rough venue horn. Picked up the YSS475II another closet horn from the original owner who was a hobbist.

I bought a complete set of Jup Artists S,A,T when they were discountinued and blowing them out, so dirt cheap thirteen years ago. It is a battle sax and just keeps giving., I use the curved solid silver neck. Play a metal Bari Gold 8 mouthpiece or a rubber E Rousseau Studio Jazz 8 thanks to a members recommendation. Using a 2.75 Onyx reed on both.

Get the YSS475, secound hand as clean as possible. It will serve you well and hold it's value.

 

[mizmar]

Blimey; Four votes in a row for the 475!
The Café has never seen such consensus!

The Matrix is finally broken

 

[Colin the Bear]

Take the blue pill. Don't suck it. You'll get a stiff neck.

 

[PiccoloPirate]

The Soprano Sax, in post #3, was he trying to make it sound like an electronic Sop, or was it one, but the batteries were the wrong voltage. 🙉

 

[Stephen Howard]

Had a Chateau soprano in the other day. Not sure of the exact model but the client said it was the intermediate one...around £1200.
Very impressed with it. Good build quality and a nice blow - and a little on the dark side tonally
Heavy though - hit the scales at 1.45kg.

I don't see many TJ sops, but from what I remember they're fine. However, the 475 is an absolute beast with unmatched clarity.
For me that's a gold star, but some folks prefer a bit more warmth from a soprano.

 

[Mix O Lydian]

I don't see many TJ sops, but from what I remember they're fine. However, the 475 is an absolute beast with unmatched clarity.
For me that's a gold star, but some folks prefer a bit more warmth from a soprano.

Hmmm yeah, and that's the thing...I know I would prefer a warm tone on Soprano ....

I feel the large sax shop experience might be too overwhelming for me. 🙈 I almost bought a new 475 online this weekend. But I feel I need to try one first.

I may just pootle on with the TJ for a few more months until I can try a 475 or a different soprano, in a calmer setting.

 

[dexdex]

Keep in mind that a well designed horn should ideally be neutral. An acoustic amplifier of YOUR tone, your’s, and the one of your setup.
The Yamaha sopranos are often described as bright. My experience is that both the 475 and the 875 can be played on the dark and velvety side with the right setup and technique. They actually go wherever you want. You decide.
Exactly what I expect from my horns.

 

[Stephen Howard]

Keep in mind that a well designed horn should ideally be neutral. An acoustic amplifier of YOUR tone, your’s, and the one of your setup.
The Yamaha sopranos are often described as bright. My experience is that both the 475 and the 875 can be played on the dark and velvety side with the right setup and technique. They actually go wherever you want. You decide.
Exactly what I expect from my horns.

You can indeed make a Yamaha do pretty much whatever you want it to do tonally - which is why I stuck with a YTS-23 for 25 years. But each horn has its own 'sweet spot'. The further you wish to move away from that spot, the more work you'll need to put into it. The YSS-875EX has the clarity of the 475 but it's sweet spot is darker - with more emphasis on the mid/lower harmonics. I would tend to want to push the 875 harder to bring that clarity out. Conversely, I'd need to tame the 475 somewhat to bring out the warmth with the same mouthpiece.
Whilst I tend to favour a neutral horn I wouldn't say that it's necessarily a pointer for good design because there are advantages to having an 'in-house' tone if it suits your needs/setup. For example, I *like* the sound and feel of a good MkVI but I'd never own one because there are other horns out there that give me the sound I *love* for a lot less effort.

 

[Mix O Lydian]

And... Despite everything I said earlier, I'm going to a shop on Thursday to try out a second hand but "as new" 475 😛

 

[PiccoloPirate]

Sopranos are almost as nice as the Altos, but with one advantage.
Ya don't need to own an Oboe. 🥳

Actually two, easier to clean than
the Alto. 👍

What if any, is the difference between a 475 and the more costly Yamahas?
Mainly concerned with intonation and build quality/longevity.

Thx
PP

 

[Stephen Howard]

What if any, is the difference between a 475 and the more costly Yamahas?
Mainly concerned with intonation and build quality/longevity.

Most of it's in the design/layout of the keywork.
Intonation, build quality and longevity are long-since proven qualities.
The 62 (and above) models improve upon what's already there and add a notable degree of slickness into the mix. Nice to have, but you don't necessarily need it.

 

[Tonehole]

Take your horn with you and do a shoot out between it and all the horns.
One sax may feel lighter more balanced in the hands, ergonomics of the keys may feel more natural due to your hand size. I have large hands at least long fingers so some horns feel cramped in my hands.

No one has asked and you have not mentioned but what mouthpiece are you using? A mouthpiece change can bring about tonal and improved ease of control at a moderate price.

 

[SuperAction80]

Had a Chateau soprano in the other day. Not sure of the exact model but the client said it was the intermediate one...around £1200.
Very impressed with it. Good build quality and a nice blow - and a little on the dark side tonally
Heavy though - hit the scales at 1.45kg.

I don't see many TJ sops, but from what I remember they're fine. However, the 475 is an absolute beast with unmatched clarity.
For me that's a gold star, but some folks prefer a bit more warmth from a soprano.

I wonder if you came across one of the Vietnamese made horns or Taiwanese models. If the former, it's very likely to be the same sax as my Kessler. I haven't had many complaints in the 13 years I've used it. Lacquer still looks brand new. I'm also a fan of their keyboard layout. The non-stick G# mechanism is also a particularly nice addition. It's the best duel neck soprano for the price that I've come across. Not as easy of a blow as that 475, though. I don't know if Yamaha simply cracked the code with their bore design, or if that built in neck benefits the pitch due to the lack of a relatively large , for the pitch, tenon and receiver interfering with sonic nodes. In any event, Chateau knows how to make a decent soprano. My tech did note that they were a little lean with the pad adhesive, but considering that I was using the thing fairly frequently for over a decade before some upper stack pads needed to be reseated (one was all out replaced), I think that the factory setup held up well to reasonable expectations.