Customs finishes

[imbobthemoose]

What do yall reccomend as finishes for the 82s and 875s?

[gary]

You're going to get a lot of people who say the finishes make no difference. I had two unlacquered Zs and both had more substance to the sound than the lacquered Z I tested. My recommendation is to simply play some of different finishes and regardless or who says what about the finishes, just chose the one which plays best for you.

[Carl H.]

Pick the best of what YOU can get your hands on.

[Dave Dolson]

My experience with Yamaha altos was directly opposite of Gary's . . . I ended up with a lacquered brass 82Z model (but later traded it away). I'm guessing the differences we experienced were caused by things OTHER than the finish.

My advice would be to play as many as you can find and buy the one you like best, regardless of the finish. DAVE

[shmuelyosef]

I have a different take on it...I think the z's are very uniform and any difference is due to subtle setup issues. Play enough of these of any finish (doesn't matter) to convince yourself that you like the design; importantly, play it with whatever variety of mouthpiece designs is available to you...at the least, play a large chamber and a medium chamber piece, and maybe even something with abaffle. Then, pick the finish you find most attractive, buy a horn and have it professionally setup.

[Dave Dolson]

Schmuelyosef: I agree with your opinion about dealer prep being the major issue in how Yamahas play, but I suppose that could be said about any new saxophone. The one I owned came out of Anaheim Band (originally purchased by Rob GOODSAX Fleming, from who I got the horn) and I concluded the horn played better than any other because of the way they adjusted it before sale and NOT because it was lacquered or unlacquered. DAVE

[SaxyAcoustician]

Then, pick the finish you find most attractive, buy a horn and have it professionally setup.
That's the answer right there. Once you've narrowed it down to make and model, pick the finish that appeals most to you visually.

[shmuelyosef]

Part of this is self-serving, as it is reasonably good business to setup new horns...they are clean, no butcher tech has f***ed them up yet, and you get to experience new horns at their peak when you're done!!! Very satisfying work, except for the occasional Yanagisawa that I can't find anything wrong with.