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Real YTS-61 Tenor ?

6K views 19 replies 14 participants last post by  saxtqt 
#1 ·
All,

I've been looking for my first tenor and finally found what I thought was a deal. Picked it up for $500. It included the YTS-61 body (more on this), neck (not sure if Yamaha), Brilhart Special Ebolin tenor mouthpiece, soft DEG case and neckstrap.

It plays but definitely harder to produce a good sound. Hit and miss (definitely more on the miss side) at the bottom register. So, definitely some work required to get this back into real playing order.

What I'm not sure about is the neck and body. After more careful inspection, I did notice some solder work and I'm not sure if both the neck and body are true YTS-61 parts.

It would be great if someone can confirm for me that it is indeed the YTS-61. See Pictures below.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers,
saxtqt



























 
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#2 ·
Looks legit to me. I have had a few. The medallion is missing on the neck.
 
#3 ·
Yes that appears to be the YTS-61. One of the first models to hit the market as I recall. May have been considered an intermediate tenor in those days. Not sure if it was the pro model of their tenors. Brings back some fine memories.

The long L shaped guard that extends from low Bb to low C was a unique design when it first came on the market. I purchased one in Tampa in 1970 and used it for many years. Played an HR Berg Larsen m/p in those years. A fine free blowing tenor.

The neck also looks like a match as I recall but might be missing a Yamaha decal with a red Y that sat in the circle. An email to Yamaha will confirm if it had an emblem. You could probably Google this model for more detail.

And I had some regrets about selling it but had to raise a few dollars to purchase a newer tenor at the time.

If set up well in the hands of an excellent repair person you should be very pleased with it.
 
#10 ·
Wow, what a great price!

That's it, it's unmistakable with the long curving key guard. As I understand it, they were Yamaha's top pro horn of the day. They are nice playing horns, even with mostly crusty pads and a few misaligned parts. I've just left mine off for an overhaul ... I'm also not sure that my neck is the original one ... I think so, but there's been some work on the octave mechanism, to make it taller, maybe to accept a different neck. Congrats on a nice one!!!


Turtle
 
#11 ·
Thank you all for your responses and confirmation!! Much appreciated.

Not sure how significant this is. I was wondering why on my sax that there isn't a purple Yamaha logo near the bell, compared to pic from USAHorn site that John Laughter had referenced above:

my sax:


pic from USAHorn:
 
#12 ·
purple logo probably wore off... You can even see in the usahorn photo the logo is starting to wear off...

This happens for a number of reasons- handling the horn in that spot often, chemical bath, buffing/cleaning, someone just saying they want to pick off the purple logo...

These are really good horns, pretty undervalued in my opinion, and you got a nice deal on yours! Enjoy!
 
#15 ·
It looks fine to me. The logo has fallen off the neck. Have it replaced with something nicer like a polished stone or a pearl disc if you like.\

$10 says it's harder to play 'cause if you put a leak light in it, you'll be able to use it as a Christmas tree.. I can't really see any pads on the sax, but the neck octave pad is not looking good, it looks like it may have been marched, and for those and other reasons I'm quite sure it's way out of shape. Even so, you got that horn for about half what it's worth in its current state. Nice catch!
 
#16 ·
I play one also. A couple of years ago, I paid more than double what you paid although mine is in better condition.

I also play a Selmer SBA. There are some things about the 61 that I like better such as the response in the lower register.

With a little work by a qualified repair tech, you should have yourself a great sax.
 
#17 ·
I have a 61. Take it to a good tech, it may be a potentially great horn when overhauled and regulated. If it has been played a lot, there may be some or a lot of wear in the action/rods which will take some looking after.
 
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