Yamaha YAS875-EX Custom alto saxophone
Origin: Japan
Guide price : £2800
Date of manufacture: 2005
Date reviewed : April 2006

Description : The silverplated version of Yamaha's top line of alto saxophones.

Life was so much easier back in the 1970's. If you wanted a decent pro alto you looked either to a Selmer or a Yamaha. The only complication was that the current Selmer model was the MK.VII, which wasn't that popular, so most people looked around for a MK.VI. As for Yamaha, all you had to do was buy a 61 ( later 62 ) series horn. Had you waited a few more years you might have had another contender to take into account from Yanagisawa. But then it all got complicated when Yamaha developed the concept of the 'supersax'.
Hundreds of thousands of perfectly happy 61/2 series owners were amazed to find that their once 'top-of-the-range' horns had been knocked off the top spot by the arrival of Yamaha's Custom series of horns.
As if that wasn't bad enough, it so put the wind up the other main manufacturers that they too jumped on the bandwagon and started producing 'top' pro models...whilst they all quietly played down the fact that their bumf for their previously top spec'd models had said things like "You won't get better than this", and "The pinnacle of sax design". Marketing...dontcha love it.

Thing is though, they weren't exactly lying about the YAS62 - it's an extremely hard sax to beat.

The 875EX is quite a clean looking alto, less bristling with the extra gadgets found other supersaxes. That's not to say its not well specified, it's just quietly unfussy. The body is up to the usual Yamaha standard - it's almost boring reviewing it, and I find I almost wish I could find something to carp about just for the sake of a change.
I think I have too...the low C# tone hole. It's not technically flawed, it just doesn't have much 'meat' on it at the top side - it's barely 1mm tall at this point. Given that the low C# is quite an exposed key, and right in the place where many sax stands rest, it seems to me to be a bit daft to be so skimpy with the tone hole. One decent bash to the low C# and you could be in trouble when it comes to having the dent removed and the tone hole levelled. Compare that with the YAS62 tone hole, where the top section stands about 2mm...only just enough to play with.
An extreme criticism? Perhaps, but I tend to feel that pro horns ought to be built both to play well and to take the rigours of life on the road.

I note too that the bell key spatula pillar is of the single mount variety. This is another relatively exposed area on a horn, and I would have expected to see something a little beefier here. That said, it's the same design as that fitted to the YAS62, and I haven't had any problems with my 62 ( but then I haven't bashed it about either ).
All the other usual bodywork features are there - detachable bell, strapped pillars, adjustable thumbhook.
The bell brace is a two mount point design, but quite substantial. Apparently having only two mount points increases projection and response...and probably has nothing to do with it being a bit cheaper to make than the three mount point variety.
I'm marking the horn down for the size of the sling ring - it's far too small. It's the same size as that fitted to the YAS62...and that's not big enough either. I have used decent straps that won't fit a ring this small, and in a doubling situation where you might have to switch horns quickly it's a real pain to have to fiddle around 'aiming' as such a small target with a sax strap clip.

The finish on the body is immaculate. I'm not that keen myself on silverplate as a finish on saxes - I have no idea why, maybe it makes them look too much like an ornament - but if you are then you'll love the quality of it. It's topped off with some very tasteful, flowery engraving on the bell ( again, if you like that sort of thing ).

The keywork is as superb as ever. Well made and finished, as per usual. Sturdy too - malleable enough to be shifted around by a repairer, but stiff enough not to go off whack in use.
I'm a but surprised to see that there are no adjusters on the main stack keys. It's not a problem as such, it just makes it more fiddly for your repairer to set the regulation up - and even harder for the DIY tweaker to adjust the horn on the road.
I'm disappointed though to see a ball and socket arrangement used for the side Bb/C trill keys. This is a design that was seen on the Selmer MKVI, and even Selmer had the good sense to drop it. Once the mech wears ( and it will, eventually ) you're forever having to deal with the rattling of the keys, and I regard it as an unnecessary complication.
The bell key spatula is of the tilting design, it's well placed and works a treat. Similarly the top F front key is simple but elegant and performs well whether you prefer to roll your finger up, bend it at the knuckle or lift it. A nice touch here is the adjustable lift pin, which is easily accessible and allows the player to set the opening height of the F key with ease to their personal preference.
The low C/Eb touchpieces are generously sized and well placed - and nicely aligned too...no trouble switching back and forth.

The whole action is powered by blued steel springs, but I noticed that on the right hand key stack they're quite a bit shorter than those found on the YAS62. I find these shorter springs don't have quite the same capacity for 'snap'.
Put it this way, some of the finest actions I've ever had under my fingers have been on Selmer MKVI's and YAS62's...and both these horns have much longer springs on the right hand stack action than found on this horn ( and the modern Selmers ). A extra 5mm or so gives the action that extra little flick that really makes it fly.

Under the fingers the action feels very comfortable. The key peals are well sized and nicely dished giving the horn a sense of precision.
The setup was none too inspiring though, with the springs being set way too hard and the action a tad on the high side for such a well-specified horn. The pads are of good quality, and fitted with nylon reflectors - and well set too, needing only very minor tidying up here and there. The use of burgundy coloured felt on the action contrasts nicely with the silver finish, and helps to keep the action slick and quiet.

The whole outfit comes in a very smart and well built case, though the attached shoulder strap mounts look to me to be a bit on the flimsy side.

I first blew a Yamaha Custom back in the 1980's, shortly after they were introduced. A client of mine came rushing into the workshop brandishing a brand spanking new horn, keen to show me his new prize. I was just as keen to have a blow on it as at that time I was playing on a YAS21, which I was nonetheless very happy with.
Well, I blew the Custom - and was really quite unimpressed with it. I remember at the time I didn't say much, I just unpacked my 21 and handed it to the client. He had a blow, and his face was a picture. It was patently obvious the 21 was much more lively - and it seemed to me that what Yamaha had tried to achieve was to build a Selmer. It wasn't a particularly happy marriage.
So when it came to blowing the new Custom 875 I was quietly hoping that they'd put things right. And they have.
The thing is though, have they given us much more than the 62?
I think it's fair to consider the 62 series as the 'benchmark' for Yamaha horns - for many years they were the mainstay of their professional range, and ( with the earlier 61 series ) they were pretty much bang on target from the start.
The 62 has a full, bright tone, it's a very easy blow with bags of cut and clarity coupled with terrific response, and I'm pleased to say the 875EX has these qualities. It also has a little bit more.
I say little because there really isn't that much to choose between my MK1 YAS62 and the 875EX in terms of tone. In my review of the Z alto I described it as a 'souped up 62', and that's a description that applies to his horn.
Playing the two side by side I noticed the Custom blows slightly freer. I liked this, but players who like a bit of resistance might trip up over this feature.
Tonewise it's much the same, though you get a sense of it being ever so slightly louder and therefore a touch fuller. The difference is really quite slight though, but at this level those differences can make, well, all the difference.
The G1 crook shows its strengths in the upper register, particularly with the harmonics. They're cleaner and more immediate, but for those of you who like to scream a bit up here you might find yourself working to put a little 'dirt' back into the notes.

Here's something to consider though. I've been playing my 62 for nigh on 20 years now, and I'd like to think I know it inside out. I'm probably getting pretty much all I can out of it - but the 875EX is uncharted territory. Having blown one for the first time today I find that it gives me ( tonally ) all the the 62 gives me, plus a little bit extra. That in itself wouldn't be enough to persuade me to buy one, but you have to wonder what you might get out of it given more time to explore its potential.
If I were looking for that kind of improvement I think I'd turn first to experimenting with aftermarket crooks, like the Gloger.
It's around £1000 more than the YAS62, which is no small pile of cash, and it has to compete with both the 62 and the Z series, not to mention several excellent horns from other manufacturers, particularly the Yanagisawa 992.
I'd give it a positive 'thumbs up' in terms of recommending players to give it a try, but it's not different ( in terms of tone ) or better ( in terms of action ) enough to tempt me away from my YAS62.