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Need a new alto, can buy a used A990 for a good price, or grab one of those Kessler deals - A901 for 2 grand, A991 for $500 more. Then there is the bronze A992. Which model is more expressive for contemporary music?
Which alto for R&B ?
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They all are! They also all play classical very well too 
. The mouthpiece makes the biggest difference. A friend of mine has a 991 made in 1993 (he bought new then), that depending on which mouthpiece he puts on, can be so bright it'll "peel paint", or so dark, you'd swear it was a Buescher True tone!
. The mouthpiece makes the biggest difference. A friend of mine has a 991 made in 1993 (he bought new then), that depending on which mouthpiece he puts on, can be so bright it'll "peel paint", or so dark, you'd swear it was a Buescher True tone!
Grafton + TH & C alto || Naked Lady 10M || TT soprano || Martin Comm III
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Saxophones aren't expressive, saxophone players are.
I'm also confused by your term R&B and then ask about contemporary. Most people tend to think of it as not a contemporary genre in relation to the saxophone. Of course the term has been hijacked to mean something else now in regard to vocal and pop music, but R&B saxophone tends to mean players such as Big J, Lee Allen, King Curtis, Eddie Vinson, Louis Jordan, Sam Taylor, Red Prysock.
Great R&B horns? Bundy, Kohlert, Weltklang, Buescher, Martin, Conn
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Yes, but we posted didn't we? Gotta get the post counts up!
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Sorry, should have clarified the question. I separate saxophone playing into two groups: classical and not-classical. Not-classical can be called R&B, contemporary, or any other term that is not-classical. Pete, not-classical sax is all the same to me. I posted this stupid question in the Yanagisawa forum because I already own a clunky, old vintage horn and have decided to get a shiny, new/nearly new Yanagisawa since I can't buy a shiny, new/nearly new Selmer/Yamaha/Keilwerth for as good a price.
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I don't think there is much that separates the Yanagisawa models you named except for the marketing pap that all sellers/manufacturers/distributors get into . . . like the double-arm keywork on the lower notes, the bronze vs. brass stuff, etc. If I was to buy a new Yanagisawa alto, I'd probably go for the A901. I played one example at NAMM a few years ago and was impressed by it. I've owned an A880 (now with my grandson at the Air Force Academy) and an A992 which I eventually traded away. They were both excellent altos.
Play whatever you want to play with the Yanagisawa - it will work anywhere. The player and the mouthpiece set-up are more important, once you get past the natural requirement that a saxophone plays in tune. DAVE
Play whatever you want to play with the Yanagisawa - it will work anywhere. The player and the mouthpiece set-up are more important, once you get past the natural requirement that a saxophone plays in tune. DAVE
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Thanks, just sent payment for the 990 (yeah, I know - has probably lost some of its original luster), hope my old Lakeys work on it.
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Received the 990 today - a sultry and snarly screamin' bitch. Perfect!
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