revised G1 alto neck

[BrianL]

Hey all

I'll be picking up my revised G1 alto neck Monday, so expect a review from me around then. Thank the lord I get to send the allegro neck back to them...

[psyguy]

The revised G1 neck fixed the intonation problem on my 82Z tenor, for what it's worth to you.

Stu

[BrianL]

Lets just put it this way.

I'm less than happy. I'm fuming

I got the neck today from Yamaha, and it was ANOTHER bad G1 neck, had the exact same problem as the one I sent in to them. The octave vent wasn't placed right, it was playing sharp in the entire upper register. I'm having better luck with a Yamaha Allegro neck. If a killing spree happens at Yamaha, you know why :evil: :evil: :evil:

[psyguy]

Brian-

I may be wrong but I do not believe they revised the G1 neck for the new alto models, only the tenors.

Stu

[BrianL]

The Yamaha rep I talked to said they did, but if thats the case, time for some serious Yamaha butt kicking.

[Gandalfe]

Yes, everything I have read has been about the tenor neck. I think that there is some confusion and misinformation out there about this problem. Have you tried different mouthpieces or is the intonation problem on with one special mouthpiece? Not all mouthpieces work well on all horns. Do you have a tech that you trust and can work with?

[BrianL]

I've changed mouthpieces, that didnt solve it. I changed necks. That did. I'm using a Yamaha Allegro neck right now, and thats cured all the tuning issues.

[MS]

BrianL I also talked to a Yamaha rep, and there was a batch of necks (alto) that came out different. They were not aftermarket necks. They went with some new horns. Yamaha will make it right. They always do.

I understand your frustration. Hang in there. :D

[BobD]

MS,

In another thread in the "Necks" topic you mentioned playing a Yamaha neck on a Selmer VI. Said it opened up the palm keys and that your Mark VI-VII days are over. Did you mean you are switching to Yamaha horns or just going to use the necks? Just curious. I would have emailed you but couldn't find your address anywhere.

Thanks

[RaZaDAM]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, So that's whats wrong with my tenor!

I've played other tenors, series 3's and some mark 6's and ref 54's, and had no intonation problems, yet on my own YTS62, (New Model), the palm keys play sharp.

Maybe i should have a word then.

Thanks for the tip.

Adam.

[BrianL]

Just got off the phone with James from Mills (local music store). He had two different Yamaha necks side by side, the old 52 and the 'revised' G1. Yes, the neck they shipped out was a revised neck, but when he looked at them he said that the G1 looked way shorter than the 52. The octave vent was in the wrong place. Apparently the G1 alto neck has not been fixed by Yamaha at this point in time.

[MS]

BobD, I've been playing Yamaha Custom 875 as a primary horn since 1991.Before that I played Selmer Mark VII and Mark VI. I still keep the VII as a secondary horn.
Been playing a Custom G1 neck for about 8 or 9 months. A late model VI came through the store where I teach last week. So I tried it. Played OK. So I AB'd it with my CUstom. THen I sweitched necks. They happened to fit (I think a later model M VI). THe G1 on the Selmer improved the sound as I described.

Now, I also have an older 6 neck (that was a spare in the 70's) which is a little tight on my Custom. It or the Vi neck from the horn in the store palyed worse on my Custom than the G1 neck. Now I didn't check with a tuner, but the VI sounded and responede betterwith the Yamaha G1 neck. Sound was bigger/wider, a little brighter, definitely more firm center.

Now it improved this horn a lot. I don't know that any accurate assesment can be implied that this would work better on other horns. The VI was fresh from an overhaul without much laquer left.

THe 6 that I used to own was bought in 1963 or 4 and most players and my teachers seemed to think it was one of the better 6's around at the time. The VII I still own as a 1975, and still plays very well. I can just do more and different things with the Custom.

[Morry]

Brian, I don't believe the G1 neck is intended to be a replacement for the 52s. They are designed to work with the new 62II and 875s only, I believe.

[averageschmoe]

have you tried an older G1 neck? the custom altos have been using them for at least four years now with no problems. most saxophones have a tendency to play flat in the high range, which we've learned to compensate for almost automatically. the G1 neck was supposed to revise this issue and may just require some getting used to.

[BrianL]

I've tried the old G1, the revised G1, the allegro, the old 62 neck, and the 52 neck. The G1s play horribly on my 62II while everything else, the 62, the allegro (which I believe are the same neck), and the 52 play fine on the horn. The differences between the G1 and all the other necks was that the octave hole was further away from the cork than the 52, 62 ect. The G1 also appeared shorter than the other necks.

[averageschmoe]

if i remember correctly part of that revision involved moving the octave key pip. as far as old G1's are concerned i meant from a few years back, try using the G1 neck from an older 875 alto and see how it works. just remember that the 82z has the same bore dimensions as the 62 and we've heard minimal complaints about the altos with the same necks. if you are unable to adjust to the G1's characteristics then perhaps you should look into an older 62 or M1 style neck.

[Joe Jazz]

After reading about all the hassle with the necks I tried a Keilwerth SX90R and couldn't be happier. I cancelled my order for a silver-plated Custom Z. Long waits + quality control goofs on the G1 necks translates to lost sales, at least in my case! And I've always been a huge Yamaha fan....

[M Exner]

I'm glad you are happy with the Keilwerth. But I think you are reading too much into this neck problem. Yamaha is correcting this problem early on. I've bought the Z and it is simply the best yamaha I've ever played. (I've owned the custom and still have the 62). I also took a Yani 992 and the 82Z on trial and the Z was my hands down choice. If you are a jazz player (which I suspect) then that is another reason to consider the Z. Mike

[psyguy]

I had two different pro musicians demo (pre-purchase) my 82Z tenor against their SX90R and 1950's vintage VI, respectively. They were both very impressed. That's not to say they would choose it over their horns but they considered it a viable alternative.

Stu

[MS]

Yamaha will make things right - they always do. At least they admit a problem from one batch of necks and set about to fix it. I remember this happening with one batch of Herb Couf horns in the 60's or early 70's (neck problem), and was fixed the same way.

[MM]

Sorry to resurrect this ancient history, but I wondered if anyone can add any comments to the 82Z neck threads. I finally tried a lacquered 82Z in a store....played and felt great EXCEPT the palm key notes were quite sharp. So was there a bad batch of alto necks and could there still be some horns being shipped with them?