The typical way of identifying one of these is to look for the stainless steel springs used on the horn rather than the blued springs used on the higher end models of this time period.
The series was introduced in the mid to late 1970’s and continued into the mid 1980’s. These were only available in alto and tenor. The 500 series was Yanagisawa’s attempt to produce a beginner/intermediate horn. The models that I have played have a slightly different core to the tone than a Selmer Mark VI but I was pleased with how good they sounded. The A-6 and T-6 models appear to have been influenced by the Selmer Mark VI design to the point that many people consider these horns to be really nice copies.
The horns that Yanagisawa produced after this handle much better and have even better tone and response. The second advantage is that they are considerably cheaper than a VI soprano. These horns have a couple of advantages over the VI. It has the same slightly awkward palm keys as the VI soprano and plays much the same. This horn is a very good copy of the Selmer Mark VI soprano. These horns evolved over time and late in the run they have very similar keywork to the A-6/T-6 series of horns. The right hand palm key placement (specifically high D) is a little lower than it should be and does not hit my hand where I would prefer. The horn has light action and an even response thoughout the register. It is a non-floating mechanism that bridges “vintage” and “selmer”. The left pinky table is of a different design but shows selmer influence as well. It has a similar bore as well as many keywork and design elements that evoke the memory of the VI. The A-5 series of horns have a very centered tone and shows a major amount of influence from the Selmer Mark VI without being a true copy. The 5 series represented their top of the line horn ala todays 99x series.
It is a non-floating mechanism that appears to be “selmer” like but on steroids as it is quite a bit larger than your standard modern left pinky table. The left pinky table is of a different design but shows selmer influence as well but differs from the 5 series horns. The 4 series of horns have a very centered tone and shows a major amount of influence from the Selmer Mark VI without being a true copy.
According to Leblanc the 4 series was the entry level pro model while the 5 series represented their top of the line horn ala todays 99x series. The 4 series shared many design elements with the 5 series. Around the time of the introduction of the 800/880 series of horns Yanagisawa began putting their name on the horns that came to the U.S. in the 1970’s and stenciled horns with the names of Martin (after purchasing Martin) and Vito (the VSP models and the Vito sopranos stamped Japan on them). Leblanc took over the distribution of Yanagisawa in the U.S. Additionally, the Buescher “Super 400″ sopranos are stencils of the S-6. Some of the most common would be Whitehall, Dorado, Astro, Carot, and Artist. Their top of the line horns have robust features such as double arms for the bell keys.ĭuring the 1960’s and 1970’s Yanagisawa provided horns to a variety of distributors in the United States who stenciled a variety of names on them. Today, they build around 8,000 saxophones a year available in a variety of finishes and body compositions ranging from standard Brass to Bronze to Silver which allow for a variety of tonal shadings. As their designs progressed they began to innovate with unique features such as the introduction in 1985 of the world’s first detachable neck soprano. Their first few models showed that they were very influenced by the vintage American horns of the 1940’s and 1950’s as well as the Selmer Super Balanced Action and Mark VI.
They have strived to make each model better than the last. Yanagisawa has been making quality saxophones since the introduction of their first model the T-3 in 1954. I now return you to your original post …. I also have a Forum topic where I talk about my current progress.
I’ve also posted some updates to the Yanagisawa serial number charts. Starting in June 2014, I’ve been busily writing an updated version of this page with a lot of information that Ed didn’t have available to him back in 2008. The below is the original article from Ed that was written on February 18, 2008.