
Yanagisawa AWO2 Professional Bronze Alto Sax
Handmade in Japan – The Warmth of Bronze!
Yanagisawa makes the highest quality professional saxophones on the market today! They are a specialty manufacture of professional handmade saxophones. They are a small factory blending old world craftsmanship with modern design and performance. The Yanagisawa AWO2 possesses an amazing combination of tonal complexity (like a vintage sax) and ease of play!
The Yanagisawa WO Series
Released in 2014 on the altos, the new WO Series saxophones represent the first major redesign of the Yanagisawa alto sax in over 20 years! Building on the outstanding platform of the A9 series, the new WO Series improve on the excellence of Yanagisawa! Impeccable intonation & build quality are a staple of the Yanagisawa line. The WO series bore has been further refined for a richer tone with several enhancements to the mechanical purity that is Yanagisawa!
The Yanagisawa AWO2 replaces the A902 series. It features single post to body construction for quick response and lighter overall weight. The Yanagisawa AWO2 also adds the full palm key plate mount previously only available on the A99x series as well as a neck plate. While many might think these additions to be small, they add to the mass of the sax at the top of the sax. This gives a richer tone throughout the whole instrument. The AWO2 offers the customer an outstanding professional level saxophone at an affordable price. These saxophones give you the highest quality in all levels without sacrificing anything.
For more detailed information on the changes in the WO Series from the previous A9 based models, please check out Dave Kessler’s blog post by clicking here (opens in a new window). The Yanagisawa AWO2 features all of the same WO Series improvements as the higher end “Elite Series” horns. A new case and engraving pattern have also been added.
Additional Information
Intermediate or Professional?
In the past (and still to this day), companies did advertise the A902 (the predecessor to the AWO2) as an “Intermediate” model which would then lead people to think that the replacement Yanagisawa AWO2 should be too. However, the truth is that the A902 was NEVER an “Intermediate” sax and neither is the Yanagisawa AWO2! This is all due to MANY years ago when the Yanagisawa distribution was handled by Leblanc (Yanagisawa is now distributed by Conn-Selmer, Inc. in North America). They would list all of the 90x series instruments (alto, tenor, soprano & bari) as “Intermediate” models to help justify the price difference for the more expensive 99x series models. This was one of the worst marketing flubs we have ever seen.
The Yanagisawa A902 and the Yanagisawa AWO2 are Handmade Professional Saxophones! Anyone who tells you different simply doesn’t know their Yanagisawa saxes!!! This is one of the reasons why Yanagisawa adopted the new “Professional Model” and “Elite Model” branding in the WO Series. You will find that the single post models (AWO1 & AWO2) are the “Professional Model” and the heavier ribbed model AWO10 and higher models are called “Elite Model”.
Why Bronze?
Bronze gives the saxophone a very unique tone. Bronze is a heavier alloy compared to brass. Standard brass is an alloy comprised of Copper & Zinc, with about 70% of that alloy being copper. Bronze is an alloy that consists of Copper & Tin but with around 88-90% of it being copper. The copper is the primary focus here as it adds more mass to the alloy. The use of bronze helps give the Yanagisawa AWO2 a richer, lush tone compared to the brass equivalent model (AWO1).
On the Professional Model, single post horns, we find that bronze can be a wonderful option. Bronze tends to be a hair more resistant due to its increased mass, but the lighter weight construction of the single post horn helps to negate that issue giving instead a sax that is free-blowing, quick responding and wonderfully rich in tone! For many players, especially the hobby player or the adult amateur, the Yanagisawa AWO2 is the most impressive overall model due to quality of tone and ease of play that it offers!
Professional Setup
Every horn we send out to a customer is not released from us unless it has been completely setup in our shop first. This is because the setup on the horn is of the utmost importance! Sometimes, a saxophone (regardless of who the manufacturer) comes in needing 20 minutes of adjustments and then the very next one can require 2 hours! So if you were to get 5 of the same model right out of the box, they will all play different. This leads players to believe that they are “good” or “bad” saxes. The reality is that the one that was the best out of the 5 was likely the one that needed the least amount of work and the “bad” sax was the one that needed 2 hours worth of adjustments!
Once the same 5 saxophones are properly regulated and adjusted to perfection, they become near identical saxophones. Even the pickiest of players would be challenged to pick a true “favorite” horn. However, since most stores do not or even can not perform this setup, the player never knows this and is simply relying on the luck of the draw. This is why we perform our setup (in our www.SaxophoneRepairs.com ProShop) on them before delivering your new sax to you. You trust us with your purchase and we want to make sure that you are rewarded by giving you your ideal saxophone setup flawlessly!
| Bore | New WO Series Professional Bore |
| Body Material | Bronze, Gold Lacquered |
| Body Construction | Single Post to Body Construction with Full Seat Palm Key Mount |
| Country of Manufacture | Handmade in Japan |
| Octave Mechanism | Top Mount Octave Mechanism with New Neck Plate |
| Pads | Premium Leather with Domed Resonators |
| Mouthpiece | Yanagisawa Classical Series |
| Case | New Deluxe Case |
Financing Available
Multiple Financing Options Available!
We have a myriad of different financing options available for your new instrument! From affordable monthly payments over a longer period of time to other options that can include 0% Interest or Deferred Interest options, we can help find a way to make the instrument of your dreams become the instrument of your reality! Give us a call!
United Midwest Savings Bank
UMWSB offers flexible, long term financing with term lengths of up to 60 months at an affordable 12.99% APR. Better yet, their financing has No Pre-Payment Penalty so you can pay off your balance at anytime and only pay for the interest for the length of time you had the loan! Minimum of $850 required for UMWSB Financing
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Synchrony
Synchrony Financial is one of the national leaders in consumer financing. With deferred interest options (Interest if waived if paid off in promotional term) and sometimes, they offer manufacturer partnered promotions to offer you an even better term length. Minimum of $299 required for Synchrony Financing
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