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Help on buying Soprano ! (best choice under 2k)

9K views 55 replies 32 participants last post by  LostConn 
#1 ·
Hi! I'm new here, hello to all!
I'm trying to buy a used straight soprano sax, i play alto tenor and baritone;
i love the ones that come with the bent neck but they are out of my budget (my dream is yss62r silver )

my choices were between :
-yss 475 (i wish i could get 675 but you can get it under 2k)
-paul mauriat system 76 2nd (here you can get the one with two necks or the one-piece only; does something change (tunning, sound) between the saxophones that have interchangeable necks and the one-piece only? (i've noticed that there aren't too much fans of the p. mauriat here)
-yanagisawa ¿? could you recommend me something here?


i appreciate your answers and im open to extra recommendations

thanks!
 
#33 ·
I recommend you consider the Antigua SS4290RLQ. This is the red brass version. Check it out at Kessler & Sons.
 
#34 ·
A local guy here in town, who happens to be an amazing jazz clarinetist, needed a new soprano for doubling. And since it was for doubling he didn't really want to fork out $4000 for a top line brand. He said he tried a number of Taiwanese horns, and that the Eastman played the most in tune throughout the scale. So he bought it, and I will be trying it out next time I see him.
 
#36 ·
You've missed some good deals!

But there may be some available. I think there are requirements for the marketplace. Some of these have gone to eBay but may still be available. There are also a few other good deals on eBay but not as good.

Like this. https://forum.saxontheweb.net/showt...-Straight-One-Piece-Soprano&highlight=soprano

This one may still be available. https://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?256074-For-Sale-Yanagisawa-S900-1992&highlight=soprano

This one has a curved neck and may still be available. https://forum.saxontheweb.net/showt...52nd-St-Curved-Neck-soprano&highlight=soprano

Here is another good one. https://forum.saxontheweb.net/showt...ional-2000-Soprano-For-Sale&highlight=soprano

If you like Yamahas, this is a great deal. https://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?245964-Yamaha-yss61-soprano-sax-fs&highlight=soprano

They are all straight necks, but so is a YSS475.
 
#38 ·
anyone with experience with Schagerl?

their sopranos are under $2k

I have only played them briefly a couple times...my teacher has one and loves it
....he told me on a slow day at the store he used to work for he compared a bunch of sopranos ( including Selmer & Yanagisawa ) and liked the Schagerl as much as the others
 
#42 ·
I was able to snap up my curved Yani SC901 a few years back for exactly $2k and it was pristine.

You should have no problem finding a Yani straight in excellent condition for under 2k. As long as it is a detachable neck model - you can get a curved neck for it. I see them on Ebay all the time.
 
#43 ·
I also got a virtually perfect SC901B for under $2k about three years ago. Used Yanagisawas can be great bargains, especially when you buy one generation behind the current horns. I recently bought an extra SC992 neck for my sop to give me a choice of configurations. It's more curved than the original neck.

Any straight Yany soprano with a detachable neck (S880, S990, S991/992) should already come with both straight and curved necks, unless the seller lost one of them.
 
#44 ·
OK, can I jump on as well? Not seriously looking, but maybe starting to think about looking.

First priority - intonation. Second priority - tone - I figure I can do a lot with mouthpieces and reeds. Third priority - reasonable mechanics (some old sopranos have really clunky octave mechanisms, for example).

Thinking about:

Yamaha 475
Buescher
Conn
Martin
Old Yanagisawas (some labeled Yani, some Vito, some Whitehall
Keilwerth (for example, Armstrong)

I prefer straight over curved, don't care whether neck is bent or straight. Has to be keyed to high F. I would prefer the front F key which will leave out some of the older Yanis, I don't know about older Keilwerths/stencils thereof. Of course no front F on Buescher/Conn/Martin, I know that.

Not currently interested in Taiwan, China, or store brand stencils.
 
#45 ·
I had a Kessler curvy and a Beaugnier soprano. Eventually sold both and got a Yamaha 475. I couldn't be happier. The thing about the Kessler and the Beaugnier is that I could play them in tune...but only if I played everyday. If I took a couple of weeks off, I had to relearn the quirks. The Yamaha--I can pick it up anytime with a Soprano Planet mouthpiece and get the intonation and tone I want. It's the only soprano I'll ever own. Sometimes, I take it to my lessons instead of my tenor and I'll play my Yamaha and my teacher will play his Yamaha sop....and we're in tune!
 
#46 ·
turf3:: I've been looking in this price range too. Here's the short answer.
Eliminating instruments from Taiwan and China, and no vintage, you are really only looking at current Big Four.
Under $2K that leaves in the used market:
Yanagisawa S6 and S800 and stencils
Yanagisawa S900 and S901 sometimes
Yamaha YSS-475, very rarely, you'll see a YSS-675 just under $2000.
Oh and YSS-61.
There have been a few rare Borganis too.

The intonation on all of these saxes is reportedly very good.

If you'll consider vintage, and you like a lyrical kind of tone, you might consider certain vintage French sopranos, but that is probably a separate topic.
Keilwerth Tonekings and stencils are also usually under $2000. Couf Superba 1s and 2s often run right around $2000, right now.

I used to have similar priorities. Tone may have been first. My daughter, a bassoonist, showed me a book on how to cure bassoon intonation problems with the bassoon reed. I was pretty certain we could use a similar treatment of a mouthpiece to get a sax in tune. Soon after, I noticed that Joe @ sopranoplanet was saying he could dramatically improve the intonation of a soprano sax by "balancing" the mouthpiece.

Everyone accepts that a skilled tech can improve the intonation of a horn, and a skilled player can compensate to bring a note in tune by altering the oral cavity and air flow. It only makes sense that a mouthpiece, which also shapes and controls the air flow can also be used manipulate the intonation. While there is always some tuning of the pitch by ear, if you don't want to deal with oral gymnastics, to me, the first place to adjust intonation is the mouthpiece, then the horn, and finally I, the player. I subsequently bought a mouthpiece balanced by Joe. It got rid of all sorts of problems on my cheap Chinese soprano, so I think less about the intonation of the instrument now as long as the instrument is well designed and all the ones above are well designed.

Tone is also largely determined by the reed, mouthpiece, and player too, so it is less of a concern to me too. However, some saxes have a bigger influence on tone than others.
 
#48 ·
USAhorn has a couple of Yani S-6 models listed right now, both well below 2K. Gayle at vintage sax always has some very nice Conns and Bueschers for 2K or under as well.

My true tone needed palm key risers, that's it. Otherwise, ergonomics, tone, and intonation are as good as it gets.
 
#50 ·
You keep asking the same questions about different horns, but the answer is still the same; you can't determine what would work for you based on what works for others. Take the tone of Yani vs. Yamaha for example- you said that most people prefer the Yani but I would always pick Yamaha. You could go either way.
 
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