Yamaha Custom Soprano Saxophone Comparisons | YSS-82Z vs YSS-875EX 

Hi Ben, the 62 soprano is excellent and has gone through several changes over the years. The 875 design seems to have stayed a bit more consistent over time! It's a personal choice, but for me, the feel of the Yamahas beat all the other manufacturers.

Christmas in August! What could be better. Thanks for your comments. I was surprised listening back how much brighter the 82Z is, but I love the fullness of the EX sound.

@@simonbsax hello man, you look like you know a lot bout soprano. What’s the best for you between a s-wo 10 or a 875/ 875ex ?

Thanks Francis. Sam playing soprano?! I'd better not continue along that path... 😂

The cheek of it! Although if Sam was to make his on-screen playing debut he assures us it would NOT be on Soprano :)

Thanks Bill. I agree that the Selmer III is a good instrument (if a little over-engineered!), but the Yamahas edge it for me. It's a personal thing, particularly for more experienced players, and Selmer make some incredible saxes. I know we seem to bash Selmers a lot, but I do own MKVI tenor and alto and really enjoy playing Selmers of all ages.

​@@simonbsax Your criticism of Selmer, if it exists, is well justified and for a good reason. Japanese manufacturers gain the edge we really see, and it comes from consistency and excellence because they have long employed principles of kaizen, that is, continuous improvement in all aspects, and then, vertical dissemination of values and sharing of the same cost. Product lines of Yamaha and Yanagisawa are so structured, that whatever is applied at the top level product, reaches lower-end products too. In Europe, I think Buffet has done the same in instrument manufacture, together with European car manufacturers who quickly learned from the Japanese. But Selmer never learned anything of the sort - their production is horizontal, and their lower models do not exist, they are outsourced. So they never benefit from the know-how of the top models and development money spent there. Their top models are so different and from different eras that they keep them as separate lines, with all their issues and quirks. Continuous improvement in such a scenario, from which better consistency and lower cost to the customer could ensue, is not possible for Selmer. They have no kaizen, which increases the value, fixes issues and lowers the overall cost, so they must hike the prices despite repeating flaws in products. But they get away with it because they heavily bet on their name, its historic and imaginary value in people's perceptions of the past, and are positioning themselves as a luxury brand.