Ronnie Milsap 'There ain't no getting over me'

[Dazza]

Yeh some claim he sound is brighter on the XS due to the finish. But you’d think it would be hard to tell. Unfortunately the resellers of TJ here don’t have a SR to test drive! Can you believe it. Nor are Yamaha providing any 62’s to Australia at present. Several shops claim they just can’t get them. Very limited choice makes it hard to make a decision. Or more the point, forces a decision upon you if you want new!

[Michael]

They can get a RAW and RAW XS to Australia but not the SR Tenor? Wow, that’s pretty amazing to hear. Did they mention if there was any particular reason for it? From a Music shop’s point a view, you can be sure a lot of it has to do with the fact that they’re going to get more for the money from selling the RAW and RAW XS than selling the SR Tenor. Those folks are in business for a reason, they have to earn profits. But that’s the nature of operating a business, so you can totally understand where they’re coming from in that regard. But it’s not like with either of those Saxophones they’re just selling something that is cheap or junk….believe me, they’re not with either of those models. I know the good folks at Sax.Co.uk can get any sax in the world just about anywhere. In terms of the XS Tenor having a brighter sound, there’s lots of things little things you can do with reeds, ligatures and MPs to get a brighter sound and it’s often the little things that make the biggest differences in our playing. But what a lot of folks seem to forget (and I don’t know how many times my own Instructor has mentioned this to new students that he gets who seem to have this idea that a certain Sax is going to unlock the secrets to their playing) is that it’s the player behind the Sax that makes all the difference in the world. Nothing but nothing can beat rock-solid playing technique. A pro like Johnny is going to sound great and tear it up on just about any Sax he plays. We don’t wanna be playing on Junk, of course not. But we don’t need to go head-over-our-heals either. It all boils down to personal preference and what you want. When it comes to buying a Sax, it’s a really nice thought to know that we can buy the Sax we want 🙂

[Anonymous]

Hi Guys, after posting my comment I searched and found these videos. There is a marked difference in tone from the standard to the raw model. I could not hear a difference in the Raw XS but maybe it is in the feel of the instrument. They do sound grand and I couldn’t see from the video, but do they have adjusting screws on the levers for fine tuning the valve positions like the Yamahas?

Dazza, its sounds like you have the same problem we have in South Africa. A few months ago I inquired about purchasing a 82Z custom Yamaha Alto. I was told they they no longer import Pro saxes, but if I wanted one I had to pay 50% up front and wait six months for the instrument to be made and shipped. Not being able to test play and expensive instrument is not a very good idea in my opinion. Michael you guys are very fortunate to have the professional Sax shops and the range they carry is amazing!

Cheers

[Michael]

Hi Jeff, there’s no difference between the RAW XS and RAW model, not enough to justify paying so much more $ for one Sax over the other. There’s not any shops here in my state that are familiar with Trevor James Saxophones and some of the guys I’ve talked to, unbelievably, accused me of playing a ‘no-name’ Saxophone! Once they tried my Alto and Tenor, their opinion changed very quickly 🙂 Everything I do here is mostly over the internet, that’s how I got/paid for my Saxophones, but it’s not the same thing as what you guys have to deal with, that’s pretty amazing. In any case, just remember as we’ve talked about it’s the player behind the Sax that makes all the difference, pro Sax players are going to sound great regardless of what Sax they use, but we’re not saying we should be playing on Junk, of course not.

[Anonymous]

Hi Michael. The one video you posted is different from the one I saw, perhaps mine was from another site. Anyway my point is that with the raw sax version the sound has quite a bit more ‘throat’, ‘body’ or ‘soul’ – I love it! Can I have one? 😉

It’s good to hear an accomplished player making a direct comparison as the best tone is produced from the instrument, which can be accurately evaluated by the listener. Having a Pro player like Johnny playing MP’s and saxes gives me confidence in the higher price and the quality of performance I can expect from the instrument when it’s being played really well.

My sax just keeps sounding better all the time, it can only be because of all the exercise I’m giving it! – LOL

[Dazza]

Hey guys, I know we are getting away from the topic of the thread now so perhaps a new discussion might be in order but if what you (Michael & others) say is true, and we would sound the same no matter what sax we play then perhaps I pick up one of the several Yamaha YTS 23’s that are available around me for under a $1000 and develop my sound on that horn instead of paying $3600 for the RAW. Stephen Howard reviews that he played that horn for 20 years professionally until recently changing, ironically, to a TJ RAW. I have heard some of his Soundcloud clips on the 23 and I could only dream of sounding that great. I am now looking at a Yamaha 61 that is in great condition but it is still $2200. Maybe we get caught up in the brand hysteria and perhaps I save my cash and go with the well made student horn, the 23. I think Johnny has perhaps alluded to this very fact in some threads in the past. Any thoughts Johnny? Will someone who has settled into a quality MP, playing in their first few years, sound the same on a 23 as they will on a RAW or is that a stretch? And Mr Howard also gave your SR a good wrap Michael claiming it is a chip of the old block of the RAW so if only I could find someone with it in stock!

Seems the one I am leaning to is the 61 as a Pro quality horn for reasonable money and only a bit more than I got for my Yani. You might ask, why did I sell the Yani? Experimentation and curiosity I guess. Time will tell if that was a great decision!

[Anonymous]

Hi Dazza, I wish I had spent more on my Alto now, but I do realise that the biggest improvement which has to take place now is in my skills. However, I believe that the answer lies in how much time you are going to invest in your instrument. If you are really dedicated and play for hours on end, it may well be worth spending a little more for an instrument which is well made, sounds great and makes you feel great. We spend a lot of money on cars which may last ten years if we are lucky. Why not spend a little more on an instrument which will entertain us for many hours.

[Anonymous]

Hi Dazza, I wish I had spent more on my Alto now, but I do realise that the biggest improvement which has to take place is in my skills. However, I believe that the answer lies in how much time you are going to invest in your instrument. If you are really dedicated and play for hours on end, it may well be worth spending a little more for an instrument which is well made, sounds good and makes you feel great. We spend a lot of money on cars which may last ten years if we are lucky. Why not spend a little more on an instrument which will entertain us for many hours. If it is a good instrument it will retain it’s value too.

[jake]

Hey Dazza I got myself a YTS-61! Great horn in my opinion. I was playing a chinese Hawk tenor which was playing fine for me. From what I hear I musta got lucky with that one. LOL. At first it took a little adjusting to the 61 but now that I have been playing it paired up with my MB Fatboy oh man does this thing play!! Not sure if its true but from different things I’ve read, the Yam YTS-61 were made to compete with the MVI back in the day. Now that I’m playing it there is a huge improvement over my Hawk tenor. I can say that now that I’m hitting my 4 year mark in playing. As a newbie I wouldn’t be able to tell any difference in my opinion. The YTS 61 were the professional line before they changed to the YTS-62. I went with the 61 as they tend to be cheaper and I got an amazing deal on it. Try one out if you get the chance.

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