Yanagisawa B992 Series Bronze Bari Sax

So what is the difference between the B902 & the B992?
The primary difference is in the weight of the construction. The B902 uses a lighter weight “Single Post to Body” construction whereas the B992 uses a heavier “Ribbed Body” construction. What this translates to is that the posts that suspend the keys up from the body are individually soldered directly to the body tube on the B902. On the ribbed body B992, large groups of posts are first silver soldered on to a brass plate, or “rib”, and then that entire rib is soldered on to the body tube.

The heavier ribbed construction of the B992 helps achieve a thicker “core” to the tone, but it also has the negative aspect of increasing the playing resistance. For concert/symphonic use, the more focused core tone of the B992 is preferred, but for the player who does primarily jazz, this construction can diminish the edge & “bark” to the tone.

So which is better?
Neither is truly “better” than the other but rather depends on the player. One of the biggest issues that people have with modern low A bari saxes is the slower response compared to older Bb bell baris. This is due to the extra weight that low A models have from the extended bell.

So for many players, the B902 offers a quicker response like the older Bb bell baris but all of the design aspects of the modern horn (intonation, build quality, ergonomics). Plainly put for many players (students, hobbyist & jazz players), the lighter weight B902 offers an exceptional combination of performance, quality and price value. There are of course other smaller differences in the B992 but the core difference between the horns is the construction.