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Yanagisawa S991 Soprano Sax - Professional Dual Neck

Yanagisawa S902 Bronze Soprano Sax

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Yanagisawa S902 Bronze Soprano Sax
One Piece Body | High F#

Discontinued Model – Closeout Pricing
Yanagisawa has discontinued the S9 series straight sopranos and will be replacing them with the new WO Series models. Closeout pricing limited to remaining stock. The S901 will be replaced with the new SWO1 model (click here to view new model).

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. Their S902 Bronze Soprano Sax is regarded by many as the finest sounding sopranos ever made.

Why make a sax from 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 S902 a richer, lush tone compared to the brass equivalent model (S901). The bronze can be a hair more resistant, which is a problem for players who don’t practice their soprano like its a separate instrument (“I’m an alto player therefore I’m a soprano player” – the “casual” soprano player), but when played properly, results in a soprano that is lush in tonal warmth!

Additional Information

So what IS the difference between the S901 & the more expensive S992?
Very little in reality. If we were talking about alto, tenor or bari, then there would be a bigger difference in that the 902 series altos, tenors and baris are assembled with lighter weight construction than their more expensive 992 counterparts… but this difference does not exist on the sopranos.

Instead, all of the Yanagisawa model sopranos, including the S902 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 S902 and the S992 is simple in configuration options.

S902 – Bronze, One Piece Body, Range to High F#
S992 – Bronze, 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 S902 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 S902 Specifications

Body Material	Bronze, 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