Comments on the Ramponne & Cazzani R1 Curved soprano

[asanchez]

Hi,

I just got my RC R1 curved soprano (that I bough from Joe Jazz) and would like to share my comments with you.

I was always obsessed by the "perfection" of Yamahas, Selmers and Yanis in terms of key work placement and smooth action. In fact I used to own a yamaha custom soprano, which I consider the best in terms of construction. The RC is almost as good, with the exception that the G sharp is a little bit far and the mechanism is not as silent as with the yamaha. However, it is not bad at all. The low notes are very easy to play (even more than with the custom) and they are so deep and full that I feel I am playing an Alto! In short, this sax is comparable with any of the big names in terms of action and probably better in terms of sound. I do not play super fast, but my repair man does and he was very very impressed with the RC action in very fast playing.

Another main aspect is the amazing presence and power of the sound and fullness of the high notes. With other sopranos I was always "scared" of playing from high G onwards because of the thin sound and dodgy intonation. However, the RC is another thing. All the high notes are nice and thick and there are no intonation problems whatsoever. In fact, the entonation is better than with my tenor ( a Yamaha Custom). I just cannot beleive it!!

I have never played any of the old vintage sopranos, but I imagine that the RC plays much closer to them than any of the modern ones.

In short, I have just found myself playing the thing so confidently, knowing that any note would come out efforlessly full and in tune, that I have been able to forget about the instrument itself. This had never happened to me with any other new instrument.

The saxophone is advertised by saxforte and saxophones UK as having a very dark sound and I was a bit concerned that it might be a bit too dark. However, with high baffle metal mouthpieces I have also been able to get a very bright and edgy sound.

The engraving is beautiful and the finishing (gold plated -not lacker) is not as perfect as with the Yamahas or Selmers, but it is more artesanal and has much more character.

From now on I will be more open to new brands challenging the big guys (Selmer, Yanis, Yamahas, etc).

A keeper!! Highly recomended!

Anton

[silversax]

Any comparison to the current curved Yanagisawa, SC991/SC992?

[xuanvu]

I'm going to order a curved R&C with heavy sandblasted silver body and polished keys soon, do you have any other comments or suggestions, comparison???

Thank you very much,
Kenny.

[asanchez]

Here you have a profesional review of the RC and a comparison with the Yanis.

http://home.t-online.de/home/mike.duchstein/da030701.html
http://www.sonic.de/cms/tests/rampone.html
http://home.t-online.de/home/mike.duchstein/da030603.html

One of the main critisims (the price) is not an issue any more specially if you buy it in the USA (Mr Aaron of Saxforte has the best prices in the world for RC, you should write to him). They probably used the retail prices in Europe which are always too high, specially in rip offf England. The original article is from sonic, one of the most reputable magazines in the world dealing with Musical Instruments. I hope you have a friend that can translate from German, because the online translators are crap. You will see great photographs of them.

I tried the Yanis before buying the RC as they set the standard in terms of curved sopranos. The Yanies' mechanism is a bit smoother and ergonomically also a bit better. The response is probably the same and the intonation is probably better with the RC. The SC991 is wild, a real screamer and very good fun to play, while the SC992 has a much more presence and its sound is more complex and elegant. The RC has a bigger bell and therefore its lower notes are much bigger and easier to play than with the Yanies. I found it easier to play any note with the RC and its sound is definetly thicker throuought the whole range. The fixed neck of the RC was a bit of a concern for me, but after playing with it this is not an issue any more, specially because this type of neck allows better intonation and does not obstruct vibration as with the detachable ones. If you can you should really try to play them all before buying.

The RC is is twisted in a very funy way in order to leave room for the right hand fingers and to position the fix neck in the right way. So if you look at you on a mirror it looks pretty weird. However, after playing for 10 minutes I forgot about the matter.

My only other concern is whether the RC will keep the adjustment in the long term, which is something that still has to be proved. However, it looks like this will not be a problem.

While the Yanies come perfect from factory, the finish of the RC has some imperfections as a result of the hand made process, however it looks definetly more elegant and with more character than the Yanies. The RC leather case is superb!

I would say that the RC and the Yanies are overall equally good but at the same time they are very different.

Regards

Anton

[Joe Jazz]

Glad to hear you're happy with the R&C Anton! It does have a lot of character! :)

[asanchez]

Thanks Joe, I could not be happier.

[xuanvu]

asanchez,
Thanks for the links, I don't understand a word in that article but your comparision is very good. I heard many good things about the Yani curved too, but I like the "characters" of the R&C, which different from horn to horn.

Thanks again,
Kenny.

[Joe Jazz]

One thing I liked about the fixed neck is it's easier to change mpc's. Most people I know with two necks only end up playing one or the other most of the time anyway, and I prefer the curved......