Nice comparison! I have never played the Axos, and I think it's interesting that Selmer's "lower priced" pro horn is still over $4k. The only AW01 I ever played was one of the best altos of any brand at any price that I've ever tried. I would have no hesitation playing the Yanagisawa in any environment or style.

Of course, it'll always come down to personal preference, and I do tend to prefer Japanese and German saxophones to French-made horns. Selmers and Buffets can be really great and I've owned one of each, but I usually land on the side of Yamaha, Yanagisawa, and B&S when it comes to the horns I come back to.

 

Nice comparison! I have never played the Axos, and I think it's interesting that Selmer's "lower priced" pro horn is still over $4k.

If I were to take a guess, the horn has less to do with the budget market, and more to do with Selmer testing the waters to see if the market will accept a more machined (less handmade) saxophone under their banner. If the Axos sales are strong, expect to see future Serie II, III, and Reference horns borrowing the Axos manufacturing techniques. Note that this is just a hunch on my part based upon Selmer's actions of the last decade.

In regards to the Axos sharing the Serie II palm keys, I'm surprised that Selmer didn't go with III keys here as I think that they are the definitive superior feature of the Serie III alto. The Serie II palm keys are very low to the body, and this can be quite annoying to those of us with larger hands. Oddly, this issue doesn't carry over to the tenors for me.

 

Interesting post; thanks. Regarding future competition between these two models, much depends on the location of the buyer. The Axos is much more expensive in the United States than in Europe. E.g., at Kessler, the Axos costs about 29 percent more than the AWO1. In fact, the Axos is even more costly here than the AWO2, and not much less than the AWO10. But at Matthew's Music in the Netherlands and at Sax.co.uk in Britain, the Axos and the AWO1 are virtually the same price (the Yany is actually a tiny bit higher in the UK). Thus, Europeans are more likely than Americans to see these two models as direct competitors among new saxophones.

I don't own either of these two altos, but I do have a Selmer SA80 Series II and a Yanagisawa A990µB, so Selmer-Yany comparisons always intrigue me. Judging from your post and some other reviews I have seen, it appears that the SeleS Axos has inherited many of the strong points as well as a couple of the weak points of the Series II. The Series II alto has both a flatter-than-usual C2# and RH side keys that are set annoyingly low. I added metal side key risers to correct the latter, and to cope with the former, I add the RH side C key whenever possible when playing open C2#; this brings up the pitch a little.

Like you, I play mostly concert band and classical music. Both the freer-blowing characteristics and the ergonomics of the Yany seem more natural to me than the Selmer's, so I guess at heart I'm just a Yanagisawa guy (I have a Yany soprano and tenor too). But I do enjoy the sound of the Series II when I seem to be getting the best out of it. It's just that getting the best out of it often requires some fussing with mouthpieces and reeds to make the horn respond the way I prefer.

 

Interesting post; thanks. Regarding future competition between these two models, much depends on the location of the buyer. The Axos is much more expensive in the United States than in Europe. E.g., at Kessler, the Axos costs about 29 percent more than the AWO1. In fact, the Axos is even more costly here than the AWO2, and not much less than the AWO10. But at Matthew's Music in the Netherlands and at Sax.co.uk in Britain, the Axos and the AWO1 are virtually the same price (the Yany is actually a tiny bit higher in the UK). Thus, Europeans are more likely than Americans to see these two models as direct competitors among new saxophones.

I don't own either of these two altos, but I do have a Selmer SA80 Series II and a Yanagisawa A990µB, so Selmer-Yany comparisons always intrigue me. Judging from your post and some other reviews I have seen, it appears that the SeleS Axos has inherited many of the strong points as well as a couple of the weak points of the Series II. The Series II alto has both a flatter-than-usual C2# and RH side keys that are set annoyingly low. I added metal side key risers to correct the latter, and to cope with the former, I add the RH side C key whenever possible when playing open C2#; this brings up the pitch a little.

You bring up a good point. As much as I appreciate Dave Kessler (have met on a few occasions in Vegas), Eddie from Matthews has won my business for life (not that I plan on buying any more saxes). And you're right...the AW01 and Axos is priced the same at Matthews.

I'll probably need the key risers too...and I'll look back at the AW01 and think "I shouldn't have to do that"

Nice comparison! I have never played the Axos, and I think it's interesting that Selmer's "lower priced" pro horn is still over $4k. The only AW01 I ever played was one of the best altos of any brand at any price that I've ever tried. I would have no hesitation playing the Yanagisawa in any environment or style.

Of course, it'll always come down to personal preference, and I do tend to prefer Japanese and German saxophones to French-made horns. Selmers and Buffets can be really great and I've owned one of each, but I usually land on the side of Yamaha, Yanagisawa, and B&S when it comes to the horns I come back to.

If I could pick any 1 sax for the rest of my life (from what I've played over the years), the AW01 would win hands down, no contest.

 

To keep my comparison equal with the AW01, I used the same Yanagisawa 5 mouthpiece that comes with the AW01.

This might be a fair approach BUT: The standard mouthpeace is boring and lifeless. I wouldn't even have bougth my AWO1 with that MPC. Luckily I have tried it with my own MPC (Aizen Jazz Master). These are two completely different worlds.