[Chip L.]

Hey all, I currently play a YAS-23 and I'm looking for an upgrade. I live in Spain and I'm looking for something under 1,000 euros. There's a used YAS-32 in decent condition that someone is listing at 790 euros. I'm not sure, that seems a bit too high. Is it worth it to upgrade from a YAS-23 to a YAS-32? What would be a fair price for a used YAS-32? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[dexdex]

Hi, welcome. Yep, it is worth the upgrade. The YAS-23 is a great beginner's horn, but it might start to restrict you. The typical symptom would be that it won't play any louder than a certain level. I remember fighting to get heard in a funk band on a borrowed YAS-25. It tends to sound "thin" if you try to push air through it. Like a kids bicycle: not ideal for the Vuelta...
The 32 is closer to a pro horn. Speaking of budget, you might find a more recent 475 (successor of the 32) or even 62 within your budget.
The 32 is a very good midrange horn, I played one for a couple of years. The price tag is fine IF it is in perfect condition. If you have to take it to a tech and spend another 2-300 €, it might be too much.
Did you check French sites ? They usually have a lot of good deals (and a lot of scams too...). www.leboncoin.fr, www.zikinf.com.

 

[Stocker]

Not a worthwhile upgrade, in my opinion. The 32 (known as the 52 in the U.S.) is little different from the 23 - it adds a high F# key, and it has a clamped body-to-bow connection and different bell brace. Other than that, the rest of the keywork is the same (unless it's a later 32 with the tilting low-Bb). The neck is the same and it's likely that the body tube is the same too. Not different enough to warrant switching. If you're going to spend money on an upgrade, aim higher.

 

[lydian]

I'm with Dex. While it sounds and plays fine, the 23 looks and feels cheap. The 32 (52) looks and feels like a pro horn. I've been in your shoes and have upgraded to nicer and nicer horns incrementally over the years. So now I have a very nice collection including a couple of Yamahas, the 82z and 475. But the 21 and later the 23 served me well back in the 70s and 80s. I'm actually looking to downgrade the 82 to a 32 (or similar) eventually to free up some funds for other things.

 

[Chip L.]

I'm checking that listing and now it says it's "reserved" as in someone has initiated but not completed the buying process

but there are other Yamaha horns...I'm considering a purchase next month so I'm still zeroing in on something. Thanks for the input!

 

[Chip L.]

There are two like new 475s around 1,000 euros...

 

[lydian]

IMO the 475 is the best value around. Pro quality and features in a modern, intermediate horn.

 

[dexdex]

👆👆This. 👆👆

 

[Zasterz]

Can’t you just save a bit more and get a 62? Then you’ll never have to upgrade again and deal with selling (losing some amount to taxes and seller fees etc).

 

[High Plains Thumper]

Not a worthwhile upgrade, in my opinion. The 32 (known as the 52 in the U.S.) is little different from the 23 - it adds a high F# key, and it has a clamped body-to-bow connection and different bell brace. Other than that, the rest of the keywork is the same (unless it's a later 32 with the tilting low-Bb). The neck is the same and it's likely that the body tube is the same too. Not different enough to warrant switching. If you're going to spend money on an upgrade, aim higher.

[... several quotes later ...]Can’t you just save a bit more and get a 62? Then you’ll never have to upgrade again and deal with selling (losing some amount to taxes and seller fees etc).

Agreed, I am wondering if by shooting for something that may be more of an intermediate instrument, that perhaps your sax could benefit from a better mouthpiece, better reeds and experimenting with different strengths to go with, may be additional repairs as required, and allow more time to eventually get what you really want. After all, the 23 is not a bad horn to begin with, has favorable ratings.

A high F# key really isn't that much of a value add, because fingering falsetto is much easier and more fluid to do. Experimenting with incorporating the lower end of the altissimo register and learning to tune your horn with the right mouthpiece / reed combination is the way to expand your playing abilities.

With a little more time where you can afford better and know more what you want, then that may be the time to take the leap. Just saying ....

 

[Zasterz]

I play a 6m but had to borrow a 23 for six months while my horn was being overhauled and I actually really liked it too. I made some recordings with each and I don’t feel the 23 was exactly lacking, just a bit different timbre. I have no need for a high F# key.

 

[JfW]

Not a worthwhile upgrade, in my opinion. The 32 (known as the 52 in the U.S.) is little different from the 23 - it adds a high F# key, and it has a clamped body-to-bow connection and different bell brace. Other than that, the rest of the keywork is the same (unless it's a later 32 with the tilting low-Bb). The neck is the same and it's likely that the body tube is the same too. Not different enough to warrant switching. If you're going to spend money on an upgrade, aim higher.

I can compare the Vito version of the 23 and a YAS-52 side by side. There are a LOT of differences. On mine, the 23's neck measures just under 16mm at the front of the pip, vs 16.1 for the 52. Both slot the same at the tenon, but there is a noticeable difference in the taper. The 23's neck provides a darker, tamer sound profile with less projection. The 52's is brighter, more lyrical.

Under the fingers, they are completely different instruments with the 52 having a far superior action that is a LOT closer to the feel of my Yanagisawa than the 23. They are not even close here. There is a lot of similarities in the stack's layout, but there are more rods and pillars on the 52. The structure of the rods for the pinky keys are also very different.

It's tough to eyeball the profile of the respective bodies, but not ONE of us would spend more than ten seconds on these two instruments and fail to conclude that they were significantly different, and not simply in one or two factors.

 

[Sigmund451]

Id be patient and really look fow what I wanted rather than half stepping.

 

[Tonerbust]

It depends on what you are looking for in an upgrade, which you didn't address. My fisrt tenor was a new 32 which I played for years until I tried other horns. If you are seeking a horn that is richer and more resonant then the 23, the 32 is not it. In this department the 32 could not hold a candle to other tenors I have played or owned. Understand I'm talking only about tone, which is of paramount importance to me but maybe not for you.

 

[lukasali]

As a working professional (straight-ahead jazz and teaching) who has a YAS 23 and a YAS 52 (the American model for the 32 I believe) as my only two horns, I can tell you they are slightly different. I personally prefer the 23. It is a lightweight, responsive horn with comfortable ergonomics and excellent tuning. It's also easy to keep in good regulation. It leans towards a clear "West Coast" kind of lightweight tone that is good for bebop, swing, and classical, but doesn't lend itself to the kind of depth and "guts" most blues and rock players want; it gets a little bit shrill and piercing if you really push it. Of course this kind of thing is most impacted by technique and mouthpiece, but compared to other saxes that's how I'd describe the 23.

The 52 is pretty much the same with slightly more weight and a feeling of solidity both under the fingers and in how it blows. It is also slightly brighter, slightly more focused, and slightly more resistant, and holds together a little better at maximum volume. The ergonomics are awesome - for me the LH pinky keys are the simplest most elegant and comfortable design of any horn I've ever played. The high F# is not important to me at all but it is to some people.

For me the best investment in equipment is the mouthpiece/reed combo, followed by keeping the horn well regulated; an airtight 23 is better than a leaky Mark VI 100% of the time. So spending 500-700 Euros to have it totally overhauled would likely give you a better playing horn than buying a "superior" model that is not in totally ideal condition. You can also "upgrade" the neck to any of the Yamaha necks (and most Selmer/Yanagisawa/Eastern Music or whatever necks will work too) which is relatively inexpensive and does have a noticeable impact on tone and response.

Having said that, if you do want to look at an upgrade to a YAS 52, 32, 475, 480, or whatever, the biggest piece of advice I can give you is to make sure it's made in Japan. The newer horns made in Indonesia or wherever are pretty good but don't garner the same consistency of praise and probably have a lower resale value.

 

[JayeLID]

I am gonna respectfully disagree with the earlier comment stating the 32 is basically a 52, and a 52 isn't significantly different from a 23... @JfW already mentioned his impressions, mine concur.

I have refurbed both, the 52 is not identical to a 23 by any means. The keywork is more refined and quicker, and the blowing response is nicer. Yes, as JFw also notes, the mechanisms of the keywork are not the same, the 23 is quite simple and spare in its mechanisms, the 52 has more going on there.
You can coax a bit more colour out of the 52, was my impression.
I believe the tonality is not identical, either, if memory serves - suggesting something in the body tube, neck tube, or bow specs are different from those of a 23.

Yama introduced the 52 an an intermediate model and they made it for many years, they would not have just re-branded a 23, put on different keyguards, and lacquered its keys, I would think....(?)

So if a 32 is the SAME horn as a 52...and the pics of a 32 (a model not often seen here) seem to suggest this - then I'd say there is a reasonably significant step up.

IMHO, a 52 and a 475...are on equal par. Different, but on equal par.

I like both of them, they are, using most players' yardsticks... one good rung up the ladder from the base model 23/275/280.
So I wouldn't call moving from a 23 to a 52 a tiny step up. There's enough distinction going on there to characterize it as more than that.

If one were locally or easily available at a fair price in good play shape, I think most 23 players moving to a 32/52 would be pretty pleased by the differences...so yeah you could go ona big hunt, and might find a half-dozen other models/brands which we can argue are also in the race....but again if one were easily available, now...and priced fairly...why not take it ?

(One good reason might be "I like Yamas but I wanna experience something as good but different", I suppose..)

 

[Chip L.]

Thanks for the replies everyone...I'll try to reply to a few different ppl at the same time...

• My YAS23 was overhauled in the summer of 2021
• I've already upgraded my mouthpiece/reed/lig and I'm happy with that setup

There are two reasons I'd like to upgrade. The first is that the YAS23 was given to me by a friend that used it in high school but not afterwards. I've never bought a saxophone before so that's one incentive. Secondly, I'm not sure my horn is playing 100% - the low register is not very accessible. It has a minor but noticeable dent on the bow where it was clearly dropped once (it was like that when I got it). I also sometimes feel like it's hard to sustain notes on it. Now, I took it in a little while ago to get some little things addressed and that helped some but anyway...I'm just thinking another horn would probably play/sound better.

Don't get me wrong, the 23 is great for what it is. But I'd like a horn that looks and sounds better even if it's just one step up.

 

[Dr G]

I'm just thinking another horn would probably play/sound better.

Don't get me wrong, the 23 is great for what it is. But I'd like a horn that looks and sounds better even if it's just one step up.

Hmmm, maybe you need a tenor.

Whatever you decide, I hope you find what you want and want what you find. Happiness is having a horn that you truly enjoy playing.

 

[Chip L.]

Hmmm, maybe you need a tenor.

Whatever you decide, I hope you find what you want and want what you find. Happiness is having a horn that you truly enjoy playing.

haha - I'm sticking to alto b/c there are already too many tenor players!

 

[Stocker]

On mine, the 23's neck measures just under 16mm at the front of the pip, vs 16.1 for the 52. Both slot the same at the tenon, but there is a noticeable difference in the taper. The 23's neck provides a darker, tamer sound profile with less projection. The 52's is brighter, more lyrical.

The part number is the same for the neck tube (not the complete assembly, but the tube itself) on both - maybe Leblanc spec'd a different neck for their version.