T992

[BobD]

Anyone out there own a T992 or T991 tenor? I played both a while back and really liked them. Whats the general consesus on these horns? How's the sound for Jazz? Build quality good?

[pth]

I am also interested in the question as to what people's experiences are with this horn (and the 991). I am thinking of buying one of these. I am expecially interested in the bronze. Is this a decent jazz horn - that is, does it have enough power and can it develope a edge to the tone? My impression of the 991 as far as power is concerned is that is not that powerful. Is there any truth to this?

[pth]

Following up on my last message, I get the impression that the Yanagisawa "crowd" is pretty quite. Fans of other horns are pretty vocal about their preferences. I don't hear that much from Yanagisawa fans. I keep wondering if this is because they are generally more reserved, or if no one has strong feeling about their Yani horns. The latter would seem to be damning Yanagisawa with faint praise.

Anyway, I am intrigued with the company. I recently got back into playing. I got an alto (a King Super 20) and am looking for a complimentary tenor. I am a looking for something that is a little more refined sounding than the Super 20 but has power and interesting tonal possiblities. The Super 20 keeps me going because it is tonally very interesting and is very powerful.

[RS]

Check the "Yani 991" thread in the bari sax area for some strong endorsements of Yanagisawa horns (baris anyway).

[retread]

I now have a T901, an S990, a 1936 10M and a 1958 or so Buescher Aristocrat Bari. Used to have a Martin tenor and Buescher alto. They are all fine saxes. If I could own only one, it would be the T901. It's very well made, remarkably easy to play, and adaptable in sound--will take any mouthpiece and change its sound accordingly. The 10M has a richer upper register and the ability to blow the walls down,but those are its only real advantages. The Yani is more versatile. The S990 is also a great sax, but who could live with only a soprano?

[Dr G]

The S990 is also a great sax, but who could live with only a soprano?

Jan Ira Bloom? Steve Lacy? Dave Liebman?

Not everyone treats the sop as a double... 8)

[pth]

But on to my more pressing question, about the T992... any strong endoresements of this as a versatile horn? or comparisons with other contenders.

[Funky Chicken]

I have a T902. It's a Bronze model also. I tried most of the current production pro horns( Yamaha YTS62 Selmer serie2 etc) And It was the best horn. Very good sound, Excellent Keywork. The thing that impressed me is the HUGE sound diffrence between the T901 and the T902. The 902 was darker and bigger to me. great horn.

[pth]

Hi Funk Chicken,

What kind of music do you mostly play? I get the impression that Yanagisawas are mostly used by "classical" players, for some reason.

[JfW]

Following up on my last message, I get the impression that the Yanagisawa "crowd" is pretty quite. Fans of other horns are pretty vocal about their preferences. I don't hear that much from Yanagisawa fans. I keep wondering if this is because they are generally more reserved, or if no one has strong feeling about their Yani horns. The latter would seem to be damning Yanagisawa with faint praise.


you don't see zealous acclaim for Yanagisawa, that looks to be true, but no one derides them either (unlike Yamaha for some reason)

Yanagisawas are generally fantastic horns that stand on their own merits, and that seems to be an almost general consensus. That's probably why they have few zealous defenders, as no one makes comments against them that stirs up zealous response.

I've tried a T991 at a local shop. I tried it against a Jupiter Artist silver tenor. To make a long story short, I found the Yani a little stuffy in the middle register, but blew powerfully at the high and low ends. It had a reasonably dark sound on a Rousseau mpc. lt would make an awesome horn for about anything.

[BobD]

I tried the T992,T991,T901 at USA horn a while back. The 991 is great sounding horn but the 992 just has more sound. It's like the tonal spectrum is widened with the 992. More lows and more highs in the tone. Seems like it would be a very versitle horn. I ended up with a Series III in the long run. The keywork felt better, the low end was better soundwise and effort wise, the high dnd pops right out. It's a big sounding horn that can do anything.

[Funky Chicken]

Actually, I HATE Classical music. I play only jazz at the moment.

[noelpaz]

Of course Yanagisawa's can roar even if they are not bronze- okay it is not a JK to begin with but with the right spirit and setup it can have a barking sound as well. I just got a Yani 800 series tenor horn. Supposedly a Mark VI copy and I am happy with it - very comparble to my Kohlert tenor which is a dark sounding vintage roar machine, but really improves my dexterity and harmonic and rhytmic capabilities. The sax greats that I like - Albert Ayler, Dave Murray, David S Ware and Pharoah - and Coltrane of course where all abel to wail and roar using French designed Saxophones. I don't see why Yana's and Yamahas (although I am partial to Yanas) cannot do the same. Avant Garde and Free Jazz is what my soul really digs - althoug hard bob also excites me. The french type - (Selmer) saxohpnes can play this type of music very well. I feel now that with this type of horn which is more centered to begin with, your tonal and sonic possibilities are much more dynamic than the spread German horns - and I am saying this is a very general way. Overall your mouthpiece and reed, technique, some anatomy (oral cavity, lip shape and lung capacity ) contributes more to the sound than anything else. I would really like to own or at least play a Mark VI or Buffet for a long period and maybe get the will to get one finally. I've been left a relacqured Mark VI 12 years ago for 6 months and recorded on it - I was really enjoying it but was just starting the sax then. I have a Chu Berry which became second to the Kohlert and which I probably won't be touching (Chu Berry) for a while.

Anyway - this is also to thank all you Yan folks. You've help me decide while reading this forum and I am happy with my decision and purchase. I think for the last 2 months or so I've benn reading too much SOTW and I'll get back to playing more again. 8)

[Fun Bun]

I had a Yani T991. I could never get the sound I wanted. I wanted a punchy Bobb Minzter type sound. I had my JVW Link (.100 or so) but that didn't do it. I finaly sold it to a guy in New York. I bought a Steve Goodson model tenor instead

I love the Yani. feel but I just didn't like the sound. I also had hard time making the thing respond. Perhaps, a Masterpiece neck and set of Noyek resos. would have done the job.

Damon

[Hurling Frootmig]

Funbun,

How would you compare the Goodson tenor with a Buescher 400 or Buffet Super Dynation in terms of tone?

[Mike Ruhl]

I get the impression that Yanagisawas are mostly used by "classical" players, for some reason.That's a common misconception about the Yanagisawa horns. Don't know where it comes from. Yanagisawa has as endorsing artists Mel Martin and Plas Johnson. Many repair techs feel the Yani horns have the best keywork and factory setup of all makes. Some altoists I spoken to feel the altos are the ones to beat, as well as the soprano.

[Fun Bun]

Hurling Frootmig, I've never played a Beusher or Buffet tenor; therefore, I cannot make a comparison.

However, I did play a Series 3 alto. It isn't any better or worse than my Yani 992 alto. The Series 3 alto responds better and has a better sound but there is a problem with octave mechanism. G2-C2 always splits and you have fight to keep it in the upper octave. The keywork of the Yani is much better. Everything is in the right place. The altissimo is more stable. My Yani is getting overhauled as we speak. Hopefully, with a pro overhaul it will be more responsive. I'm getting Kangaroo skin pads with seamless dome resos. I want to try a Masterpiece neck, also.

[Hurling Frootmig]

I have a vintage Yani A-5 which sounded a lot like the A-991 I tried out a couple of months ago. The A-991 seemed to have a little more punch in the low end but otherwise they were pretty similar in tone and response. My only complaint about the Yani's is that the D palm key hits my hand a little lower than I want and I generally feel the point of the palm key.

[noelpaz]

Where can you find tenor necks for older Yani's - before the 900 series. Will any of the aftermarket Mark VI or Yamaha from Ponzol work. I'd like to see what this custom neck thing is all about. Also My Bari (Brand Name not sax type) metal mouthpiece has a smaller bore than my Otto Link and Meyer and compresses the cork so that the Link or Mayer are loose.I've been doing the silicon tape thing and it helps. What is a Masterpiece Neck?

[Mike Ruhl]

Where can you find tenor necks for older Yani's - before the 900 series. Will any of the aftermarket Mark VI or Yamaha from Ponzol work. I'd like to see what this custom neck thing is all about. Also My Bari (Brand Name not sax type) metal mouthpiece has a smaller bore than my Otto Link and Meyer and compresses the cork so that the Link or Mayer are loose.I've been doing the silicon tape thing and it helps. What is a Masterpiece Neck?I'll be in Ormond Beach next week, and hope to stop in at Peter Ponzol's. If I do, I'll be sure to ask him about necks for the older Yanagisawas. The "Masterpiece" neck is a Unison product.

[Metro Gnome]

I’ve a T992 & I’m quite happy to bore you to take up clarinet :wink: on it’s merits. However, I’m a beginner and am still learning. Also, I’ve never owned another horn so I can only speak against what I’ve heard others play.

Bottom line is that if you like SX90’s and the like, and you have a slight inclination for a more refined and smokier richer sound then the T992 is for you. The T991 was nice, but not so rich compared to the SX90/T992

My advice is always the same when it comes to choosing. Listen to it! After all, your ears are going to be closer to it than anyone else’s furthermore; you are going to hear a lot more of it than anyone else. So I guess you’ll want something that sounds ‘pleasant’ to your good self…

As for Yani owners not raving about their purchases? Well, it’s a bit like the old locker room talk, the one who is always discussing it, is usually the one who is getting the least!
:wink:

[zgatt]

I had a T992. It is really difficult to compare horns in text, but I'll try a bit. The good: it was a totally top-notch sax in every way, holding its own or better to everything else out there. The bad: it just didn't excite me. My explanation is simply something about the quality of the tone, too smooth or something. I can see why people would call these "classical" horns. OTOH, I didn't extensively try out mouthpieces. The ugly: opposite, actually, this is the most beautiful sax I've seen.

FWIW, My preference (so far) is vintage Conns and new JKs.

[Metro Gnome]

it just didn't excite me. My explanation is simply something about the quality of the tone, too smooth or something. I can see why people would call these "classical" horns. OTOH, I didn't extensively try out mouthpieces. ... FWIW, My preference (so far) is vintage Conns and new JKs.

zgatt makes a good point here... I guess it's all down to personal taste and is, I guess, what I was trying to say over in another thread
http://saxontheweb.myforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=2846

[jp3]

Hurling:

I had the same experience as yours with a 991 - the sharp point on the D palm key kept jabbing my hand. Do you have large hands? I have XL, palm-a-basketball size mitts and palm keys are always a challenge for me; too much hand and too little space.

[Hurling Frootmig]

Hurling:

I had the same experience as yours with a 991 - the sharp point on the D palm key kept jabbing my hand. Do you have large hands? I have XL, palm-a-basketball size mitts and palm keys are always a challenge for me; too much hand and too little space.

I have pretty small hands for a guy. I'm convinced that the d palm key is a little low and I may need to improve my hand position. I noticed the problem to a much lesser extent on the T-991.

I really like the solution that Keilwerth has with the height adjustable palm keys.

[rek]

I have a 991 tenor which has a versatile smooth tone and the best keywork of any tenor I've played for my small hands. I played it for 18 months but have since switched over to a vintage Buescher. Playing these horns side by side makes me appreciate how similar they are: they both are smooth and focused but the Buescher is darker, and a bit more spread. It just fits my tonal concept better. The Yani is for sale by the way. :)

[homemakerjeb]

I played a T992 before switching over to a ref 54. My main problem with it was that iot just didn't respond quickly enough and didn't project enough. It was loud, but not big enough. Good luck.

[Bill08690]

Fun Bun-

How is the Steve G. tenor? Can you tell us what popular horn it sounds like?