Instant Classic - Yamaha 82Z Alto

Ed

Ed

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Every once in a while I saxophone hits the market that just blows people out of the water. The Yamaha 82Z alto is one of those horns. Think of it as a Mark VI with an even bigger sound. The original 62 altos have always impressed me for their great tone and comfortable ergonomics. The 82Z takes it to a whole new level. I find that the 82Z is more interesting the most 62's I've played. It's a bit like a Mark VI in that you can really push the horn in different ways and it unfolds interesting layers of complexity. The 82Z is a pretty consistent horn up and down the stack it doesn't have some of the Jekyll and Hyde personality of the VI (although I mean Jekyll and Hyde in a really nice way) but the tone is something that you can dig into and explore.

The 82Z tenor is nice as well(and may well prove to be great) but it's not as well executed as the alto design.

Yamaha 82Z - instant classic
 
I've wanted to try the Yamaha 82Z. Just haven't gotten around to it. If the horn is a compromise between the 62 and 875, it's definitely something to be interested in.
 
It has more personality than the 875. There's more to dig in with the horn. The 875 is a great horn. I think Yamaha knows how to make a great alto but the 82Z has that "j?ne se qua" or maybe it's the french brass :D
 
I actually played the discontinued 855, but the 875's the same idea.

It was a really, really nice horn but it did strike me as a bit heavy. I thought the tone was lush, but you're right, Ed, it was a bit plain. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Hmm. Gotta get me down to the music shoppe sometime ....
 
It's nice to hear from respected musicians that they like the Z. I don't want to take any thing away from others but this sax totally fits the bill for me. I've played the VI through college and eventually moved to the silkscreen logo 62. I thought I was finished looking, until I tried this Z. I had to have it. Its fluid ergonomics, action, and intonation just blew me away. I tried other's before I committed but there was no need. I feel I'm still progressing and learning its tonal nuances now five years since the purchase. I play it religiously (excuse the pun) at church weekly for two services every Sunday and now for other engagements. I know it may not be the horn for everyone, but I'm fortunate to own one. Mike
 
Welcome to the community Mike. Glad to have you on board.
 
Thanks Ed. I read somewhere, I think one of your posts, about the aging processes of saxophones. How a saxophone gets better in time through the weakening (I'll call moderating) of tight springs, the better seating (settling) of pads, the wearing smooth of tight moving parts (like rods) to make a sax more fluid and responsive through time. The pearl touches and lacquered keys are also another testiment to countless hours of playing time conform slightly better to the hand. Just like new cars go through a break in period, with good maintenance practice and good techs, you can keep and make a saxophone much better than "out of the box" shape. Like many others have said, I would much rather have my aging sax than to start another new one. I believe it. Mike
 
Anyone use the Z for classical playing? I've heard raves from jazz players, but nothing from the classical side...
 
I haven't, but I can say that all Yamahas lend themselves well to large-chambered mouthpieces. And I played classical on my YBS-52 with a Rascher MP (and I used Raschers on my 23s). The 82Z is, at the least, much "heavier" in build than the 52-series, so that should mean "even better" for classical.

Too bad there's no 82Z bari ....
 
No 82Z bari . . . yet.

I have to believe they'll do one right after they do an 82Z soprano.
 
I hate to break up another Yamaha love-fest, but here goes. Readers need to know that not everyone is enamored with Yamaha saxophones. I make that plural because this is just one of my Yamaha stories.

A while back, I thought maybe I'd check out the talk about hi-end Yamaha altos, so I began a search. I hit every store over several weeks and test-played a bunch of Z's in lacquered and unlacquered finishes.

Yes, they were nice enough but nothing that made me reach for my wallet. Then Rob Fleming (GOODSAX on SOTW) approached me with a trade offer - his newly bought and set-up (by Anaheim Band) 82Z for one of my altos + cash from me. He wanted to reduce the price of his inventory. Fair enough.

He brought the Z to my gig and I played the horn. This was by far the best Yamaha alto I'd played. So we did the trade.

I kept the horn for a while, tried to fall in love, etc., etc. But nothing it did, as good as it was, tripped my trigger. I ended up trading it back to Rob - and never missed it.

To put this in perspective, I have in my closet a very nice early '60's VI, a Ref 54, a Cigar Cutter, three vintage Bueschers, and a B&S Medusa - ALL of which trip my trigger. DAVE
 
Dave, you are braver than me. But since you mention it...

I invested in two Yamaha Z's, an alto and a tenor. Boy did I try to luv them. And we won't even talk about the initial neck snafu that resulted in me trying three necks from the company before I found one that worked.

I was coming off of matched Couf Superba I's. I did love the Yamaha keyworks ergos. But even with a number of mouthpieces, the high end never spoke strongly enough for me. Not that I'm a pro or anything, I just knew the sound I was looking for. So my son now has the Z twins and he is very happy with them.

I was happy with my Couf's until the Selmer Ref 54s came out. When my wife Suzy started playing sax (she is firstly a clarinet player) I bought my wife some nice new horns and she loved the Selmers. I had stayed away from Selmer for years because of the intonation challenges and price. But these horns floored me. I now play a Ref 54 alto sax and a Ref 36 tenor, both of which were set up by Kessler Music in Vegas. These are the instruments that spoke to me both visually and sonicly. :D
 
One man's trash is another man's treasure.

Horns are like that as well. I've got some friends who are enamoured with horns that don't do much for me but they just love them. One guy I know has a JK Shadow alto which he says is the best alto he's ever played. I would differ as I own two or three that play a lot better than it and I've owned a couple of more that I liked more than it.
 
Well, it is the Yamaha section, so it should be at least a bit of a Yamaha love fest :).

However, I'll again say that there have only been TWO saxophones I've ever played that have made me feel unworthy of touching them, they were so good: a low Bb lacquer Mark VI bari and a lacquer Conn 30M tenor. The former is, of course, more my style, as I play bari and I play classical, but I'm not denying that that tenor was special.

I like the Yamahas I've played because they struck me as the best all-around compromise: forgiving, very good intonation, tone, playability, ergonomics, etc., etc. But they didn't shock my socks off like the two horns I mentioned. The YBS-52 I owned was really, really good and easily beat up anything else in that price-range -- not that there were that many choices in 1989 when I bought it (and I remember that I paid $1850 for it, new. They're about $4.1K, now) -- and even some horns above that price range -- i.e. I didn't feel that an S80 was much better. The YAS/YTS-23s I owned were the same idea.

I'm positive I've mentioned it before, but when you're talking pro-level, it really is a choice of what you, yourself, think is best. I cannot honestly tell someone that, say, a Selmer Reference 54 is better than a Keilwerth SX90. Neither is "better", they're just different. Hey, at least there is an SX90R bari :D.
 
pete said:
I haven't, but I can say that all Yamahas lend themselves well to large-chambered mouthpieces. And I played classical on my YBS-52 with a Rascher MP (and I used Raschers on my 23s). The 82Z is, at the least, much "heavier" in build than the 52-series, so that should mean "even better" for classical.

Too bad there's no 82Z bari ....
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See, that's funny since the Rousseau mouthpieces were designed around the Yamaha 875s. They are one of the smallest chambered classical pieces around.

It would make sense that the Z would be a decent horn for classical playing. The 62 is good for classical work, and the Z is basically a souped-up 62. I was just curious if anyone had tried one.

FWIW, most horns can be used for classical work. (Depending on the school of classical playing, of course.) The only exceptions I've found are the King Super 20s and most of the Conns. There's just something about their core sound that doesn't work well for most people for classical playing, although I have seen one or two Rascher-school players use Conns successfully.
 
I always felt that the early Yamaha horns were like a cross between a Couesnon Monopole and a Selmer. The bore and design screamed Couesnon but the keywork screamed Selmer. My Couesnon Monopole alto has maybe the best intonation of any alto I own.
 
Ed Svoboda said:
I always felt that the early Yamaha horns were like a cross between a Couesnon Monopole and a Selmer. The bore and design screamed Couesnon but the keywork screamed Selmer. My Couesnon Monopole alto has maybe the best intonation of any alto I own.
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The YAS-61s actually have quite a bit in common with the Leblanc system horns, only with Selmer style keywork. Dr. Rousseau studied with Charles Houvenaghel and was actually a Leblanc artist before his association with Yamaha. (His concertos album was recorded on a Leblanc). His personal horn has a C/D trill, also similar to the System/Rationale horns.
 
I've owned a set of Silver 82Z tenor & alto saxes. They were wonderful and certainly the best Yamaha's I've ever played. In fact, they were hand picked after trying several of each. I too enjoyed them initially, but then as time went by, I missed the certain something, a depth of sound that Selmer has. The brightness also started to wear on me. What I find with the Selmer 54 alto's is a depth and smoothness, yet power that's almost tenor-like. Simply an effortless responsive georgeous sounding alto. And the lacquered 54 tenor I purchased is the closest I've found to a fine MK VI, perhaps the best I've ever played. Please note I've played some Ref. 36 & 54 tenors I thought were duds, regardless of set-up.

Nevertheless, Yamaha did well with the Z, more so with the alto in my opinion. Comes down to personal preference I guess. Bottom line ..... the horn that makes you go WOW is the one you should be playing. Saxophone innovation has come a long way in recent years which is great for us. It's no longer a one horse town.
 
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