resistant A-991

[jp3]

I play tested an A-991 today and it seemed far more resistant than the Ser II, Series III and SX90r played with the same setup (c*/Vandoren 3 or med fibracell). Is this consistent with the experience of you 991/992 owners?

I've discussed this with another Yani dealer and his belief is that the 991 is more resistant than the 901 due to the 991s ribbed construction. He also believes that a bronze horn will be more resistant than brass due to greater weight and density.

Comments?

[JfW]

I don't see why resistence has anything to do with ribbed construction or bronze vs brass.

the A902 I tried was sufficiently free blowing compared to other altos I've tried, yet rather dark.

[singlereed]

I think that's a load of rubbish (from the dealer). A properly set up Yanagisawa - of any model, I think - is a breeze to blow, and they are usually well set-up from the factory. The 901 series is undoubtedly a bit more raucous and raw sounding, but the 991 is a great sax to play with a smooth and focussed sound. To me, it plays very much like a Selmer III, I couldn't separate them by much last time I did a side by side. The bronze horns are not more hard to blow, but I find the sound is a bit more solid and dense, this has different effects depending on the size of sax, I like it on the sop and tenor, but not so much on alto. Personal taste (cue Dave!). I think if a sax is hard to blow, it is usually because it is leaking.

[Dave Dolson]

Singlereed: I agree.

I have never been able to find an A991 to test; I bought my A992 sight-unseen and it worked great. Of all the various new models I've tested (but not side-by-side), I liked the Yana bronze line the best (alto and sop). Still, there may be another brand-finish-model out there that will outplay my Yanas. Each horn is different because of so many variables in construction materials and build-quality. DAVE