Playing the saxophone Yamaha 875 1999

[DavidUK]

I recently bought a YTS-62 MkI, mint condition, plays "lovely" and I'd previously had a 62 PL but that was years ago. I didn't keep the PL then as I wasn't a tenor player, I'm still not really one, but I'm keeping this one for a while as I'm drawn in by the hype and may go for tenor more in the future. It's also somewhat of an investment.

But then, around the same time, I bought a Yany Super Pennsylvania T4 tenor for £150 which has a mellower sound to the Yamaha's brightness. So now I have to keep both for the long term as I realise I'd need to spend months of tenor playing before I could even begin to find the fine nuances of either, especially when @Stephen Howard reviews both glowingly and the T4's need for time spent playing it.

So I'm tying up £730 in two horns I may not play in the near future, but I can't part with either for fear of making the wrong choice. I suspect you'll have a job to choose between the 62 and 875 in 14 days. But I'm guessing you'll give it a go. Whichever you reject, you can always rectify your mistake in years to come by buying another.

 

[jazzdoh]

I think its probably a bit of gas with the conn gone....Or at least wondering whether the 875 is better in some way that justified the original price tag...it seemed to be an opportunity to get quite an expensive custom modek at a great price... of course the 62 is a great sax and most definitely a better sax than i am player... I guess I am also looking at it as a bit of an investment in case I would like to upgrade later..I work within a budget and thought that maybe I would get a better return towards an upgrade in the future if the time came...of course if I didn't like it or preferred the 62 its not an issue....

Yamaha's generally do hold their value well, but as many of us have said soon or later you will need to commit to a setup in order to improve on your journey because where does it all end, for example once you get your 875 will you then think "I wonder whether the Yani or Selmer or Keilwerth are better" it then becomes a expensive never-ending battle.
For me Yamahas never really floated my boat but for many they are king, saxophones as investments well they can be, but you might need to invest in a time machine and go back to the 50s,60s,and 70s and buy a load of Selmers and maybe a few King Silversonics and sell them in present.

 

[eb424]

I recently bought a YTS-62 MkI, mint condition, plays "lovely" and I'd previously had a 62 PL but that was years ago. I didn't keep the PL then as I wasn't a tenor player, I'm still not really one, but I'm keeping this one for a while as I'm drawn in by the hype and may go for tenor more in the future. It's also somewhat of an investment.

But then, around the same time, I bought a Yany Super Pennsylvania T4 tenor for £150 which has a mellower sound to the Yamaha's brightness. So now I have to keep both for the long term as I realise I'd need to spend months of tenor playing before I could even begin to find the fine nuances of either, especially when @Stephen Howard reviews both glowingly and the T4's need for time spent playing it.

So I'm tying up £730 in two horns I may not play in the near future, but I can't part with either for fear of making the wrong choice. I suspect you'll have a job to choose between the 62 and 875 in 14 days. But I'm guessing you'll give it a go. Whichever you reject, you can always rectify your mistake in years to come by buying another.

Hi @DavidUK...im going to give the 875 a miss..thhe 62 was fine before i sold the conn and she's fine now...necks anbody..;-)

 

[Colin the Bear]

But...what does Bobby McGee think? 😉

 

[eb424]

But...what does Bobby McGee think? 😉

She likes the 62 with the tw gaia....did you think about the gfm alto

 

[Greg Strange]

Hi @DavidUK...im going to give the 875 a miss..thhe 62 was fine before i sold the conn and she's fine now...necks anbody..;-)

I have a Peter Ponzol Custom neck and a Phil Barone Silver Plated Custom neck for my purple logo 62 tenor - I prefer the Ponzol neck for a hard rubber Otto Link and the Barone neck with the Otto Link STM 7* - my go to set up is the Barone neck and the STM. I find a Meyer hard rubber works well with the standard 62 neck. I think the Barone neck provides a bit more mid range tone to the tenor. Previous mouthpieces I used on the Barone neck set up was a modern and vintage Brilhart Level Airs and a CE Winds The Legend ( a Dave Guardala MBI copy)...

Greg S.

 

[DavidUK]

Oh gawd... Greg's got Eddie going on necks now!

 

[Colin the Bear]

Just don't stick it out. 😉

 

[mizmar]

Just don't stick it out. 😉

I tried that. But without the neck, the mouthpiece fell in the floor 🙁

 

[stitch]

I have my popcorn to hand

Short thread hope its a small bag..lol

The triumph of hope over experience ...

 

[eb424]

The triumph of hope over experience ...

3 pages shortest yet half the length of Bobby McGee...or was there a mention of necks..... 😉

 

[Colin the Bear]

Swan neck on saxophone good.
Swan neck at cards less so. 😉

 

[Jimmymack]

3 pages shortest yet half the length of Bobby McGee...or was there a mention of necks..... 😉

Start a new thread it will run and run.

 

[eb424]

Start a new thread it will run and run.

Nooooo the end is nigh...

 

[Jimmymack]

Nooooo the end is nigh...

Go on, you know you want to.

 

[eb424]

Swan neck on saxophone good.
Swan neck at cards less so. 😉

whats a swan neck at cards

 

[eb424]

Go on, you know you want to.

Oh go on then if you insist short post... be rude not to.......finally found a custom z in the uk...used 2010 era, very good condition....I know its gas mainly but since playing my mates z i really wanted one looked at importing from Japan or the states...I am going to try it tomorrow but was wondering what the general consensus is regarding YTS 62 Vs Custom Zs...There is of a difference cost wise new but used it is around £900....is it worth it the 62 is probably all the sax i'll need....but.......

 

[nigeld]

I will be interested to hear your judgement.
My guess is that the difference won’t match the extra cost, but only you can tell what is best for you. At the very least you will have scratched the itch.

 

[eb424]

I will be interested to hear your judgement.
My guess is that the difference won’t match the extra cost, but only you can tell what is best for you. At the very least you will have scratched the itch.

I wish i was a bit better player and able to get more from the Z.....TBF the journey starts out fun but I am now at the point where 1 tenor and 1 alto will do...just play....then theres only the question of the necks on tone the guy has a custom Z neck i shall take a 6mm raw plug and scratch that itch too....daft thing is I can clearly hear the differences various mouth pieces make on the 62, the key work and response is second to none the intonation nearly there (probably me) and she's in grat nick. A much better saxophone than I am sax player but I will still go and try the Z...Y....

 

[DavidUK]

Hi @DavidUK...im going to give the 875 a miss..thhe 62 was fine before i sold the conn and she's fine now...necks anbody..;-)

What happened? Still bugging you eh?

Interesting though... you have the extra £900 for the 875 and you expect it to be better, so it WILL be better.

But then you'll think about the saving you'd make keeping the 62, so the 62 will be better.

But you'll wonder if you'll ever find an 875 this cheap, so the 875 will be better.

Then you'll toss and turn 'cos you've kept them both, past the 14 days too!!

Then you'll sit on them awhile, for years, pondering the fine nuances you'll one day experience as your skill improves. But when will it improve? Does one hold some mysterious secret sounds so seductively sonorous you can't bear to part with either?