[Shannon]

Opinion on the tone quality between these two horns. Mechanics I know are both great. Tone quality opinions. Thank you

 

[Currawong]

I would be interested to know on what basis anyone could give you a view through this forum that is actually of use to you. In my limited universe the only way to get some indications would be to try to play of them, or at any rate to hear both of them. And chances are that you will find it very difficult to decide.

 

[Dave Dolson]

Amen, Currawong. Shannon, you could play ten of each model and walk away with 20 different impressions. No one knows the answer to your question. The ONLY way I'd make a choice would be to play as many as I could find (that alone is difficult to do in today's retail environment). Of course, I have a natural preference for Yanagisawa saxophones and so that's the way I'd go. But still, there could be a Yamaha 62 out there that may be a gem. DAVE

 

[Saxplayer1]

I prefer the Yani 901 alto over the Yamaha 62II alto. The Yani simply has better clarity, richness and power. Both share excellent mechanics & ergonomics. The new Yamaha 62II altos seem stuffy & muffled, as if there's a sock in the bell. I've played several of them over the years and found them all muffled. Very strange. They simply lack clarity & richness of sound. On the other hand, I've played & owned the original 62's and some were amazing. Not sure what's up with the new Yamaha 62's. The Yani 901's are amazing altos and at their price point, nothing comes close.

 

[Stephen Howard]

And just to illustrate Dave's point...I play a YAS62 purple logo, and while I find the tone of the 62II a bit more restrained than my alto I'd still have one over and above the Yani 901.
For me the 901 lacks that little bit of sparkle...but then others would say that the Yamaha lacks roundness.
The bottom line is that both are great horns - and if you're spending that kind of money you owe it to yourself to try them both out and make up your own mind.

If you do that and still walk out of the shop with 'the wrong horn', you still won't be disappointed.

Regards,

 

[Harvey]

And then there are the other variables, the mouthpiece and reed. Some horns respond well to what a person already plays and others may match better with a different combination than the one a player has been using up to that point. It's really very subjective. We're all different players. We all "address" our set ups differently and we all play a little bit differently from one another.

Best to try them if you can. Also, find out what players are using (in the way of mouthpieces and reeds) who may be playing similar styles as you.

Harv