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Yet another classical equipment thread...this time about Yanis...
So, I've asked this question about Keilwerth, and now I'm going to ask it about Yanagisawa. Why don't more classical people play Yanis? Especially soprano. The intonation on them is great, the tone quality is very "pure" and they even come in a variety of finishes...so why doesn't anyone play them?

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"Because they don't come with an "S" emblazoned across their . . . ??"

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Neither do Yamahas. Or Bueschers for that matter.

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My apologies if this post steps on the toes of any Yanagisawa fans. Naturally, I accept that anyone else's mileage may vary.
I play some classical stuff on my T901, and it's not so bad. The pitch is quite good with an S80 C*, the keywork is fantastic, and considering I hardly ever play classical tenor, I'd say the sound is decent (focused, dark, clear, etc.). I think, though, that this is only because of the tenor's natural tendency toward what I would describe as a darker sound.
I've recently played an A991 and an A901, with my Rascher piece, a vintage C* Soloist, and an S90 180. I felt that in each case, the sound was too bright. I also felt that even with the Rascher there wasn't nearly enough resistance - but of course that's versus TT's and an Aristocrat. There was, however, a lot of consistency in responsiveness throughout the range of each horn. Intonation on each horn was also very easily managed, but not naturally perfect.
In terms of sopranos... I've been puzzled lately by the reputation enjoyed by Yani's sopranos. This is because it was only recently that I got to play them myself - mostly an S990 belonging to a friend of mine. Aside from the S990, I played an S991 and SC991 at WWBW just yesterday. In all three cases, I've found an extreme difference in responsiveness from one pitch to the next. I also felt like the air was almost getting sucked out of me - the horns had no resistance at all. It seems impossible to play them quietly. This is especially true for the typically dreaded palm key notes, which are even more difficult than on my SX-90II. I also dislike their ergonomics. On the straight horns, I feel that the right hand pearls are located too far counter-clockwise (from the player's perspective. On the curvy, I really, really dislike the Eb pinky key - its placement, and the angle at which it needs to be depressed. I also don't feel that there's any real difference in timbre - rather that the placement of the bell tricks the player.
Speaking of sopranos, though, I also played a YSS-875EX yesterday and was really impressed. Every single pitch was spot-on, and solidly so. Responsiveness was also extremely even, and even the palm keys were a dream come true. I'm most likely going to be replacing my SX-90II with one soon - and it's a matter of indifference to me whether it has an altissimo G key or not, because I've never played a soprano with such an easy altissimo register. Actually, maybe I'll ask specifically for one without it.

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Rick,
Join the club! I know several people, myself included, that are switching to the yss875EX (I have a YSS875 now). They are incredible. Also, they WILL have an optional High G, available in June. It is an exceptional horn throughout.
Steve P

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I play a Yani SC992 for classical and i love the horn. Beautiful singing tone with excellent pitch. Altissimo and low end are as easy as the mid range. I find dynamics control easy.

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I used to play a Yani T901 but subsequently traded to a Custom Z tenor. I bought my sop about 3 years ago (during the 901s residency) and expected that I'd be buying a 901 sop given the reviews and the fact that it should have been a good match for my tenor.
I tried a BUNCH of sops at Howarths in London who were very indulgent - all of the current models by all of the big 4 and a few second hand and vintage horns as well. The 901 made the cut but I just kept coming back to a second hand YSS62 - purple logo. There was just something so beautiful and clear about the sound - 'chrystaline' would be a good description. To my hands the Yam also felt more sturdy and the keywork felt smoother than any of the other horns.
I bought it and still love it. I'm working on some pieces for a performing diploma at present ( in between holding down a job, selling my home, househunting 150 miles away, looking after my wife and 2 kids etc etc!) and am studying a transcription of JS Bachs Flute sonata in Eb. I can get such a clear flutelike sound on the Yam that it is an absolute pleasure to study the piece (and why wouldn't it be - JSB is the daddy!).
The Yani sops are fabulous but for me the 62 was 'the one'. Never gonna sell this horn. :)
Just my experience and it probably doesn't tackle the original question but has been said, 'your milage may vary'.

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Originally Posted by RickBusarow My apologies if this post steps on the toes of any Yanagisawa fans..... Speaking of sopranos, though, I also played a YSS-875EX yesterday and was really impressed. Every single pitch was spot-on, and solidly so. Responsiveness was also extremely even, and even the palm keys were a dream come true. I'm most likely going to be replacing my SX-90II with one soon .....
Rick, I'm one of those Yanagisawa fans, but I agree with much of what you said. In particular, the comments about the Yamaha 875 soprano mirror my own experience. I ended up choosing the 875 over the Yanagisawa sopranos, despite my general bias towards Yanagisawa altos and tenors. You might want to search for an older 875, because I have found that some of the older 875's play like a dream.

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I play an old A880 that's a very lovely horn, and am mostly (was) an amature concert/classical player of no great whoopdidoo.
I think I have more or less a theory as to why they're not popular in classical compared to some others:
1) They're really not that high of production, and don't have the market presense that Yamaha or Selmer does in any genre.
2) They're (in my opinion) more disposed to the French school of tonal thinking and are just overwealmed by the better endorsed horns by Selmer and Yamaha.
3) They don't make student models, they don't make intermediate models (they really don't, at least not according to them. The "intermediate" label you used to see was placed there by the distributor Leblanc). Since Yamaha has an extensive student market and Selmer Paris has people confusing it with Selmer USA (as well as an 80 year legacy), educators and players are very familiar with those brands by the time they are looking at pro instruments. Conversly, you have to go looking for a Yani or Keilwerth. They don't find you.

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I play an SC-991 as of a couple of weeks ago. Prior to that I was playing a curved Buescher TT. I play in a mostly-classical quartet. I have no regrets about the change. The SC-991 is not as responsive as the Buescher, but I have to disagree with RickBusarow about the tonal differences. My horn is much more consistent than the Buescher was and plays WAY more easily in the palm keys. The pitch is also more consistent. In addition the Yani is MORE resistant than the Buescher was. The tradeoff was about equal -one set of issues for another.
The more I play the SC-991 and adjust to it, the better it sounds and the less effort it takes to make it do what I want.
Obviously, my experiences have been completely opposite of RickBusarows, so don't take either of our opinions as fact -find out for yourself.
Alan

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Yanagisawa makes some of the best saxophones on the planet. I'll question my skills as a player before I begin questioning the playability of their horns.
Having said that, Rick, your Keilwerth horn is a different beast--it's what you are used to. Don't expect to tame a Yanagisawa during a short sitting especially in a store. You have to have a variety of reeds on hand and possibly different mouthpieces.

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Alan, more and more i think we are cut from the same cloth!
I too went from a Buescher to the SC992. Never looked back. I have the same sweet sound on either horn, but better intonation on the Yani in the palm keys.
Ergonomics was also a major deciding factor for me. I hurt my wrist 10 years ago using a SA80 soprano and moved to a Yamaha Custom. Still had problems with my wrist. The curved sopranos easded my pain though.
I never really got into the "this is the BEST" syndrom. I believe in what gets the job done. A good facilitator for making the music come from out of me.

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Saxy - I'd say that it should be a goal (not the main one - but a goal nonetheless) of the manufacturer to make a horn which doesn't take "taming." This should be especially true for sopranos, since they're almost always a doubler's horn. I'd also say that as players, among the things we look for are good intonation, consistent responsiveness, and a decently dark tone (at least most classical players do). The Yamaha had these things in droves, so that it played just like an alto, tenor, or bari. My Keilwerth also does well, and the SA80 Series II and III's have also been adequate. The Yanagisawas, though, had none of these qualities. And for what they were lacking, they didn't seem to have any unique bonuses - except for price, and the cuteness of a curvy.
Beyond that, I am currently more used to a Yanagisawa soprano than I am my Keilwerth. I loaned out my soprano a few weeks ago to a friend who needed it for a show, then had a soprano part dumped on me in wind ensemble and wound up using our tenor player's 990 for a while. I got it to play for me, after trying several mouthpieces and settling on my Rousseau 4R as the best compromise between pitch and responsiveness, but I really had to coax it. I think the biggest thing, which I forgot to mention in my first post, was that I really had to "aim the pitch" for every note. It was relatively easy to voice and lip everything into tune, but there was an enormous amount of flexibility and variation to every pitch. That's not how a horn's supposed to play. :hmph:

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Rick, here's the thing: what you claim to be "true" or even "factual"--that Yanagisawa horns are relatively not in tune and unresponsive and unable to play dark--flies in the face of those who have and have had great success with this brand of instruments, myself included. You don't think you're being even a little presumptuous? :?
Yanagisawa, along with Selmer, Yamaha, and Keilwerth, make cream-of-the-crop saxophones. I don't play their curved soprano because it's "cute" and surely not because it's inexpensive either.

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Geez... I very specifically said that your mileage may vary. It is true that for me, the Yani sopranos I've played were more difficult to play in tune than the examples I've played (and owned) from the other big three. It is true that their response was inconsistent for me, and that the other horns feel better for me. It's also true that I felt they were too bright for me - but too bright for me could easily still be dark enough for other players, since as you should have noticed I am a Rascher-styled player. (Also keep in mind that both you play an SC992 - a horn about which I have said nothing.)
I have not made any universal claims about Yanagisawa sopranos' playing characteristics. I detailed my own experiences with individual horns. I've tried three different times, and haven't experienced anything like what you've described. Would you rather I lie? I'm a strong enough player to understand what it is I'm playing on, and I wouldn't dream of questioning another player's judgment the way you have mine.

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I think we need to step back and have a group hug :-) It's just a saxophone, people.

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I perform on an SC-991, and will probably not buy another soprano until something very substantially better comes along. The reasons why I'm sold on this instrument:
Intonation is excellent throughout the range, including altissimo. The only slight problem area I can think of is that the middle E tends a bit low, but I've fixed this. The scale is very even.
Response in the low register is easy, even in soft and legato passages. The low tones are more homogenous with the rest of the horn than non-curved sopranos.
The curved soprano is congruent with Alexander Technique, most efficient/healthy use of body, etc. The entire weight of the instrument is being handled by the neckstrap/harness, and not the hands. You can hold your head upright and still have the optimum mouthpiece entry angle, because the neck is fully curved. The articulated left pinky mechanism is also a huge improvement over the non-ergonomic palette from the older Yanagisawa and vintage curved sopranos.
I have tried about 5 or 6 SC-991's and have to say that they all played roughly the same. It's difficult to find a Japanese instrument that does not work.
I used to play a Selmer SA80 II, which I mostly liked. Followed by a Yanagisawa SC-901, a Buescher True Tone curved soprano (with an absolutely beautiful sound), and my current instrument.
The SC-991 is not for everybody. It is very difficult (but possible with practice) on this instrument to produce bright and brazen sounds, which I believe are just as important colors as darker tones on the artist's palette. Most of my favorite soprano players perform on straight modern sopranos, but my concept definitely points me to the SC-991.
Angel

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JUST? Did you say "JUST"? :shock: :x
I think it's time for me to spend a lil' quality time with my SC-992 to assuage its hurt feelings.