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A completely refurbished Vito by Yamaha YAS 23 model horn. Marked Japan next to serial #.
The horn arrived here missing a few parts.
~ The large keyguard is a replacement, it might actually be one from the Yama plant which was never nickelplated; or it could just be a very good repro. We purchased several of these on eBay around 5 years ago. It is brass, not plated. Perfect fit in every way.
~ The horn arrived neckless. We had a left over YAS 23 neck, from a Yamaha-branded 23. The lacq color is different from the Vito branded ones, but it's the same neck as the Vitos were equipped with.
~ The replacement Yamaha neck did not have its octave key, so we found an appropriately-fitting octave key we had in our parts bins. It is brass lacquer, and has a nifty and interesting logo on it which I am unfamiliar with (anyone recognize the logo ?). But it functions perfectly.
So with all those parts replaced, we gave her our usual workup: disassembly, chem bath, hand polish, replaced a half-dozen pads (the remaining ones have good life left in them), leveled some toneholes, swedged some keys, cleaned and lubed pivot rods, re-assembled, and regulated.
She is in good playing shape, speaks up and down cleanly, keywork and rollers are free and snappy. Blows well. A very user-friendly horn, as we already know....
Aesthetically, original lacquer is around 70%, there are some bare brass patches here and there, particularly on the bow area and bell lip; and the neck....and some typical scratches and spotting here and there, plus a few very miniscule dings (all significant dents and dings were attended to). Some key plating on a few keys has worn a bit, and a few keys have a bit of cloudiness to the plating, but all in all the keys look pretty good (we are being very picky in our description here)
We rolled out some dents and dings in the bell and bow, and I'd say we got both areas up to around 80-85%. So, the bow has a few very minor waves, the bell also is not perfectly level around the lip - but you sorta need to look for these things to see 'em; and again it does have the lacq wear at these areas. So...aesthetically some blemishes, yes - but our goal is to always get a horn into good body geometry, and that has been done here.
Comes with what is probably the original case; it has one replacement latch and has exterior wear but is structurally sound and solid for everyday use.
Typically I sell these Vito 23's, refurbished and ready to play, for between $400-500. Given the replacement parts and the lacq wear, I dropped this one's pricetag significantly.
So if someone was seeking the quality and reliability of a nice ol' YAS 23 ....but didn't quite have the budget, and function and reliability are more important to you than looks....this may be your ticket.
$285 plus shipping from NM, USA, Paypal, check, money order. Paypal F&F method I'll knock it down to $275.
I will do domestic or Canada shipping.
The horn arrived here missing a few parts.
~ The large keyguard is a replacement, it might actually be one from the Yama plant which was never nickelplated; or it could just be a very good repro. We purchased several of these on eBay around 5 years ago. It is brass, not plated. Perfect fit in every way.
~ The horn arrived neckless. We had a left over YAS 23 neck, from a Yamaha-branded 23. The lacq color is different from the Vito branded ones, but it's the same neck as the Vitos were equipped with.
~ The replacement Yamaha neck did not have its octave key, so we found an appropriately-fitting octave key we had in our parts bins. It is brass lacquer, and has a nifty and interesting logo on it which I am unfamiliar with (anyone recognize the logo ?). But it functions perfectly.
So with all those parts replaced, we gave her our usual workup: disassembly, chem bath, hand polish, replaced a half-dozen pads (the remaining ones have good life left in them), leveled some toneholes, swedged some keys, cleaned and lubed pivot rods, re-assembled, and regulated.
She is in good playing shape, speaks up and down cleanly, keywork and rollers are free and snappy. Blows well. A very user-friendly horn, as we already know....
Aesthetically, original lacquer is around 70%, there are some bare brass patches here and there, particularly on the bow area and bell lip; and the neck....and some typical scratches and spotting here and there, plus a few very miniscule dings (all significant dents and dings were attended to). Some key plating on a few keys has worn a bit, and a few keys have a bit of cloudiness to the plating, but all in all the keys look pretty good (we are being very picky in our description here)
We rolled out some dents and dings in the bell and bow, and I'd say we got both areas up to around 80-85%. So, the bow has a few very minor waves, the bell also is not perfectly level around the lip - but you sorta need to look for these things to see 'em; and again it does have the lacq wear at these areas. So...aesthetically some blemishes, yes - but our goal is to always get a horn into good body geometry, and that has been done here.
Comes with what is probably the original case; it has one replacement latch and has exterior wear but is structurally sound and solid for everyday use.
Typically I sell these Vito 23's, refurbished and ready to play, for between $400-500. Given the replacement parts and the lacq wear, I dropped this one's pricetag significantly.
So if someone was seeking the quality and reliability of a nice ol' YAS 23 ....but didn't quite have the budget, and function and reliability are more important to you than looks....this may be your ticket.
$285 plus shipping from NM, USA, Paypal, check, money order. Paypal F&F method I'll knock it down to $275.
I will do domestic or Canada shipping.
