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What Yanagisawa do you own?

Yanagisawa owners club

275K views 675 replies 391 participants last post by  Yanilover26 
#1 ·
Welcome to the Yanagisawa owners club. Which Yanagisawa do you own, what mpc and reeds do you use with it, and what kind of playing do you enjoy?

T991 tenor
Yanagisawa 6 HR mpc or JJ HR* 6*
Rico Select Jazz 2M filed
demonstrating things in beginner and intermediate band classes, playing along with Aebersold CDs
 
#656 ·
In the club, first time owner.

Sold my meh Jupiter Low A bari and landed on the fantastical BWO20 (poor vintage Conns have no low As).

Took major advantage of the very, very weak Yen right now and bought direct from Ikebe Gakki in Japan and saved a boatload (even with shipping and import duty).
I have bought basses from them prior, they are an outstanding outfit.
Couple day shipping and she arrived absolutely perfect.
Great setup, no leaks, etc. Ikebe insures whatever goes out is top notch.

I actually feel like a better bari player than I am because it is really & truly effortless to play (and to play in tune across the horn).

Also gives me excuse to mpc shop a bit.
My Durga 3 is great on it, my Lamberson DD (which is just perfect on my 12M) is very nice and dark but not what I really wanted on this one, so having a look around.
What all do you use on your Yani baris?

Musical instrument Plant Wood Reed Rectangle
 
#659 ·
Sold my meh Jupiter Low A bari and landed on the fantastical BWO20 (poor vintage Conns have no low As).

Took major advantage of the very, very weak Yen right now and bought direct from Ikebe Gakki in Japan and saved a boatload (even with shipping and import duty).
I have bought basses from them prior, they are an outstanding outfit.
Couple day shipping and she arrived absolutely perfect.
Great setup, no leaks, etc. Ikebe insures whatever goes out is top notch.

I actually feel like a better bari player than I am because it is really & truly effortless to play (and to play in tune across the horn).

Also gives me excuse to mpc shop a bit.
My Durga 3 is great on it, my Lamberson DD (which is just perfect on my 12M) is very nice and dark but not what I really wanted on this one, so having a look around.
What all do you use on your Yani baris?
Durga 3 is the mouthpiece that my friend with the B-992 plays. I played in a big band with her for 20 years, and it was the Durga that added that little extra something that enabled me to better hear her from the opposite end of the section.
 
#657 ·
Just got my hands on a T901b (black lacquer) to replace my YTS280 stage sax and so far so great! I use it with a vintage Vandoren Perfecta and Legere signature 2.5 reeds. It's almost too easy to play and I worry when I use my Series III it will feel like a lot of work. It does what everyone said it would: great action and ergos, great intonation, responsive and gorgeous, and noticeably lighter than the Yamaha which is great for long sets where I have to pick it up and put it down often.
Musical instrument Reed Reed instrument Plant Wind instrument
 
#658 ·
I just took delivery of this lovely AWO-20, which I bought from @GetASax. I also use a GS NY 5 mouthpiece with Vandoren Optimum ligature, and I go back and forth between Legere American cut 2.25 reeds and various Vandoren reeds (Java red/green and ZZ). I play in my community concert band and do my own home study courses in improv and general technical improvements.
This sax is absolutely gorgeous and is a pleasure to play. Effortless response from top to bottom with a good/light resistance. Intonation is just as everyone else described—the most in-tune sax I’ve ever had.
I only have a couple hours on it so far, but I’m very grateful to have it.
Yellow Wood Wall Twig Metal
 
#661 ·
TW01 - W/ bronze neck
What's your impression of the bronze neck? What, if anything, do you think it does for you better than, or differently from, the original neck? Is it a T992 or a TWO20 neck? Did you consider a TWO2 neck? I ask because I also have a TWO1 and am curious about this.

I do have extra bronze necks for my Yany alto and curved sop that I use occasionally, but I think of those as different cases.
 
#664 ·
Just wondering, why does Sopranino not appear in the poll...? Yanagisawa made a big deal about Sonny Rollins playing their first ever 'nino, the SN-6, built in 1972. This was superseded by the SN-600, the world's first 'nino to have a high E key. As their 1985 sales brochure says, in beautiful Japanenglish:--
Yanagisawa added E key as the conventional models have only up to Eb key, while more recent music requier E.
The SN-600 was followed by the SN-800, though the 600 was still available in the mid 1980s. The 800 was "developed upon the improvements" of the 600, though the 800's most obvious differences are a plainer engraving, and just a laquered button for the bis key, instead of a pearl.

In the same sales brochure, Yanagisawa claimed the SN-800 is:--
...an incomparable masterpiece
So there you go!

They also make (or made) 'ninos under their Prima brand.
 
#665 ·
I have an A-901 I bought new in 2008 with a 92 bronze neck. I like how it sounds but honestly I recently played a Yamaha 62III Alto and it plays better and easier than my Yanagisawa. Ergonomics are better for me too. I haven’t bought any new equipment for a while, so I might be getting a new Yamaha 62 alto. Will definitely keep my Yanagisawa, though.
 
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#666 ·
Hi,

Just got a TWO1, 2 weeks ago.
Mouthpiece: Syos smoky 7
Reed: Vandoren Java green 3. Trying the red ones now.

Unfortunately, they had only this model in store, so I could not compare with the bronze WO2 nor the ribbed TWO10/20 :-( so I had at first this nagging feeling of 'what if...."
I did try a YTS62 II. A good horn, but I preferred the Yani, something in the sound (more centered/focus).
However, the more I play, the more I appreciate it.
As reference, I played the last 20 years on a YTS275 and a bit on a King Cleveland stencil ( or Conn stencil, not sure), Wolverine from Elkhart....different worlds!

So really happy with my new horn.
 
#669 ·
I've mostly been a tenor player most of my life, but I've ended up in the 2nd alto chair for the foreseeable future, so I've played an A-901 for a while, and it's a great, resonant and responsive instrument.

A-901
Mouthpiece: Theo Wanne Hard Rubber Kali 8
Reeds: Rigotti Gold 2.5 medium
 
#675 ·
I apparently joined this club in February of this year, but I only just now found out about it.
In February I bought a

Yanagisawa T-WO1
Old Selmer Soloist mouthpiece (it came with my YTS475 tenor, so I’m not sure how old, but it certainly isn’t new)
Vandoren 2,5 reed, but still looking for a better one. Want to sound a bit darker.
I also have the BetterSax Burnin’ mouthpiece, but not playing on it now, also because I haven’t had the time to get the right reed for it.
 
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