Vito/Yamaha Yas-23

[Buel]

I hear different things about these horns. I got one off of EBAY for $160 that has very little scratches and came with a nice Protec case. I spent less than $30 for a checkup which consisted of a couple of pads that I knew needed replaced. I think I got lucky with both the price and how well this little horn plays. What real differences are there between this and the Yamaha horn that is definitely a decent quality student horn? I know it is Gold, but aside from the non-adjustable thumbrest (not a big deal), it appears to be a clone. I heard things of crappy pads versus the Yamaha, but it is a tight horn. Back in my youth, my parents bought a Selmer Signet
(80s model) that went for quite a bit more and I would swear that this horn has better action than the intermediate Signet. Why not a pro model for me? $$$

[stevesklar]

The Vito model with the "Made in Japan" stamp is a YAS23 basically. Except yamaha ships it in parts to Leblanc in Wisconsin and they put it together. not sure about the pad question though.

The Selmer signet models in the 80's with the "S" bell brace were basically from the buescher 400 mold (correct me if i'm wrong SOTWers) and were fantastic sounding horns. It was on my list for a tenor until i tested one and didn't really like the table keys.