Yani S902 opinions

[marc]

I just ordered one.
What is your opinion and experience of this horn?
Thanks in advance.

[Saxplayer1]

Hello Marc. I'm an advocate for Yani sopranos and feel they are the best in the world. Superior tone, intonation, keywork & mechanics. The S902 is their one-piece design and their one-piece design is still my personal preference over their two-neck design. The sound of the bronze is slightly darker than the S901 and is a rich sounding soprano, very similar. I'm personally playing an S901 with a Selmer Super Session "I" mouthpiece and simply feel it's the best soprano I've owned in 30 years. And I've owned a SIII, an 875, 62R and a 991. I keep coming back to the 901.

Enjoy, you made a great choice and it will be the last soprano you ever need. Congratulations on your new horn!

[marc]

well,
I received the baby this week fron "Matthew music" in The Netherlands.
First of all, let me state here how nice the owner of this shop is!
Real expert and top quality service and shipping.

Now about the S902 ...
I played in the past an Antigua 590LQ and a Canonball curved Big Bell.

No real surprise, the good reputation of Yani soprano did not happen overnight, this soprano is a pure marvel in terms of ergonomics and mechanics.
In addition, the tone is warm, solid and very interesting.
Lat point, extremely impressive for me, this soprano plays in perfect tune through the complete range, without requiring any compensation. I have never played any sax which is so consistent throughout the whole range.

So, a delight. Now, time for practice.

[Tryptykon]

I plan on getting one of these in the near future.

[marc]

Just for completion and following some advices on this forum, I tried several mouthpieces on the 902 and the Selmer super session (I for me) is the perfect match.

[straighthorn]

marc, I've been thinking about getting a 590LQ now and maybe in a couple of years get a S902 or a S992. I need to know if I should just wait and get the Yanagisawa. Can you compare the 590LQ and the S902 in as many factors as you can. What is your opinion on which one I should get? Thanks.

[Dave Dolson]

Straighthorn: I know I'm not Marc, but here's MY answer - get the Yanagisawa and as soon as you can. Don't wait!! DAVE

[larrys]

I recently started using an SS I on my 901. What kind and strength reeds are working on this setup for you guys?

[shmuelyosef]

I use RJS 3 filed on my SS I on an S990

[Dave Dolson]

Larrys: I play SS-J on two of my sops ('28 TT and an SC902) and a Morgan Vintage 7 on an S992, with the SS-J as a back-up. I use Java #2 but shave them down. DAVE

[larrys]

Dave and Shmuel... Thanks guys. I'm much more of a tenor player and know what works for me but soprano's a different animal - 2.5 RJS seems to work when I find a good one.

I'm having more fun playing sop than I thought I would. Last night our band read through Gordon Goodwin's Hunting Wabbits. I couldn't play it very well but it made me laugh the entire time..

[marc]

@Straighthorn : as Dave suggests, go for the Yani 901 or 902, you won't regret it and you will have a horn that will keep its value.

@ Larrys : I am using RJS 3S and/or Rico Royal 21/2

[Saxplayer1]

On my 901 soprano, I currently use the SS "I" and LaVoz Med or Med Soft reeds. A great combo for soprano.

[Perry Cobb]

I've got the S902 and love it! I was all set to purchase the S901 from Dave Kessler....but, Dave suggested trying the S902 while I was there. I tried my best not to like it better than the S901 as it was $500 more but...I was sold....just preferred the darker, richer sound. You can't go wrong with it...I'm sure you'll get much enjoyment out of it. I'm using a Metal Yani #9 piece w/Hemke #2 1/2 reed.

[Dave Dolson]

Perry: For what it is worth, about two weeks ago I played Tom Mayho's S901 (recently purchased from Kessler's) alongside my S992 at my regular gig. I heard no differences between the two horns (lacquered brass vs. bronze). Both were superb players. DAVE

[Kini]

I'll chime in and agree with Dave-I played a s991 and s992 side by side for a couple of weeks and noticed no real difference, except the 992 is more interesting to look at.

[Pigpen]

marc, I've been thinking about getting a 590LQ now and maybe in a couple of years get a S902 or a S992. I need to know if I should just wait and get the Yanagisawa. Can you compare the 590LQ and the S902 in as many factors as you can. What is your opinion on which one I should get? Thanks.

I would get a Yana now if at all possible. If not, an Antigua is a very viable option, and one I once chose.

An Antigua Winds may well be worth what they go for, but it is not a Yana. I would say the greatest differences can be found in the quality of construction, with the Yana having significantly higher quality. This is visible in the stiffness of the rods etc. The Antiguas do sound nice though, and I thought it was a nice playing horn. The Yana does have a more solid feel to it though, at least as far as I can recall the Antigua feeling.

I once had an Antigua Winds 586BC and now have a Yana S901, which right now I feel is going to be a horn for life. If finances are an issue, I would look on ebay for a Yana. You can find some stuff at great prices. That's where I got the S901, in like new condition. Still it will most likely cost you $500 to $600 more than a new Antigua. You could also look on ebay for an Antigua. I see them going for some great prices. I was lucky, I sold mine for close to what I paid for it new, but that may not happen to you.

If finances are an issue you may also want to consider an S901 instead of an S902. If you were to get the S902 from saxforte.com right now it would cost you $2,649. The S901 from the same place would cost you $2,149. Is the S902 worth the extra $500? I have no idea, but I have a feeling not to me. I live in a rural area and do not have the luxury of being able to make such comparisons in person, so I go by what the people say here who say there is not that much if any difference in sound. I am happy with my S901 though, and do not have much motivation to see what an S902 sounds like.

Good luck with your choice!

[Perry Cobb]

Dave, rdf2....I wish that were the case for me as it would have saved me an extra $500 but, I could tell the difference. The S901 sounded great. However, I was able to get a nicer sound on the S902. Now, it just may have been that particular S901 and S902...who knows? But it was noticable enough and worth it enough for me to shell out the extra $500. Maybe I should have tried a different S901?

[Kini]

Dave, rdf2....I wish that were the case for me as it would have saved me an extra $500 but, I could tell the difference. The S901 sounded great. However, I was able to get a nicer sound on the S902. Now, it just may have been that particular S901 and S902...who knows? But it was noticable enough and worth it enough for me to shell out the extra $500. Maybe I should have tried a different S901?

Who knows?-I don't have enough knowledge or experience to answer that-my experience was a "sample of one", certainly not definitive. But to quote you, you have a "nicer than great" sound on the 902. Be happy and play it.

We have all this angst because there are too many choices, I think.

[Dave Dolson]

I suspect the differences you experienced were within the normal range of differences expected among many saxophones. But I agree with rdf2 when he says it doesn't matter now. You have a great soprano and you like it . . . 'nuff said.

Still for all the others who are reading these threads and are in the decision-stage, my advice would be to go for the best player regardless of the horn's finish or body material. If buying blind (an Internet deal or mail-order purchase), an S901 should fill the needs of the majority of buyers. DAVE

[Perry Cobb]

Thanks, guys. I am happy with my S902. Also, I agree with you Dave....the S901 is a great horn and would handle the needs of the majority of players.

On a side note...I'm somewhat surprised that the concensous seems to be (unless I'm mistaken) that there is no noticable difference in sound and response between the S901/S902...basically, between brass and bronze horns. I detect a difference between brass and bronze necks (I have a T991 nad A991 both w/bronze necks) let alone the entire horn. Is it just me?

[Pigpen]

On a side note...I'm somewhat surprised that the concensous seems to be (unless I'm mistaken) that there is no noticable difference in sound and response between the S901/S902...basically, between brass and bronze horns. I detect a difference between brass and bronze necks (I have a T991 nad A991 both w/bronze necks) let alone the entire horn. Is it just me?

Perry, it is not just you. Other people say they perceive a difference in sound between a horn being made out of brass vs one made out of bronze. Dave Dolson is one of these people who if you read some of his previous posts has said that he has compared an SC901 and an SC902 and chose the 902 as he thought it had a warmer sound. He just doesn't then conclude that this is necessarily due to the material the horn is made out of.

Then other people who have owned two of a certain model horn, the only detectable difference between them being one is bronze and the other is brass say that they do not perceive any difference betweeen them.

Here is another interesting discussion on sotw about this stuff:

http://www.saxontheweb.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=48876&highlight=s991+s992

My conclusion from what I've read on sotw is that there may be a difference between a brass and bronze instrument, although it may not be big. The other conclusion that I have from what I have read on sotw is that not everyone prefers the sound of bronze over brass, but some do. Certainly if you prefer the sound of a particular bronze instrument over a brass one and that difference is worth it to you, then I would think you would want to go with the bronze one whatever the difference is attributable to.

The intent of my original post in this thread was not to knock the S902, but rather to bring up the possibility of acquiring an S901 as an option to someone who was wondering if they should just get an Antigua Winds sop now and wait to get an S902 due to limited finances. My apologies if I lead you to question your own decision to get an S902. I think you made the right choice. Enjoy! These Yanagisawas are great horns aren't they?

[Perry Cobb]

Pigpen, not a problem. I think I made the right choice as well. However, I would have been happy with the S901 also....it played great!

Thanks for the link....that was an interesting thread on the brass vs bronze opinions. I'm actually afraid to try a T992 or A992 as I'm afriad that I may like them better than my 991s!! I can't afford for that to happen!!

I did try out a T9930 at Kessler's a couple of years ago that was probably one of the best horns I'd ever played....just couldn't justify the 4k pricetag! Someday!

[shmuelyosef]

A couple years ago when the brass vs. bronze thing started, I did get a chance to play multiple copies of T991/992...i think it was 3 T991s and 2 T992s. I remember being impressed that the horn-to-horn differences were much larger than the brass-to-bronze difference. I swapped around some necks and that created more variation. Since that day, I have been a much stronger believer in setup and the minute details of neck bore and interior finish as being the dominant factors in variation (esp. true of Yanagisawa who are very consistent in manufacture...for Selmers, there is a lot of horn-to-horn variation, and I have come to think that some of it is actually variation in tonehole placement and chimney length, etc...)

Shortly after that experiment, I did buy a T992, as I loved the way all the tenors played, and liked the look of bronze.

[barisaxbeast]

I got one last year, its the the best sop I've ever blown, that includes any Selmers. Great intonation, great sound and loverly feel. I blow a Barone Vintage 6* on mine.