991 Alto/Tenor stuff

[Leotomcov]

There has been alot of Yani discussion on everything else, but I thought I'd like to see some dedicated comments/experiences about old faithful: the 991 alto/tenor. I switched to the 991 alto 2 years ago after using a selmer super 80 for 20 years. My 991 is amazing...focused, excellent intonation, capable of great expression.

Any comparison experiences with the 991 alto and the Yamaha 82z?

[Dave Dolson]

I have an A992 (bronze instead of the 991's lacquered brass) and it is terrific. While I've tried several Yamaha Customs (mostly in silver-plate), I have not tried the newer Yamaha Zs. My experiences with Yamahas have not been exceptional . . . good keywork and intonation, but mediocre tonal character.

This A992 blows them away (at least those that I've played). I played my A992 on a three-hour gig yesterday, switching on a couple of tunes to my favorite alto, a silver Buescher TT, and the Yana was wonderful . . . maybe even better than the Buescher that day (in that setting). The A992 looked VERY new and foreign to the setting (a trad-jazz band), but sounded just like 1926 all over again. DAVE

[Leotomcov]

Has anyone played the 991 and 992 alto/tenor enough to compare them. Obviously they are mechanically exactly the same...how bout sound/feel/blowing etc. :roll:

[singlereed]

I found the 992 tenor has a bit more weight to the sound, a kind of beefier tone, especially in the low end. This seems to be the general characteristic of bronze versus brass on this series - I play a S992 sop and found the same thing, as it was with a couple of A992s I tested. I don't think it affects how easily it blows, that seems to me to be mainly a function of whether it leaks or not, and Yanis are almost always very good from the factory. Just one thing, though, I wouldn't say the bronze is necessarily better , just a bit different and I really liked it on tenor and soprano, but less so on the alto - it wasn't quite the right sound for me. Purely a matter of personal preference, so try it for yourself, as you see above Dave is a very strong advocate, being a satisfied customer!