During these tests I used Rico Jazz Select reeds on a Meyer 7 Medium Chamber Ebonite mouthpiece, with a standard metal ligature. I have a confession to make, I'm not a specialist baritone player,  however with all these Baritone tests I have done my best to ignore manufacturing history and reputation. I judged each sax objectively and individually as best as I could, reviewing each one on its own merits. I had a lot fun testing out these saxes, and my lung capacity has certainly grown from it!!.

Yanagisawa B901 Clear Lacquer

Like all Yani's the B901 is a fantastically made, versatile and finely tuned professional instrument. One thing that really surprised me was the instant and controlled nature of this bari. That's right, I'm still talking about baritones, it was just very easy and responsive to play. I found the tone to be clear, defined and full, but yet very versatile. These are big instruments and I'm a big guy, but sometime baritones can be difficult to fill. But, the B901 gave me total fulfilment, confidence and reassurance throughout its range, especially when diving down for those low A's and Bb's. The dynamic range was just superb! From pianissimo to mega fortissimo, this baby really wants to sing. With a well balanced action that flowed and sat nicely under the fingers, this is a sax to be taken seriously. This is by far one of my personal favourites.

Yanagisawa B992 Solid Bronze Body

What a beautiful instrument, in every way! Yanagisawa have taken all that was good in the B901 and refined it (if that's possible!). Without getting too technical, one refinement is the 'double connected table key', it creates a smooth connecting motion when playing low B/Bb/A, which is especially useful on baritone. Another key improvement is the addition of metal reflector pads, which increase projection and clarity of tone, basically making it more punchy! The main outstanding quality of the B992 is the tone. The innovative use of solid bronze produces a sound more akin to a vintage sax, with an underlying jazzy base. I found it easy to produce raunchy, guttural, dark, yet fully rounded, rich & mellow tones. 

I took it through its paces, waiting, listening for some fault, but intonation and its dynamic range were just spot on! I could quite easily produce subtle (yes subtle!) and soft sub tone, to a bellowing roar that would quite happily ward off any beasties (i.e. a Trombone section!) I'm not one to go one about aesthetics, but I find the rich bronze colour appealing, quite alluring actually. If you want a definitive, individual, top quality professional bari sax with an assertive tone, this is it.

Selmer Series II Clear Lacquer Engraved

The Series II just blew me away. The projection on this sax is just phenomenal! Wow! I did my best to ignore the Selmer legacy, but it oozes character, quality and pure class. Initially, it took me a while to get used to the feel of it, but once I understood how it responded, the rewards in tone were sensational. It has a clear, crisp, centred, rich, juicy and direct tone. The tonality is wide reaching, well defined, colourful and versatile throughout its range. A feature that really stuck out is the immense power and energy that I could produce. It just seemed to revel and perform the more I pushed it. Dynamically it is ideal for baritone playing with a booming sense of amplification and volume. 

The bottom register is amazing! Those low B/Bb/A's reverberated throughout my whole body with real depth. The action is great; solid and responsive, well placed palm keys and the low A key is easy to use. The Series II gave me an overwhelming sense of authority,  basically this is the 'Daddy' of all baritones. It has real individuality and unsurpassed projection, this is one awe inspiring sax.

Yamaha YBS 62E (tested with a Meyer ebonite 7 & Rico JS 3H reed.)

When I was testing this sax I couldn't get the number 62 out of my head! It feels and plays just like I've come to expect from an  industry standard pro sax range - the Yamaha 62's. It's a very reassuring sax, a solid work horse, a sturdy and well made baritone. The action is great and I could move confidently around the sax. One the most interesting features is the enlarged ergonomic low A key, great for honking out those low notes fast and furiously! Also the LH palm keys are well placed, sitting nicely under my hand. Intonation wise it responds well, I had to make minor lip adjustments in the middle range but nothing exceptional. It's versatile, able to suit most styles of music and I especially enjoyed it when playing the blues! The tone is mellow, rich and clear throughout with a responsive dynamic range. This sax would be ideal for ensemble playing, from big band to orchestral work it would be a great addition to any sax section. The Yamaha mouthpiece included really doesn't do the sax justice so budget for a mouthpiece upgrade. The same applies to the strap but the case is excellent. In summary  I can only repeat that the YBS62 is every bit as good as the rest of the 62 range, doing exactly what its supposed to in a reliable, professional manner.

Trevor James The Horn

Finally someone has brought out an affordable baritone sax under £2000. Following on from their success in the Horn Alto/Tenor saxes, they've produced a good quality baritone. The tone is rich, colourful and well balanced. The action is solid, versatile and responsive. There is  fluency throughout, with only slight projection being lost in the very top register, which is to be expected.

Lighter than your average baritone this is ideal for group and ensemble work, it's not so much of a soloist baritone (if there is such a thing...ok fair cop, Gerry Mulligan was!). This is definitely value for money, usually some less expensive bari's can buckle and bend under their own weight, but I found that Trevor J James have got the balance between affordability and class just right.

Click here for Soprano sax tests.
Click here for Alto sax tests.
Click here for Tenor sax tests.