YAS 62, 52 or Other?

3667 Views 16 Replies 14 Participants Last post by Elmar Kurgpold, Jun 5, 2007

JohnK STexas

Discussion Starter · May 16, 2007

New to the Forum and needing some advise.

I am searching for an alto for my son, who is finishing the 10th Grade. He is using a late-70's Selmer Mark VII that I used when I was in high school. He is having trouble with the horn, which has seen its share of marching band abuse (his and mine), and I really don't want to put any more $$ into it.

I told him I would replace it for him. His Jazz Band Director is recommending the Yamaha YAS 62, but the price for a new one is not within my budget. I am looking at a few used 62's on eBay. I have also seen some YAS 52s on eBay.

I would like to hear some opinions about the differences between the 52 and 62, or any other suggestions you may have. He will continue playing through high school and college, but has no plans to study music in college.

Thanks!

1 - 17 of 17 Posts

hakukani

· #2 · May 16, 2007

Keep the VII, and have it worked on by a competent technician.

Then, if you REALLY want to, sell the VII and you should be well on your way to buying any new horn you want.

Me, I'd keep the VII.

YMMV

baritone saxophone

· #3 · May 16, 2007

I agree with Hakukani.

Carl H.

· #4 · May 17, 2007

Keep the horn and sent it to Randy at Tenormadness. You will be MUCH further ahead than getting a Yamaha.

Have whatever Randy recommends done to it done, and get a YAS23 for marching. You will be money ahead.

"I've got this old ferrari that I used to deliver pizzas with and now my son is delivering pizzas with it. It needs service and gets lousy mileage and my sons boss doesn't like red cars. I don't want to put anymore money into it.

Would you recommend an accord or a civic?"

saxxsymbol

· #5 · May 17, 2007

keep the VII for yourself and buy him a good used 62. the 62 is a better built and better sounding horn and brings 2X's what a 52 does at resale. if you buy one right, 1000- 1300 and keep it good shape you will probably get all your money back when you sell it. a good used 23 is hard to beat for marching band.

joelsp

· #6 · May 17, 2007

Another vote for keep the VII, and get it repaired. Get a 300 dollar YAS-23 for marching, the VII is a great horn.

Jonathan C.

· #7 · May 17, 2007

Make it another vote.

JohnK STexas

Discussion Starter · #8 · May 17, 2007

saxxsymbol said:
keep the VII for yourself and buy him a good used 62.

Okay, saxxsymbol has touched on another wrinkle in the situation that I should have mentioned in the original post. I haven't played in over 20 years, but have been wanting to get back into it. So I have been considering the option of reclaiming my old VII if I get him something else.

With that in mind, what would you suggest?

By the way, I (or more likely grandma and grandpa) will probably get him an inexpensive YAS23 for marching also.

G

· #9 · May 17, 2007 (Edited)

I'd get him a used 61, 62, 62II, or a 34II Yamaha. The 52 is a good horn, but as mentioned before, the 60 series will hold their value better. If you want a lower priced horn , go for a 34 II . It's basically a lower priced version of a 62 with the same G-1 neck. Should be able to get one for what a 52 brings, and it benefits from newer technology that the 52 doesn't offer .

Hurling Frootmig

· #10 · May 17, 2007

A used 62, Mark VII, Super Action 80, vintage Yanagisawa, or a used Keilwerth SX-90 would all be good choices. Just don't march with any of them. I also agree - keep the VII for yourself.

jazzhart

· #11 · May 17, 2007

Carl H. said:
Keep the horn and sent it to Randy at Tenormadness. You will be MUCH further ahead than getting a Yamaha.

Definite second on this. I have dealt with Randy and he is a great person to deal with and his work is outstanding. As the other posts have stated, a good used 62 will be a much better option than a 52 for your son. See if the school has a tenor or other horn he can play during marching season. Generally, a lot of directors are looking to beef up the low brass section so he might talk to his director about learning to double on a low brass instrument. It is really not too hard to do for marching band.

BTW, Randy's site is www.tenormadness.com

Good luck

Innuendo

· #12 · May 17, 2007

Instead of doubling on a brass instrument, he could go for a baritone sax. Who wouldn't want to march one?

Jonathan C.

· #13 · May 18, 2007

I am guessing you live in Texas? Becuase of your name. However if your son is tall he might be able to handle a Baritone Sax on the marching field. If not, I would try Tenor. Their are less parts then on Alto, so the competition is less for the marching show. Also the distance in between Alto and Tenor mouthpieces is not that big of a jump compared to Alto to Bari.

jmm1713

· #14 · Jun 1, 2007

Keep The VII And Get A Full Overhaul Or Buy A Used Yanigisawa Or Keilworth

jacobeid

· #15 · Jun 4, 2007

The VII should be better than any of the yamahas you listed. Give it a good overhaul from a good tech. Randy Jones, maybe?

BobD

· #16 · Jun 5, 2007

OK so you're going to keep the VII for yourself. That's good. Your son will get a 23 for marching band. So, you need a good horn for him to play in jazz band, concert band etc. I would think that either a Yanagiswa a880,a900,a901 or Yamaha 61/62/62II would be the way to go. All have great ergos and intonation are built well and will be more than enough to get a kid thru highschool and really college too.

Don't forget, if you buy off Ebay take into account that you'll probably need to have it tweaked so that it'll play.

Elmar Kurgpold

· #17 · Jun 5, 2007

I agree about keeping the Selmer and getting your son a 23. I don't think he needs a "better" horn for jazz band or what have you as BobD suggests. If he goes on to study music in college as a performance major, the school may have great horns to rent dirt cheap. I rented a beautiful Mark VI my freshman year for a criminally low amount, then the next year I got my 62.

1 - 17 of 17 Posts

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