Yamaha Alto Saxophone Range - Model Differences between 280 / 480 / 62

We discuss and demo the first three models in the Yamaha Alto Saxophone range, the 280, 480 and 62. What are the differences and how do they affect the tone? Which is best for you?
Buy YAS-280 online via: www.dawkes.co....
Buy YAS-480 online via: www.dawkes.co....
Buy YAS-62 online via: www.dawkes.co....
The Yamaha range of Saxophones are market leading in their quality of design and manufacturing. Whether you're looking for a beginner Sax such as the YAS-280 or you're moving on and want to upgrade to something like the YAS-480 or YAS-62, Yamaha has an option for you. All these models are very easy to play and make a great sound with impeccable intonation.
Dawkes Music are the UK's leading Wind & Brass specialists offering a wide range of stock and specialist help to improve your music playing. Our UK store keeps 2,000+ Wind instruments in stock and over 10,000 accessories and spare parts. We also have the UK's largest dedicated Wind repair team on-site.

[@dawkesmusic]

Check out the range of Yamaha Saxophones here: www.dawkes.co.uk/saxophones/yamaha 01:11 Yamaha YAS-280 05:24 Yamaha YAS-480 09:30 Yamaha YAS-62

[@stephenrose9154]

I thought the 480 had the best tone of all. I have a 62, a horn I have had for over 25 years and it is still in top condition. I recently bought a 280 for my granddaughter and found the tone on it to be as good as the 62. Great video and thanks.

[@howardadamsky2417]

Folks, I must tell you that I am amazed by the quality of the work that you do here. Your opinions and insights are priceless as buying a first alto sax since my college days is confusing. I learned clarinet in High School, picked up an alto just to play with and dropped ALL of my music after college to raise the kids and pay the bills. Now, I am back and getting clarinet lessons and I practice one hour every single day. I am looking for a sax to that I would double on. It is all so hard. Stressful. Does one need rolled tone holes. Can a 480 do it? Love a 62 but do not want to spend that money. Are mother of pearl buttons good? Necessary? Can I pay someone to put them on? Should I go with a better horn but used? Could be good but buyer beware I have heard great things about Selmer as my clarinets were Selmer but I hear that the keyword in the alto just is not right. Buffet, seems to have no interest in this level of saxophone. I tried 16 clarinets, desperately wanted to love a Selmer but simply hated the keyword. That is just me. Might be great for another but I was so unhappy and coming from two Selmer clarinets, (CT, Series 9) I was surprised. I tried an R-13. The silver on the bell spun in circles and a key on the bottom joint was frozen. Horrifying. What is the saying? When it comes to engineering, the French copy no one and no one copies the French. Actually, I do not expect you to solve my problem. I just wanted to say hello and thank you for your fine work here. Howard By the way, Simon is AWSOME

[@TonyAguirreJazz]

The 62 is all you need. Great horn for many pro styles

[@zvonimirtosic6171]

The jump in quality in tone & intonation, from YAS280 to YAS480, is more audible than the jump from YAS480 to YAS62. Having that in mind, the sound of YAS480 can be improved further (and surpass more expensive saxophones) with: a. different reeds, b. better sealing ligatures, c. higher grade mouthpieces, d. better necks. YAS480 is a powerhouse!

[@birdy808]

Zvonimir Tosic agreed! I don’t see why someone would spend $3000+ on the 62 when the 480 can add a few things to sound better. A good used 480 can found for less than $2k

[@DynamixWarePro]

I agree, the 62 sounds a bit brighter and possibly could project more but the 480 does sound like a great all round saxophone with, as you said the right mouthpiece/reed/ligature and neck setup.

[@mabe1974]

I also agree. Comparing this three models in the Shop, the difference in Sound between the 280 and the 480 is really remarkable.

[@PeterGriffin-kb2hf]

too bad I got 280 and no money

[@durantburner7428]

@@PeterGriffin-kb2hf The 280 is still an amazing saxophone that probably can be used semi-pro. Don't sulk

[@francistaylor5097]

We need more Sam and Simon videos, please. Pre-COVID, these were such fun and also informative.

[@johnspranger9046]

Hello, dawkesmusic Excellent video(s), fellas! I'm 64 years old and have played alto sax, off and on, since grade school; quit playing in 9th grade when I went from 1st chair, to 2nd chair, to 3rd chair, to 4th chair, and the band instructor asked me if I ever thought of taking two gym classes! Picked up the horn again in my mid-30's, and found comping along to some of my favorite albums a lot more fun than playing for position. Packed the horn away again when I took up guitar, but I've got the urge to play sax again. Now, here's the real reason for this post. My old horn is an H.Couf Royalist, s/n 51309 - Made in Germany, purchased new in 1967. Its seen better days; and I'm in the process of getting quotes to have it reconditioned. One quote I've gotten was for $1,000 US, and I was informed the market for this horn, after reconditioning, would be, well, $1,000! Okay, so I guess the old horn is basically of no value? Naturally, I have a certain sentimental attachment to the old tank. But if reconditioning ends up being prohibitive, then I'm thinking I'd be money ahead buying a new horn, and as such, I've added, based on your recommendations, the Yamaha 280 to the top of my list. I'm curious though to know what you think about reconditioning my old Royalist. And thanks for the vids -- very informative and delightful to watch!

[@zvonimirtosic6171]

You can find used YAS480 saxophones, used by students who don't play anymore, etc. Get one of those, because using a slightly better instrument like YAS480 model is cheaper *in the long run*, exactly where you now lose money with that old German horn. If you had bought a Yamaha, all that money would be saved.

[@Funkdumpling]

Great video lads! Very clearly explained and well demonstrated; keep them coming! ;)

[@sachachanyan]

Great presentation.... and superbly demonstrated by Simon

[@Ryan-ok8lk]

Great video comparison, thank you!

[@medusa210562]

As a classical clarinet/saxophone player, I would like to hear th played differently. Anyway, I am about to by the 62.

[@gangofgreenhorns2672]

2:00 I have the beginner Yamaha tenor and "light" is a subjective term. My friend Lucas (in the band Big Blitz check them out) has a Conn 10M and when he was last over (pre-apocalypse) he tried my Yamaha Advantage and remarked how heavy it was compared to his Conn lol.

[@GreenMachineXXII]

The 62 sounds godly such a great sound but the others sounds solid too

[@fredericl6792]

Bonjour Merci pour ce comparatif très intéressant. Serait-il possible d’avoir la partition du morceau joué à la fin svp ? Merci d’avance

[@leycroftcoman5487]

The 62 current model has better intonation than my SA80 11 alto .

[@reedchaber8239]

Great review. Could you tell me how the YAS-26 differs from the 280? The 280 is cheaper but seams like a better horn. I'm renting a 26 btw, incredibaly easy to play but a little contricted even with my meyer 5M. (also no high f# key :) )

[@alank2023]

To my understanding, Yamaha stopped selling the 280 to U.S. based distributors a long time ago. The main difference between the two is the lacquer. As you know, the 26 has uses clear lacquer with nickel-plated keys while the 280 uses gold-lacquer everywhere. I would actually just recommend going with the 480 if you can but if that's not in your budget, the 26 should work fine. There is no need to go on Ebay or Craigslist and find someone who is selling a 280 just because you want a 280. BUT, since you are complaining about not having a high f# key and feel like the 62 is too constricted, I would highly recommend upgrading to a higher quality instrument like the 480, 62, or even the 82.

[@benhostetler268]

I do like the 480 but for just a little more cash you can have a 62 or for even less cash get a used 62. I play a 62 stamped first edition alto and it’s a great vintage sax that holds it’s own with any pro horn and while I have compared to a lot of great saxophones I haven’t come across one that just blows it away and so I stick with it .

[@sidneyshepherd3553]

Exactly what I wanted ... very useful video, thanks guys. Are the mouth pieces the same ? Or which mouth piece is the greatest ?

[@dawkesmusic]

Mouthpieces vary wildly depending on what you need and your experience level. If you're starting out, you'd find the Yamaha 4C is an excellent mouthpiece.

[@gonzalza]

A better play comparison would be to play the same melody with the three of them, because it seems that he plays the 480 a bit deeper than the others, for that reason according to what I heard, no being a saxophonist, I choose this order 62, 280 and then the 480

[@dawkesmusic]

Hi - we appreciate this viewpoint, however we chose early on with the videos to not do direct/same melody comparisons for a couple of reasons: 1) It's boring! 2) It's quite difficult to hear subtle differences through the medium of KZbin so you'd essentially get two things sounding nearly the same and 3) we always like to see what the instrument brings out of the player. Over the course of these many videos we've seen that certain instruments/mouthpieces pull something different out of each demonstrating player. It's the start of a little relationship between the player and the kit and we like to let that unfold to see where it naturally leads. Thanks for watching and we appreciate you leaving your comment :)

[@dcp8nts]

Not much difference between the 480 and the 62. I would love to know the differences between the 23 and 62.

[@adrielreyes6471]

The yas-23 was discontinued. Basically is the yas-280 now, as the Yamaha's student model.

[@jeakim4152]

Price ?

[@saxofontaragot8907]

01:12, 05:28, 09:32

[@Jay-31415]

1:12 5:28 9:32

[@pravimalkumar2112]

Thank you

[@omerkarakulah6069]

Thanks

[@DERDM]

Would a Yamaha 480 with a V1 neck sound close enough to the Yamaha 62?

[@dawkesmusic]

It would sound livelier than a YAS-62 because the V1 is much wider/bigger in the taper than a YAS-62 standard neck set-up.

[@perioax6506]

Hey I play clarinet and bari sax and was looking into buying a used alto sax and found a Jupiter 769 and wanted to know if you think I should I go with Jupiter or Yamaha

[@lucascollins8031]

Yamaha is a lot more reliable and holds value a lot better

[@simonbsax]

Yamaha. Without a doubt! They offer a well built, solid saxophone designed by top guys and have a range from top pro instruments to student models. Jupiter only make cheaper instruments.

[@perioax6506]

Thanks for the inputs; I’ll look for a Yamaha 21/23

[@pinkney928]

How much is the yas280 in American dollars

[@dawkesmusic]

It would be around $1,000 depending on the daily exchange rate. More info on these models here: www.dawkes.co.uk/yamaha-yas-280-alto-saxophone-saxophone/16203

[@Desertduleler_88]

I have an 82Z, but my sound isn't as good as that 280 lol....

[@alanfloyd3205]

Try a different mouthpiece.

[@elrondsch]

Lower lip in or out? What mouthpiece-reed setup?

[@tjchicago]

Do you guys have any thoughts on what might set apart the Yamaha 62 and the Yanagisawa awo1 since they’re similarly priced pro horns? Do they play and sound similar? I’m looking to step up to a budget friendly pro horn for jazz

[@dawkesmusic]

It's pretty subjective to be honest. They are both great Saxes so our recommendation would be to try and blow both and compare them (which you can do with us if you're in the UK). The player/mouthpiece/reed combo can make both of these play radically differently. Both so well made, so yes it's difficult to pick them apart. Potentially we would argue the Yamaha has a tiny bit more depth and the Yani a little more 'sing' but we're really reaching for things here!

[@tjchicago]

@@dawkesmusic awesome, I'm in the US but I'll find a local shop to give them a try at. Thanks!

[@erniewu27]

Can you use the V1 neck on 280

[@dawkesmusic]

No - they only work on the 480 upwards due to the octave/neck connecting design.