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WEIGHT of sterling bell vs brass bell?

2K views 11 replies 6 participants last post by  Instrument Attic 
#1 ·
I had a new Yani with lots of sterling, and it was HEAVY-- Too heavy for me to want to play. I'm looking to get a S20, and obviously love (who wouldn't) the LOOK of the sterling bell, but it's not worth it for me if it's heavier than the brass bell. Anyone have both or have played both and noticed a weight difference?
 
#2 ·
My measurements:

Yany A880: 2510g
Yany A9935: 2550g
Yany AWO10: 2520g

Conn 6m: 2280g
Conn 6m: 2270g

All properly rounded and +/- 5g.

All three Yany altos within 40g. One and a half percent. I cannot feel the difference.
Hell, i cannot say i feel the difference from one brnad to the other, which is so much larger.

What did yours weigh??

Dat
Sax
Man
 
#3 ·
I guess I didn't clarify. I'm talking about tenor. That yani tenor (9930) just felt really heavy. So much so that I used a sling with it rather than a regular strap.

On alto I play a Yani 9933, which has sterling parts.
 
#5 ·
Reed Saxophone Musical instrument Reed instrument Saxophonist


I found this which shows the S20 to be 5lb 4oz (alto) and 7lb 4oz (tenor). They don't specify different weights for silver, but silver is something like 20% heavier than brass. It's also a bit softer I think, which would mean you'd need to use more of it for equal durability.

I'm not really asking anyone to break out a scale; just curious for those who have played both (brass and silver bell), whether they noticed a difference (tenor specifically).
 
#7 ·
Check the ol' thread "How Much Does Your Tenor Weigh?" for some relative values. The Super 20 tenor was among the lightest masses reported. I don't recall whether a Silversonic was in the mix.
 
#8 ·
Modern horns are generally somewhat heavier than vintage horns. Sterling vs. brass won't make an appreciable weight difference. Note these that I've weighed over the years:

Alto
King Silversonic 320xxx 4.80 lbs
King Zephyr 322xxx 4.86 lbs
Keilwerth SX-90 (ca. 1990) 5.47 lbs

Tenor
Mark VI 158xxx 6.98 lbs
King Silversonic 332xx 6.99 lbs
Mark VI 193xxx 7.00 lbs
Buffet SDA 90xx 7.71 lbs
 
#10 ·
I have 2 King Super 20 series 1a tenors. One has a sterling bell. I think they weigh about the same, in fact the silver bell might be lighter than the brass bell. Either way, the Kings aren't overly heavy compared to the silver-bell Yanagisawas.

BTW, I'm selling the brass bell S20. Original lacquer with a three-year-old full overhaul from Saxquest with the proper pads, resos, and key heights. It has been my main tenor for 3 years.

I feel like modern horns seem heavier because of the key-work and ribbed construction. The old Kings have post-to-body construction, no high F#, and so on.

King series 1 and 2 models are a bit heavier than later types, and silver bell examples of the early models are quite rare and costly. Later Eastlake Silver-Sonics are more common and relatively affordable, but they are brighter-zippier horns, and the keywork seems a bit clunky to me.
 
#11 ·
Thanks a lot for your measurements and opinions guys. I read through a bunch of posts and almost every comment about S20 weight was that it was lighter than other horns, so I think I'll be fine. Several people pointed out the post- vs ribbed-construction, and possibility of heavier keys.

Thanks for the offer of your S20, Barry. I'm really looking for a II/III (maybe IV) series, for the better ergos/tables.
 
#12 ·
Thanks a lot for your measurements and opinions guys. I read through a bunch of posts and almost every comment about S20 weight was that it was lighter than other horns, so I think I'll be fine. Several people pointed out the post- vs ribbed-construction, and possibility of heavier keys.

Thanks for the offer of your S20, Barry. I'm really looking for a II/III (maybe IV) series, for the better ergos/tables.
FWIW I played a monster 1a tenor for awhile and was never once bothered by the ergos. Of course, that was before read on sotw about how much the ergos should be bothering me...
Just make sure you put a mouthpiece on one before you rule it out :)
 
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