Yanagisawa S901 Soprano Sax

Discontinued

The Yanagisawa S901 was discontinued in August 2017. The new replacement model is the SWO1 in the new WO Series Sopranos.

Click Here to view the new SWO1.

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Yanagisawa S901 Soprano Sax
One Piece Body | High F#

Discontinued Model
In August 2017, Yanagisawa discontinued the S9 series soprano saxes. They are being replaced with the new WO Series Sopranos. The replacement model, the SWO1, will be available in late September 2017. Click here to view the new Yanagisawa SWO1.

Sold Out
We have now sold out of the Yanagisawa S901 and there are no more available at the US Distributor.

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.

Isn’t the S901 an “Intermediate” Saxophone?
No way, no how! We too have seen other instances in the past and still to this day where people advertise the S901 as an “Intermediate” model. 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.

Additional Information

So what IS the difference between the S901 & the more expensive S991?
Very little in reality. If we were talking about alto, tenor or bari, then there would be a bigger difference in that the 901 series altos, tenors and baris are assembled with lighter weight construction than their more expensive 991 counterparts… but this difference does not exist on the sopranos.

Instead, all of the Yanagisawa model sopranos, including the S901 use the heavier ribbed construction throughout. They do this as sopranos are natively a brighter instrument due to the range that they play in. So Yanagisawa has ALL of their sopranos use the heavier ribbed construction of the 99x series instruments. This helps even the most affordable Yanagisawa give the richer tone.

So the real difference between the S901 and the S991 is simple in configuration options.

S901 – One Piece Body, Range to High F#
S991 – Dual Neck Body with Straight & Curved Necks, Range to High G

Soprano Saxophones are very misunderstood instruments. They are commonly considered more difficult to play than an alto or tenor saxophone.

In reality, the problem with soprano saxophone has more to do with how they are played rather than the soprano sax itself. Plainly put, you cannot play a soprano sax the same way you would an alto sax as they are not the same instrument! Dave Kessler wrote an article about this very issue and details:

Why is soprano harder to play?
How to choose a soprano
How best to approach playing soprano

Take a moment and read the article here: Dave Kessler’s Music Blog – Choosing a Soprano Sax

Every soprano sax that we send out includes a copy of our “Soprano Sax Playing Tips Guide” that will help players achieve the best performance out of their soprano sax. You can also download a PDF copy of that guide by clicking here.

Every S901 soprano 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!

Yanagisawa S901 Specifications

Body Material	Brass, Gold Lacquered
Body/Neck Style	One Piece Body
Construction Style	Ribbed Body Construction
Range	Low Bb to High F#
Pads	Premium Leather with Domed Nylon Resonators
Mouthpiece	Yanagisawa Ebonite 5
Case	Yanagisawa Deluxe Case
Country of Manufacture	Handmade in Japan