Yanagisawa SC991 Curved Soprano Sax

What’s the difference between the SC901 and the SC991 curved sopranos?
First, unlike the other 901/991 models in Yanagisawa’s lineup, the SC901 and SC991 were never produced simultaneously. Instead, the SC991 replaced the SC901 in 2003. Rumor was that there was a fire that damaged certain pieces of equipment for the SC901 model and instead of simply re-building those parts, Yanagisawa moved forward with design changes.

Their were 2 primary design changes employed on the SC991 when it was released:

• Bell keys were moved to the right side of the bell (they were previously on the back side) in order to accommodate the modern left hand pinky cluster design. This also forced the bell to be repositioned in relationship to the body tube, rotating it a little counter-clockwise so as to not have the bell keys and key guards get in the way of the player’s fingers in the right hand of the sax.
• The neck angle on the SC991 was increased. This allows for the body of the sax to sit more “straight” like an alto or tenor in relationship to the player. It also changes the air flow in the neck with many people finding that the SC991 plays a bit richer in tone than the SC901 that it replaced (the same effect happens when the neck of the SC991 is placed on to an older SC901 body).

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 SC991 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 SC991 Specifications