Saxophones YTS-32 Differences

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I`ve been looking into differences in revisions of the YTS32 and it seems to have changed over the years and it would seem that the "purple logo" ones this time are the "least" and the model got refined over the years .. the Body tubes, bows and bells were apparently the same as the Mk1 62 , the neck was also basically the Mk1 62 design . This is what I`ve found out through investigation , obviously if anyone has solid info which contradicts any of this lets hear it . these saxes are a bargain and in the later models , a very cheap alternative to a Purple Logo 62 with the same sound ..

The Origjnal Purple logo one was quite basic (I`ve handled one) , more like a 23 than a 62 in fixtures and fittings - it had no adjusters on the bell and C guards, was fitted with steel springs, no ribs in the construction the thumb rest was soldered fixed, the pinky table didn`t tilt and it came in the same case as the YTS23 (which is pretty good anyway) .......... from what I can tell , these were made from 78 to about 1984

The "Mk1" as I call it (as it reminds me of the Mk1 stamp logo 62) gained quite a lot of 62 goodies such as bell and bow key guards with adjusters, adjustable thumb rest, fully tilting table and simple engraving under the Yamaha logo on the bell . it still had stainless steel springs and was of Ribless construction , the 62 Pruple neck design lived on (Hooray) - seemed to run from the mid 80s until either 1991 or 1994 depending on what you read.

Then there was the E model which was the last of the 32s and ran til the 475 took over about 2002 , this gained full engraving (I`ve only seen pics of this model, not actually played one) , I believe a copy of the G1 62 Mk2 neck, improved neck receiver and it seems to have lost the 62 bell for one of its own (maybe the one destined for the 475? ) .. this may also have been where Blue steel springs were introduced (the 475 deffo has them) .

I`ve only played the Purple and Mk1 versions , they sound the same as Purple Logo 62s and handle much the same to despite stainless springs, they`re a bit lighter n weight .. The most common seem to be the Pruple ones on sale, I`ve not seem many stamp logo ones and never even seen an "E" model .

it`ll be interesting if anyone can add to this ..

 

[majordennis]

I can't add anything much but did own a YTS-32 purple logo for about 18 months, bought it from a fellow member on here, the condition was fabulous and it played equally well, construction and ease of playing were top drawer, but I never managed to get the sound I was looking for, perhaps a different mouthpiece might have made a difference.

I had it set up before selling and chatting to the tech he said it was essentially a 62 without the bells and whistles. I have a couple of pictures of it if that helps but can't remember the serial.

Yamaha's have a well deserved reputation for precision and build quality, they just don't do it for me

 

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yams do tend towards the aggressive and the Mk1 62s (which the 32s are basically) even more so - I like the things but beware of bright aggressive mouthpieces ..

they were basically 62s without the bells ad whistles as you say - interesting thing is that the 62 stuff got added as time went on so in the end there was really only the ribbing and possibly the springs which differentiated them . I don`t know about the 475, It`s a totally different horn from all accounts - they may have cut costs on metal etc , dunno ..

the Galling thing is that the 32 had real pearls at least up to the second stage - the Mk2 & Mk3 62 have plastic ones , maybe the 32E did also , as I say I`ve not seen one .

 

[O.C.V.]

As the fellow member who sold the YTS 32 to Major Dennis I can confirm that it was a cracking horn, and that the serial no was 003420. Had I not been concentrating on alto I would not have offered it for sale. It did all that I could ask, and probably much more. I used a metal Otto Link 7 on it. They seem to evoke mixed feeling but I loved it. Perhaps I was lucky and got one of the good ones.
I enjoyed the YTS 32 so much that I bought a YAS 32 as back up to my Buescher Aristocrat.
O.C.V.

 

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Thanks OCV. I`ve got a metal Link STM 6* which I`ve replaced my PPT with as it suits the Yamahas better than the PPT , I don`t know the age but guesstimating early 90s ..

regarding 32s , they, especially the stamped logo versions definitely give a large amount of 62-ness build wise without the price tag and at least the first two revisions give the Mk1 (Purple logo) 62 sound , though of course most of that is Neck so with an octave pin mod you can choose darker or more lively necks from Yams range including the new V1 which Daveysaxboy is raving about, at least the 32 comes with the hard to get "Pruple" spec neck as standard (though maybe not the late E models) .......

the 475 seems to have lost its way , on the surface it seems to be a 62 with non-ribbed construction and a unique bell at not very much of a saving , I`ve never spent any time with one so don`t know if they cheapened them metal wise or made them in Indonesia or what but at the price diff, new or used , I fail to see the point - they`re not great value even used like 32s are....

 

[majordennis]

It was with a very heavy heart that I sold that 32, I knew how much OCV liked it and I must confess to some feelings of guilt when I came to sell it.

I have owned 2 Yamahas the 32 and a very early 21, for someone picking up a sax for the first time they have to be the benchmark, slap a 4c on and away you go, if it's been cared for you can't IMHO get better. I've seen pro's gig with the early 21/23's and other people who tried my 32 sounded pretty good too.

I have never played a 61/62, I must try one with my my current mouthpiece/reed set up, but then again it might be better not to.

 

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A lot of pros gigged with 21s and 23s in both sizes , to such a degree that they were almost more "professional" (as in working hack) saxes than the 62 or Yani 900 series were ! . mostly up here we saw 21s, 23s and old Yank stuff , more affluent bands or those with a job good enough to make the payments had 62s or "proper Selmers" ....

I can`t remember ever seeing a 32 back then (throughout the 80s)

 

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The Fourth Revision and PICS ......

I`ve found pics of the different revisions of the YTS-32 and discovered another version which came inbetween the 1st Purple logo models and the adjustable buffer stops one I call "Mk1" ...... this appears to be the Pruple model but with a stamped bell and tilting table, from the pics I`ve seen , it still has fixed Bell & bow key buffers and a fixed thumbrest .....

Pics of the different revisions - I`ve now named them 1 to 4 , the E model (which I found a pic of and is very 475 like) being No4 of course

 

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Rev4 - the YTS32E .. it was listed as a 32 , someone has filled in the lettering stamp too it would seem and its rather tatty

 

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Prof asked "" what do you think of a YTS 32?"" in another thread so I`ve added this as a summary

The YTS32 comes in 4 versions and the reverse of 62s in that they actually get better as they get newer as they get more 62 features along the way - the earliest with the Crimson logo are actually closer to a 23 than a 62 in features and fittings (though retain the 62 bodytube, bow and bell) , the last versions have most of the 62 mod-cons including adjustable guard stops, movable thumbrest and other adjustery bits etc - the unique thing is that they retain the strapless pillar mount system of the 61 and 21/23 (good or bad, who knows) sadly they all (bar maybe the rare E model) have the less robust neck receiver too (even old 62s have a tougher one)
All 32s are basically Mk1 62s and have that sound (you can use a 32 neck on a 62 Mk2 to give it the "pruple" sound) .. I directly compared a late Revision 3 32 to a 2012 Mk2 brass laquer 62 belonging to a mate and the playability was very close, the action on the 32 was lighter and looser and a touch less smooth (not surprising being 20 years old and in need of a service) , the laquer was thicker and nicer on the 62-II than the 32 also (though it`s also nicer than the older 61/62s too) .

Soundwise the 32 spanked the 62-II until the necks were swapped when it opened up the 62-II to almost the same sound , even with the same neck, you can hear that 10% SH mentions in his review, it`s a hard to describe extra bit of organic "aliveness" . I`d happily have a late 32 instead of a 62 Mk1 or II to save money but I`d want it to be the later one with more 62 stuff on .the posts above detail the comparsions I could find out between the 4 revisions but notes about the 4th rev (E) are sketchy as it would appear to be very uncommon and I couldn`t find much, it seems to be a missing link to the 475 and may have had the G1-esque neck

 

[Jeanette]

Discussion here too re 32 @ProfJames if you are interested

Jx

 

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I just thought I`d add that I now have a near mint YTS32 Revision-3, made in 2001 , the very last of the real (see below) YTS32s , it`s the horn which I compared to the YTS62-II above, it`s been here a while "on loan" and I`ve A:B's it with the 61 many times and almost everyone who`s been there at the time chooses the 32 soundwise, it`s smoother and less aggressive than the 61 Whilst having more life and zest as it stands than the 62 "Silver-lady" (or my Jazz pal's brass mk2) , this balance fits better, the keywork is more "normal" than the 61 too ...
Probably why 32s get snapped as fast as Mk1 62s and even mint YTS-61s are hard to sell (there`s been one on fleabay for ages for a decent price) , my 61 was cheap though far from mint. I love the one-piece guard and owning The 1st Japanese classic but Both when gigged and here, the 32 just sounds better, I can`t get around it, whether I can get around the snobbery of not owning a "Pro" Tenor is a different matter - LOL .. The 61 is now with a potential buyer . we`ll see.

BTW the Revision-4 YTS32s I`ve been told are very rare and are 100% 475s with 32 stamped on - there have been a few Yamaha "Prototypes" about, Griff has a YTS61 like this .

 

[DavidUK]

Have you come across the YTS-34 in your travels Adam?

 

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From what I can tell , the 34 or Allegro is basically a 62-II with a cheaper bell , not a true 32 variant at all and came in during the 62 mkII / 475 era .. another Yank thing like the re-labelling of the 32 to 52 , they just love to confuse .

People refer to the 475 as pointless as people will just get the 280 or 62 (and plentiful used 62s are cheaper than new 475s) but the 34 epitomised model for models sake , how much cheaper could it have been ? ..

 

[secondhandsaxes]

hello there...
heres some of my info,and hope it helps....
the 32/52 has the 23 neck(student model).....
so,with a bell engraving and a pro neck,it would be very close to a 62.....
the 52's were made for the USA market,were the 32's were made for the english/australian market...from what i can learn...

i do like most yamha's...
now,the 475's are being made in indonesia,so watch out for that.....

the 34's i have only ever come across a couple,have the pro neck,and are excellent(better?) than the 32/52's because of this fact....
i am sure that the 34's were only made for the japanese market

hope that helps some...
cheers,philip

 

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I stuck the 32 neck on the Silver 62 Mk2 and it improved the sound no end , the horn had more life and depth but it`s well known that the G1 neck which is supplied with 62 Mk2s and 82Zs softens the tone ......... BTW the 32 neck is the same design as the 62 Mk1 neck but cheaper made , it sounds exactly the same , sticking a 23 neck on a 62 Mk2 or 3 is the cheapest way to give those horns most of the sound of a Mk1

I didn`t realise that later 475s were made in Indonesia - the 480 must be then as the 475s replacement

 

[secondhandsaxes]

the 32 neck is a 23 neck...if you order them,they are the same,....
the 62 neck is different,has a different guard for one thing....
probably the 480 is indonesian,as i just got a 475 alto yesterday,made in indonesia...sent it back,don't want that...
cheers,philip

 

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the 32 neck is a 23 neck...if you order them,they are the same,....
the 62 neck is different,has a different guard for one thing....

yes know but It`s what they sound like that matters and the 32/23/25 neck sounds more lively and engaging on a 62 Mk2 than the G1 neck does - same when I put the 21 neck on the 62 Mk3 Alto, it was like a different horn ....... the massive point being that the budget old necks can be bought a lot cheaper than 61 Mk1 necks .

One diff between the 32 neck and the budget ones is that it has the 62 octave mech and removable badge whereas the 21/23/25 ones have a nickel plated one with a stamped badge .

 

[secondhandsaxes]

the first of the series 62 has a good neck....
the seriesII 62 is a cheaper version,i think,than the original...
philip

 

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it wasn`t cheaper, if anything, the G1 is better made than the Mk1 neck , it was deliberately designed to tame the liveliness of the horn to try and appeal to a larger market - in doing it lost it for those who buy yamahas for the Liveliness ..