Yamaha YAS-875EX Buying Question

2450 Views 16 Replies 10 Participants Last post by Robenco15, Jul 17, 2007

Robenco15

Discussion Starter · Jul 12, 2007

Hi,

The local shop around me doesn't carry the 875 EX custom. Just the 875. And I'm one to test the horns out before I spend thousands of dollars on them.

I'm going to another place about an hours drive from where I live to try out the 875EX and here is where my question comes in. If I prefer it over all of the other saxes I test I will be ordering it through my local store because they tend to give me cheaper prices and all.

Are all 875EX's similar enough that if I love one, I love them all? The one my local store will be ordering will not be the one I tested out of town. I'm afraid that I will have different results from the one I tested to the one I order. And I must buy it from the local store. I can't have them order it and then test it and back out. I already checked.

I'm just very tight with my money sometimes. I always test out mouthpieces, horns, and everything I can.

So basically I'm asking, as I mentioned above, are all 875EX's similar enough that if I love one, I love them all?

Thank you

and p.s. I'm also looking at the YAS-62, the 82z, and the 875 custom. for some reason there seems to be always the discussoin of necks. Should I make sure no matter what one I get it has a G1 neck? and I think that means it's a Gold plated neck. I was under the impression that they all come with it but I'm not sure. Thanks

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G

· #2 · Jul 12, 2007

Well, it is a risk buying a horn that you havn't played. However, Yamaha is fairly consistent from horn to horn. Once you have your new horn tweaked, it should be pretty similar to the other. But , it's still a risk, albeit a small one (IMO) . What kind of exchange policy does this small store have ? My guess is none. Talk to them beforehand, and see if they are willing to work out something in case you get a lemon.

As for the G-1 neck, it's my favorite from Yamaha. I don't know what the model # is short for, but I don't believe it's for gold plated. The G-1 neck tends to put some people off due to it's low resistant, free blowing feel. It does take a little getting used to, but it doesn't require any real change in how you play.

old git

· #3 · Jul 12, 2007

Robenco,
I don't know what you do for a living, but if someone freely used your knowledge and time, then went elsewhere to buy an identical service, you would be justifiably annoyed, as effectively they have stolen your time.
If you use a shop for testing, then it is ethically correct to buy from them. The alternative is to tell the owner/s where you intend to test, that you have absolutely no intention of buying from them but ask would they still allow you to test?

Dave Dolson

· #4 · Jul 12, 2007 (Edited)

Yamahas are believed to be among the most consistent saxophones made. Yet, when I was considering a Yamaha alto a few years ago, I went about playing every one I could find (and that was a bunch). None of them met my expectations, and I tested most if not all of the pro-level alto models, lacquered and unlacquered available.

Then a fellow poster traded a lacquered 82Z to me. It was the best one I'd played and I actually liked it. It had been purchased originally from Anaheim Band and they obviously had done a great set-up on it before selling it to my friend.

This tells me that even among the most consistent marques, you will/may find significant differences. I'd say that if you are not of a mind to buy sight-unseen, then you'd better test every one you consider before buying. DAVE

BYOB

· #5 · Jul 12, 2007

If you absolutely love the EX that you try, just buy it.

The difference of a a few hundred dollars can mean the difference between a horn you absolutely love, and a different horn.

Robenco15

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jul 12, 2007

old git said:
Robenco,
I don't know what you do for a living, but if someone freely used your knowledge and time, then went elsewhere to buy an identical service, you would be justifiably annoyed, as effectively they have stolen your time.
If you use a shop for testing, then it is ethically correct to buy from them. The alternative is to tell the owner/s where you intend to test, that you have absolutely no intention of buying from them but ask would they still allow you to test?

I already told them I have no intention of buying it. I told them I have no intention of buying it the day I test it. But, as someone else said, a few hundred dollars might be worth getting the horn i love as opposed to the horn I hope i love.

patseguin

· #7 · Jul 12, 2007

I really like what BryanQ had to say. Spot on. I'd only had to give the 82z a fair shot. It depends on what your needs are, but I've owned an 875EX before and it's great but the 82z is so much better for me. I'm actually not really sure how they market the 2 different horns.

mjs10

· #8 · Jul 14, 2007

I heard that if your yamaha horn got stolen you can buy the same identical horn. So they must be very consistent and their products are highly standardized. Thet have ISO certification, should be peace of mind.

BYOB

· #9 · Jul 15, 2007

They are quite consistent, but obviously they cant all be 100% the same. There's going to be subtle differences between each horn, and in some cases, larger differences.

shmuelyosef

· #10 · Jul 15, 2007

My experience has been that they can all be made to play excellent and very similar (both 82Z and 875EX), but any one that you test in the store may not be quite the best that it can be. You can be pretty sure that any one you get via mail will need some tech time to play it's best...at least 2 hours time or ~$100...well worth it if you have a good local tech, to just go through it, clean up friction points, set the spring tension to your liking, snug up the neck fit, dial in the mini-leaks...etc... Then again after a year of hard playing and it will be 'the best'.

My viewpoint has always been that test playing can give a suggestion of the difference between various designs, but without setting it up AND living with it for a month or two, it is impossible to determine if a particular horn will be your lifelong friend or not...

nitrosax

· #11 · Jul 15, 2007

I live in Japan. I`ve seen firsthand how the Japanese work and their craftmanship is like no other. Still, you need to try horns before you buy. It`s worth buying a train, bus or air ticket to go somewhere that has MANY horns for you to try and then pick. OR you can call up STEVE PAGE(15% off my next purchase please because of this plug

at PROWINDS and have him test them FOR you...if he says its a great horn--you can trust him...

G luck!
If you get an ex Yamaha be sure to change the thumbrests out with metals ones!

Nitro

shmuelyosef

· #12 · Jul 15, 2007

Anybody know where you can get the metal thumbrests? Has anybody ever seen a silver-plated thumbrest available?

Steve P

· #13 · Jul 15, 2007

Yamaha has several metal thumbrests in the prototype stage. They should be out sometime in the next year.

Steve P

nitrosax

· #14 · Jul 17, 2007

As for thumbrests and thumbhooks, there is a place here in Tokyo called Ishimori Gakki. Its the PREMIER sax pro shop for all of Japan and the place that Albright, Dulfer, Sanborn , Berg, Brecker and EVERYONE else comes when they are in the country to buy stuff and get repair...Mr. Ishimori is AMAZING and his products are out of this world...His thumbrests and thumbhooks are sold separately(SILVER and GOLD) and each is around 80$ after the yen to dollar conversion...But these things are AWESOME!

Steve? no 15% discount?????

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Robenco15

Discussion Starter · #15 · Jul 17, 2007

nitrosax said:
As for thumbrests and thumbhooks, there is a place here in Tokyo called Ishimori Gakki. Its the PREMIER sax pro shop for all of Japan and the place that Albright, Dulfer, Sanborn , Berg, Brecker and EVERYONE else comes when they are in the country to buy stuff and get repair...Mr. Ishimori is AMAZING and his products are out of this world...His thumbrests and thumbhooks are sold separately(SILVER and GOLD) and each is around 80$ after the yen to dollar conversion...But these things are AWESOME!

Steve? no 15% discount?????

What's the benefit of a metal thumbrest? it looks cool?

SpeckledLemon

· #16 · Jul 17, 2007

Robenco15 said:
What's the benefit of a metal thumbrest? it looks cool?

Besides looking cool, I find it to be much more comfortable. Same for the left hand.

Robenco15

Discussion Starter · #17 · Jul 17, 2007

SpeckledLemon said:
Besides looking cool, I find it to be much more comfortable. Same for the left hand.

We're talking about the thumbrest on the lower part of the horn. Where you kinda hold the horn. How uncomfortable is it now? I never noticed.

And what about the left hand? The "button" under the octave key? That just seems like unnecessary money to spend. interesting though.

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