Making handmade saxophones
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This is more than a bit of a niche topic, maybe somebody other than me cares, but still....
What really struck me about this was how low-tech and manual this process still is today. These things are still pretty much hand-made.
I bought one of these this year, so I'm biased, but I think they're lovely, and surprisingly affordable considering the labour involved.
Link to video -
That's just wonderful.
Couple of thoughts.
That piece spinning on the lathe, early in the video. No way that would pass OSHA muster here, would it?
The freehand engraving. Amazing stuff.
The care in packaging and sorting the little bits.
Looks like on Amazon they go for about $5 - 15K for a tenor sax. That about right?
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That's just wonderful.
Couple of thoughts.
That piece spinning on the lathe, early in the video. No way that would pass OSHA muster here, would it?
The freehand engraving. Amazing stuff.
The care in packaging and sorting the little bits.
Looks like on Amazon they go for about $5 - 15K for a tenor sax. That about right?
@George-K said in Making handmade saxophones:
Looks like on Amazon they go for about $5 - 15K for a tenor sax. That about right?
They start at around $4K street price for the base model, which is still a really nice horn. I tried the next step up ("elite" model) but figured it wasn't worth the extra money. The main difference with the more expensive ones is what they're made of. They go from brass, to bronze to silver - the one for $15K is solid silver. Does anybody really need a silver sax? I wouldn't dare play the thing, and I'm not convinced it makes much difference to the sound.
Some of the other manufacturers charge more - the French built Selmer horns are really over-priced in my humble opinion.
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Oh man… I really want one, but I am probably going to go with a Yamaha Custom Z due to pricing considerations (and the Custom Z is no slouch!), but Yanis are so awesome!
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Oh man… I really want one, but I am probably going to go with a Yamaha Custom Z due to pricing considerations (and the Custom Z is no slouch!), but Yanis are so awesome!
@LuFins-Dad said in Making handmade saxophones:
Oh man… I really want one, but I am probably going to go with a Yamaha Custom Z due to pricing considerations (and the Custom Z is no slouch!), but Yanis are so awesome!
I tried a Custom-Z but ended up getting the basic TWO1, which was cheaper. I had a hard time choosing, but in the end I preferred the sound of the Yani. There seemed to be a case of diminishing returns once you start paying more than about 4K. I also tried a couple of Taiwanese built horns and didn't like them nearly as much.
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@LuFins-Dad said in Making handmade saxophones:
Oh man… I really want one, but I am probably going to go with a Yamaha Custom Z due to pricing considerations (and the Custom Z is no slouch!), but Yanis are so awesome!
I tried a Custom-Z but ended up getting the basic TWO1, which was cheaper. I had a hard time choosing, but in the end I preferred the sound of the Yani. There seemed to be a case of diminishing returns once you start paying more than about 4K. I also tried a couple of Taiwanese built horns and didn't like them nearly as much.
@Doctor-Phibes said in Making handmade saxophones:
@LuFins-Dad said in Making handmade saxophones:
Oh man… I really want one, but I am probably going to go with a Yamaha Custom Z due to pricing considerations (and the Custom Z is no slouch!), but Yanis are so awesome!
I tried a Custom-Z but ended up getting the basic TWO1, which was cheaper. I had a hard time choosing, but in the end I preferred the sound of the Yani. There seemed to be a case of diminishing returns once you start paying more than about 4K. I also tried a couple of Taiwanese built horns and didn't like them nearly as much.
I haven’t tried the TW01 or AW01. The Yani I tried was the AW020. It was about 20% more than the Custom 82ZII. And it had the sweetest sound. A few people have suggested I try a Yamaha 875EXII. They think that depending on your airflow you might get a sweeter tone from the EX…
Thanks, by the way! This is a very busy day and you are distracting me!
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Very cool video!!!
I wonder if there is a factory store? I may be in Tokyo in October. LOL
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Don't know about saxes, but silver makes a difference in flutes.
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@Jolly said in Making handmade saxophones:
Don't know about saxes, but silver makes a difference in flutes.
Yeah, top of the line professional flutes are silver, but the top of the line professional saxes are generally brass. Of course, the single biggest component in changing the sound is the nut sitting in front of the mouthpiece.
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Stupid question: Why don't brass instruments tarnish? Are they lacquered to prevent that?
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Stupid question: Why don't brass instruments tarnish? Are they lacquered to prevent that?
@George-K said in Making handmade saxophones:
Stupid question: Why don't brass instruments tarnish? Are they lacquered to prevent that?
Yes, they're normally lacquered. It does wear off over time and they will tarnish. There's also been a bit of a fad for unlacquered ones of late. I bought a cheap second-hand tenor sax that was unlacquered, but I don't like how it looks at all. You can see the solder, and it goes green.
It's a bit like that stupid fad for pre-aged guitars. They look well-played, which saves the people who buy them from having to practice.
