Yanagisawa
S901
Yanagisawa
soprano saxophones are recognised as possibly the best in the world. The ones I
have come across in the past have all been excellent, offering the player just
about everything wanted in a soprano sax. Solid build, incredibly stable tuning,
light action and clear, open sound. So it was with some eager anticipation that
I got to test the latest models on offer.
And first up the
S901. I was not at all disappointed. The ease with which my fingers fell on to
the keys was nothing short of incredible, and such a light action, a breeze to
whiz around. Great Fun!! And the sound, very clear and open, revealing plenty of
detail in my sound. It was very easy to control the dynamics and it responded
well even with very soft playing.
This is one great soprano
saxophone and when I looked at the price I was amazed. I can't think of any
other soprano that offers this quality at this price. Excellent value and would
be a welcome addition to any sax player's arsenal.
Yanagisawa
S981/S991
This is
everything that the 901 is and more. It has a choice of necks, either curved or
straight, which offers the player a choice of playing positions, to suit
individual playing styles. My own personal preference is for the curved neck.
This horn really opened up my sound and I was able to play expressively with a
wider range of controlled dynamics. The upper register sang out with no
harshness, and the tuning was spot on. The response of the 981 was slightly
quicker than the 901. The overall feel was one of a very classy saxophone,
reflecting well in the tone, a lot smoother and with greater projection. It's
hard to believe that the 901 can be improved upon in such a way, but the S981 is
truly a great soprano. Surely it couldn't get any better?
It was almost impossible to
tell the difference between the 981 and 991. They both played superbly, and I
could have played both all day without a care in the world. The main difference
is that the 991 has an extra high G key, other than that there is not much to
choose between them. The only other small change that I found was that the sound
I produced on the 991 had slightly better focus and an overall softer feel to
it. This is ever so slight and when I was ripping it up on a couple of numbers
with playalong tracks for backing, I couldn't tell the difference at all. I
liked the S991 very much and of all the straight Yanagisawa sopranos I tried
this was my favourite. I would love to play any of them, and would be more than
happy to add the S901 to my collection of horns.
I
had always been on the sceptical side when it came to curved sopranos and I
suppose I considered them a little 'toy-like' - if I am completely honest, a bit
gimmicky. If Yanagisawa continues to make superb instruments like these then I
am totally changed in my opinion. The SC901 is a serious instrument and yet is
great fun to play. That seems to be the case with 901s from soprano to baritone.
They are light, easy to play, very free blowing, expressive and all round good
fun. They epitomise what playing music is all about, and the SC901 is no
exception. It responded well, I could produce a very clear and musical sound,
the action was light and it felt very solid in my hands. My only criticism is
the left hand table key mechanism, which I found hard work. The keys are well
spaced out, are quite big and sliding between them is not the easiest. Having
said that, when playing soprano I never find myself playing down there much, or
at least rarely find the need to slide from low B to say Bb so I didn't think
this was a huge disadvantage.
Yanagisawa
SC902
The SC902 was absolutely
wonderful to play, with a glorious smooth and open quality, allowing the sax
player's voice to come through, yet with a warmth that I didn't think possible
on a curved soprano. I've always found them a little harsh sounding, probably
due to the bell firing back up at the player. This was great and after half an
hour I was still happily tooting away to my heart's content. Like all other
Yani’s, the action was nice and light but with great security, and a solid feel
when you place the keys down. This is another very well put together instrument
and confirms Yanagisawa's reputation as supreme makers of soprano saxophones.
NEW!! Yanagisawa SC991
The SC901 is one of the best and most highly regarded
professional curved sops, so I thought it would be hard to surpass, but the
SC991 certainly does and shows why Yanagisawa are
world leaders in the soprano market. They have taken all that is good on the 901 and
improved it. I must admit that I am a bit of a straight-sop
man but this curvy sax is very tempting! For a small curved soprano there's
loads of power through out the range, especially in the lower register. The tone
is cutting, bright, with a definite sweetness at the top. It
creates a modern sound which is very versatile with plenty of body.
The LH table keys are a real feature. Yanagisawa have switched the B and Bb pads to the other side of the bell and this has created extra space to develop the LH table keys. It is more like an alto set up, indeed the SC991 looks like a shrunken alto! It has the custom connected table keys which makes for smooth playing. Overall the action is just great, incredibly fluid, slick and instantly responsive. As always with Yanagisawa, the intonation is excellent. I found it a little inaccurate in the middle range, but it is still way ahead of the competition. The crook/neck has more of a curve than the SC901 which made the positioning of the sax a bit uncomfortable for me but maybe this is because I’m quite tall. I've already had a 901 owner tell me he finds this new design more comfortable for him. Anyway, overall I was very impressed and once again Yanagisawa are pushing the boundaries of technology and innovation. I can't wait to get my fingers on the bronze SC992, I have a feeling it's going to be good!
The incredibly
beautiful SC9930 with its solid silver body and crook. And what a beautiful
sound this saxophone can make. What blew me away was the projection and clarity
of the high register, with the intonation spot on. The notes flowed with ease
and it was simply a joyful experience playing this instrument. It is impossible
for me to find any fault with this saxophone and anyone who has money to spend
on a quality soprano then I have no hesitation in recommending this one.
Selmer Series II
When I picked
up this particular horn I was rather surprised by the feel and the position of
the keys. The left hand buttons felt very close together and small, whereas the
right hand was spaced quite far apart, with the low C/Eb keys being very large,
raised and sticking out a long way from the body. The C/Eb keys did not suit me
at all and I could not get used to it, even after a good time of playing. The
sound of this saxophone is very nice, very rounded, and again what I describe as
'three dimensional', full bodied with rich overtones. For me it didn't have
quite the projection of some of the other saxes I tested, and didn't play as
freely as I expected, especially in the higher register. I must admit I was a
little disappointed with this sax as the alto, tenor and baritone versions are
excellent. Despite my reservations I am sure that it would be loved by many
players out there. In fact a friend of mine came down a few weeks ago and bought
one. Just proves that everyone likes something different, variety being the
spice of life and all that.
Yamaha
YSS675
What
a sweet sound this soprano has, and what a lovely smooth and light action.
Beautifully clear and warm tone with real depth and presence. Playing was
totally secure in all registers and blowing was effortless. I was able to
achieve a wide range of dynamics and felt completely at ease.
The high register did not speak as clearly as I like, but I think it was more down to the mouthpiece. With the Selmer S80 'G' I found it hard work to push out the high notes. When I changed to the Otto Link ebonite it was a lot better. Also the Runyon Quantum played clearly and gave the notes much greater presence. Tuning was stable, and I had to make only slight adjustments to bend one or two notes into line.
Overall this is a very solid instrument with a lovely smooth feel, which you do get with all Yamaha’s. It is very difficult to find any fault with it, maybe the only minor criticism is that if you want bags of volume and power in a soprano sax then this might not be the one. But if you want a classy sound and build quality is important then this saxophone fits the bill.
This soprano certainly produced
one of the sweetest sounds I have heard. It was beautifully clear, warm and
resonant, and had a lovely evenness of tone throughout its range. Octave leaps
and staccato tonguing were effortless and the sax responded well. I was able to
play very musically with complete confidence in the horn. This was a fantastic
sounding instrument, but I couldn't get to grips with the action, it just didn't
sit right in my hands. The high D key was in a position that needed a lot of
movement to reach and was very close to its neighbouring Eb key. You can move
the keys with the use of an allen key, which is very useful, but for me I still
couldn't get it right. I found the side Bb key quite easy to nudge with my right
hand; the keys and rods on the instrument seemed to stick out far from the main
body. I also needed to keep firm pressure on the octave key, particularly when
playing high D. If I relaxed the pressure it opened up the C# venting key and
the D went sharp. The main body action was very smooth and light and secure and
I found it easy to whiz around, but just the side keys let this sax down.
However, all that said, this is
an excellent soprano and well worth considering. I'm sure that if I could spend
a bit of time with this sax and get used to the instrument a bit more this would
be an ideal soprano sax as it produces such a lovely sound.
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here for tenor sax tests
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