Z, EX, or 62II

[Eulipion2]

Hello,
I'm considering trading in my Mark VII alto for a new Yamaha, but I don't know which one to go for. I have a newer old model 62 tenor and love it! I'm a college music performance major in hopes of becoming a professional musician, and I play jazz and classical. Aside from the price differences, what are the main differences in these horns?

[MBushaw]

For me, there are two main differences in these 3 models. Feel and Sound. The EX feels very rich. Hard to describe, but like the difference between a cheap product and an expensive one, when you hold it you can tell it is more expensive. The 62II and Z are closer in feel, with the Z a little more spare feeling. Not in a bad way, but it feels like there is nothing there that doesn't really need to be there. Sound-wise, if all horns are lacquer, the EX is slightly more complex than the 62II, but not as much as it feels. The Z is different, it sort of sounds like a Yamaha, but not the same as the 62II or EX. The Z in Silver or no lacquer sounds different than any Yamaha I've ever played. I don't know why, as I don't believe finish can make that much difference. The un-lacquered Z alto is the first Yamaha alto that I've played that I have seriously considered as a main horn.

[scale_master]

MBushaw,
did you get a chance to playtest those at a dealer in the LA area?
If yes, can you share the name?

Thanks,

B.

[MBushaw]

I played them side-by-side last January at the NAMM show. Since then have played a couple of 62II's and one EX that were other peoples horns. Haven't played any Z's other than the ones at NAMM though.

[MB-913]

MBushaw

I'm interested to upgrade my clear lacquer Yana A-901. My choice is an Un-Lacquer horn, either:

Yana A-991
Yana A-992
YAS-82Z
YAS-875EX

All un-lacquer.

It seem you give very nice comment on the un-lacquered YAS-82Z. I heard it sound differnet with the standard lacquer version. Can you tell more about this? Does it sound more bright/dark/dull/rich/thicker than a lacquer Z horn?

I've read an article in http://www.saxophones.co.uk/alto_sax_tests.htm that the 82Z sound really like a Mark VI. Not sure if it's sure because my comment of their old YTS-875 tenor is not very high. Which sounds too polite and lack of tone character/color (as many players said, sorry for Yamaha fans). However, it's ture that that Custom horn are very easy to play with good keywork.


BTW, does the Un-lacquer's YAS-82Z has a thin layer of clear lacquer to make protection on the body ? or does it look like the following photo (the Un-lacquer YAS-875), without any clear lacquer ?

http://tensax.s5.xrea.com/AltoSax.html

[MBushaw]

MB-913
Any one of the horns on your list would be a great player. You really have to play them to see which one fits you.

I found the alto unlacquered Z to have an interesting mix of mid to upper partial harmonics very similar to the ones found in MkVI altos. Not exactly like the Selmer sound, but NOT the Yamaha sound of the 62 or 875. THe lacquered horn was more subduded, the harmonics not as noticable, the Yamaha sound a little more noticable.

As far as I know the unlacquered is just that; no lacquer. But I have no factory information either way. The horns were all brand new and the visual difference was very slight. I would expect the unlacquered horn to age somewhat like your photo.