[sl richard]

hi,
got a high school senior who takes her saxes serious. has been using yamaha yts23 for 2 years and wants to move up for senior competition and later college.
always heard good things about Yamaha 52 and 61.. but i am open to your opinions. will use for band and some concert performances..will not march with it as she is the Drum Major.
proud pappa wants a horn that will augment her talent and give her an edge (of sorts) for UIL competition here in texas.
my thanks to all.

 

[hakukani]

There are so many great new and vintage pro horns out there that it is difficult to choose. My suggestion would be to find a music store in your area and have your daughter try several horns, and see which she likes. Have her take her mouthpiece and reeds, and perhaps a tuner to the store and have her try out some horns.

There are many flavors of Yamaha, Selmer, Yanigasawa, and Keilworth that have a model or models that would be appropriate for your daughter.

Someone else might know a good store in your area.

 

[Fred]

Some other thoughts:
1. What is your budget? - Can't begin to answer the question without getting that out of the way.
2. Is the New/Used thing important to her? For some it is . . . for some it isn't.
3. Has she any experience with vintage saxes? Would she want to consider a vintage sax or is she firmly in the modern era camp?

You can answer #1; you'll either need to know her well or talk with her for 2&3.

 

[JfW]

Look around to see what's available. You're daughter will want to play as many as she can to find one that suits her. Bring back any questions about any particular horns you find. There's just no telling what all might be available in your area!

 

[Saxplayer67]

hi,
got a high school senior who takes her saxes serious. has been using yamaha yts23 for 2 years and wants to move up for senior competition and later college.
always heard good things about Yamaha 52 and 61.. but i am open to your opinions. will use for band and some concert performances..will not march with it as she is the Drum Major.
proud pappa wants a horn that will augment her talent and give her an edge (of sorts) for UIL competition here in texas.
my thanks to all.

Give her an edge? Good grief. If she has a talent for playing, then she'll have that on any sax, except maybe the really cheapo cheapo ones. Give the 23 she's on to a good player, you'll think he/she's playing the best sax ever built. It's about the music and that she can play it well, not about the equipment.

 

[Carl H.]

In college, you may be forced to perform some of the repertoire which may be nearly impossible on a student sax's key work. Been there, Done that. A pro horn will give you an edge over somebody playing a student horn. That doesn't mean it can't be done, but it is extra work.

 

[sl richard]

Upgrade
my budget is flexible and used horns are not out of the question.she started 8 years ago on a used yamaha 23 alto,has a winston soprano,and a new yamaha 62 II alto.Her tenor came used and has done well for her.
she feels at home on the yamaha but i know there a thousand other different choices out there. our area of texas has few shops. Houston or louisanna are alternative shopping areas for us but have you ever tried to get a teen to go shopping?!
I guess the thing that strikes me on Yamaha is that they are student friendly,fairly durable,hold their value and sound relatively good. So would it reason that a yamaha 52 or 61 be a normal transition if found in good condition?
thanks guys

 

[saxmanglen]

For a Yamaha supporter.... THIS is a pretty good deal with return options if she doesn't like it.

 

[Carl H.]

With this new information, I might be tempted to wait a year or two until she has a bit more experience under her ears. If she is going to be studying the sax seriously, she will be spending 99.9% of her time on alto for quite a while. If it is just for playing in the concert band her 23 would probably be fine if paired up with a good mouthpiece. If she is into jazz she may later find a horn which is a better match for her tonal concepts.

I'd recommend a GOOD mouthpiece - not a boutique thing for $$$$ but a good piece , and maybe run it by a refacer to ensure it is in good playing condition. Save the tenor for later.

 

[Saxplayer67]

In college, you may be forced to perform some of the repertoire which may be nearly impossible on a student sax's key work. Been there, Done that. A pro horn will give you an edge over somebody playing a student horn. That doesn't mean it can't be done, but it is extra work.

Thanks for the explanation Carl. My philosophy is music is to be played for enjoyment, not to be used for competition and not to say 'I can do better than you because my instrument cost more than yours (and may or not be better). I think using music as competition takes the enjoyment out of it. That's just my opinion but I'm one of a kind!

 

[Carl H.]

Acadamia is it's own special world when it comes to music. It goes much easier if you play their game.

 

[Saxplayer67]

Acadamia is it's own special world when it comes to music. It goes much easier if you play their game.

I undertstand Carl. Well at 39 years of age, guess I dont worry about it myself! I don't like to play by the rules - like Admiral Kirk in Star Trek II!!

 

[sl richard]

upgrade

don't get me wrong guys..this isn't about my horn's better than yours.it's about getting the expected response out of the equipment you've studied and practiced hard on. it is also about a teenager that has a gift that could for all sakes and purposes be put on hold in college. so do you spend big bucks or go with something you're familar with and less expensive...I mean a yts 62II is 1700.00 $ and not outrageous but a careed for 52 or 61 would be less and still provide her with more than the yts 23. or am i wrong?

 

[hakukani]

I agree with Carl about the alto. Most of the literature for classical sax is written for alto, so she's going to need an alto for academics. Paired with a good mouthpiece the yts 23 should be fine.

 

[sl richard]

upgrade

My thanks to all of you who cared enough to reply to my questions. I asked the musician herself and she said" my YTS 23 is plenty good enough"!!!!
so i will leave it at that..
once again my thanks to all.
i may get back to all of you for college choices,for the fall of 08...it will be here sooner than we all think!
sl richard

 

[Yellowhorn]

It sounds like your daughter is comfortable with the Yami. And since you want to upgrade her horn from the 23, why not skip the 52 or 32, which is intermediate, and look for a YAS-62 - a pro horn and Yamaha's most revered model?

That is just a suggestion. The most important thing is, as many have said here, which one is the horn she LIKES most among all those she can get her hands on!

Good luck!

P.S. Just bear in mind the universal truth about horns (or women): One's man ceiling is another's floor or vice-versa!

 

[Carl H.]

It sounds like your daughter is comfortable with the Yami. And since you want to upgrade her horn from the 23, why not skip the 52 or 32, which is intermediate, and look for a YAS-62 - a pro horn and Yamaha's most revered model?

That is just a suggestion. The most important thing is, as many have said here, which one is the horn she LIKES most among all those she can get her hands on!

Good luck!

P.S. Just bear in mind the universal truth about horns (or women): One's man ceiling is another's floor or vice-versa!

Sounds like a case of Gas-by-Proxy to me.