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Finally played my new YTS-82ZUL!

8K views 22 replies 15 participants last post by  Frankmsax 
#1 ·
So the brand new Z has been sitting here in plastic for the past few weeks while I resolved some issues with the seller. That done, I finally got to play it for about 30 minutes on Saturday, took it to a gig on Sunday, practiced on it Monday and Tues, and took it to band practice yesterday. So after about 10 hours or so of playing on it (while my VI lies weeping in its case), here are my impressions.

Pro:
It's lighter than my VI
It has a beautiful focused core sound
less resistance that my VI - I can play softer and subtone much easier - but the volume is there when needed
I especially love the low register on it - the notes just ooze out vs. the VI
The ergos are amazing, although I am still getting used to the key placement
The action is also superb, as is the intonation.

Con:
The sound does seem to lack a little character vs my VI, but that may be just a matter of learning how to play the Z
It seems much less solidly built than the VI, especially the key work. I am expecting a lot more visits to the tech vs. my VI which just seems to go forever between tune-ups and oil changes.
Sticky keys - I searched here and found that a lot of people have had this problem. A brand new sax, and the bis, G#, C# are already sticking so much that the sax was almost useless at practice on Wed. So the horn will already cost me a visit to the tech. I never had a key stick on my VI (or my other yamis) , and I do nothing special at all.
Leakage - I am getting way more water coming out of the top of the horn than I do with the VI (maybe the shape of the neck?)

Net opinion so far - I love this sax, and after I get it adjusted by my tech I will be hard pressed to figure out when to play my VI.
 
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#2 ·
I tend to think people see 'evenness of scale' as 'lacking in character'. And evenness of tuning, refinement of ergos, balance of weight etc... Play it a while and you'll start to see what i mean.

The 82z is quite sturdily built. It only 'feels' light and deft. Enjoy it!
 
#5 ·
You're probably right about that - just as soon as I get the Z up and running. Meanwhile the VI goes to a gig tonight.
 
#7 ·
My tech installed a roo pad on my 82z's sticky C# and it fixed it just fine.
 
#9 ·
I said this many times here but for my hands yamaha cant be touched for ergonomics.There so fast,slick and comfy and build is fantastic.The Z is there finest hour for me.I had a bunch of z's and i will get another for sure.
 
#12 ·
BTW, I have been playing the 82z exclusively the past 6 weeks or so, and still find the ergos to be sweet, and the sound is starting to approach my VI, except I find the highs to be a bit fatter than the VI (which I like) but the lows to be a bit thinner. Keys still sticking but I'm wiping the G# and bis after playing and it's not quite as bad as before. Also , Dr. G was of course correct - I brought the VI to my tech and there were lots of leaks and loose stuff, so can't wait to get that one back as well. And while I certainly lack character, it does not seem to be affecting the sound of the Z too much.
 
#14 ·
I played 3 VIs against one Z the other day. They had a similar vibe. The Z had a more compact sound and brighter sound. There were a lot of mids and highs in the sound. The VIs had all that and then a lot more lows. The Z had a nice core to it just like the VI.
 
#16 ·
Back in the fall of 2008, whilst trying out every tenor that PM Woodwind had to offer, looking for "my" horn, I tried a killer Yamaha 82Z. It was a killer horn, and I could have had it brand new for less than what ended up being my '75 VI. I got down to those two. I played them side by side and in front of a few different people and got opinions. They were close. Hell, ergonomically speaking, they were the same horn, I swear it.
In the end though, the VI just had something more to it. The Yamaha sounded similar to it, but seemed like it was lacking that special something that the VI had. Now, maybe the 82Z just needed a good break in (I just thought of that now), but I am happy with my selection and my VI continues to be a strong performer. Still, had I not played the '75 VI, I might have left that day with the Yamaha. They surely are killer horns.
 
#17 ·
I've got a yts-62 that leaks in the same spot as yours. Kinda annoying, keys get slick. 10 years old so I doubt if it will stop doing it. Still, its a really nice horn, great intonation and ergos. I recently changed to a Warburton mpc that makes my old Martin sound really nice and I find I'm not playing the Yam as much now. Still, Yamahas are nice horns at a decent price.
 
#22 ·
If you're Z came with a G1 neck you might want to think about upgrading to a G3 neck, it will take care of the fullness of notes missing in the Altissimo range and it'll open up the sound on the sax more, the difference between to the two necks is very noticable on my Z. It won't add any more volume to the low end, I felt it really balanced my horn out nicely. I've had my Z for over two years now and haven't had a problem with pads sticking and I'm almost certain all the pads on it are the original yamaha pads. I've got the horn in the shop for a tune up, some of the pads do need to be replaced, mostly in the upper stack, it'll be interesting to see if aftermarket pads have a problem when I get it back... I may call them now and see if I can get the "sticky prone" keys upgraded to Roo pads, might be worth it as insurance against having that problem in the future!
 
#23 ·
I still dig my z tenor. Great ergos, response and it can be warm , depending on the mouthpiece /reed combo. I have a hard rubber berg that Mojo refaced for me and it sounds great on the z that I have, warm ,full and with a bit of edge when pushed. My stainless ponzol m2 also works well for me on the z but the berg is warmer sounding. Someday maybe I will find a great mkvI that won't break the bank , but I haven't yet.
 
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