Yamaha’s Legendary “62” Alto Sax
In professional circles, the Yamaha “62” is a legend. Considered the original “do-everything” professional alto saxophone, the YAS-62 was designed in collaboration with a noted classical saxophonist in an exhaustive multi-year development program that incorporated input from top jazz saxophonists to ensure the cross-genre proficiency of the new instrument. As a result, you’ll find pro players representing all styles of music who rely on the YAS-62 as their main alto. Today, the third-generation YAS-62III owes its best-seller status and popularity among worldwide legions of loyal devotees to Yamaha’s visionary designers and highly skilled artisans who perform their work with exemplary enthusiasm, passion, and precision. The YAS-62 comes with Yamaha’s widely respected 4C mouthpiece and a durable, attractive case. If you’re ready to step up to a truly professional alto sax that’s also an incredible value, you simply can’t go wrong with the Yamaha YAS-62III.
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A perfect blend of features, playability, and value
Unpretentious yet formidable, the Yamaha YAS-62III alto saxophone is a near-perfect blend of features, playability, and value. It has all all the hallmarks of a professional sax, including a high F# key, an adjustable thumb hook, hard steel needle springs, and smooth, consistent action. This is a horn that will go the distance in your career and allow you to grow as an artist. This starts with its neck — it comes with Yamaha’s excellent new 62-style neck, which sports a slightly narrower bore taper that gives you faster response and greater control, focusing your notes and providing a more compact landing zone for intonation. A majority of players will find the 62-style neck facilitates a comfortable airflow — essential for a strong tonal core. However, should you wish to expand your sound, the 62’s upgraded professional neck tenon receiver allows you to add a custom neck such as Yamaha’s acclaimed V1.
Quality and versatility to go the distance
Versatility is one of the attributes of a great professional saxophone, and the YAS-62III is a stellar example, providing a primed canvas for forging your signature sound. Saxophonists who play both classical and jazz, for instance, can choose an appropriate mouthpiece and reed — or even a specialized neck — to customize their 62 for the music at hand. However you set it up, the YAS-62III delivers a fluency of tone with a crisp transition between notes, even when actuating the octave key between G and A. Integrating the multiple key posts into a single plate, so-called “ribbed” body construction gives the tube higher mass (and hence more rigidity and durability), and requires somewhat more effort from the player. This makes the horn blow with moderate resistance while delivering a solid fundamental with rich tonal color. For experienced intermediate and pro saxophonists with a more developed embouchure and sound concept, it’s a definite advantage. Although ribbed construction typically presents a slightly increased initial resistance, it effectively gives you another level of resonance; an extra “gear,” if you will, to blow through for additional dynamic range and expression. Simply put, you can push the YAS-62III further, and it will go exactly where you want it to go.
Yamaha saxophones: designed and built for artists
In 1967, Yamaha debuted their first saxophones: the YAS-1 alto and the YTS-1 tenor. Both found favor in the sax player community. In fact, jazz great John Coltrane, who built his reputation on the tenor and soprano, played the prototype YAS-1 gifted him by Yamaha extensively during his 1966 tour of Japan. In 1972, Yamaha partnered with renowned classical saxophonist Dr. Eugene Rousseau to develop a new line of professional-class saxophones. After arduous years of prototyping, testing, and revisions, Yamaha introduced the fruits of their labor: the YAS-62 alto, the YTS-62 tenor, and the YSS-62 soprano. Designed with three guiding principles in mind — superior acoustics, top-notch mechanisms, and artistic feel — the 62 series saxophones represented a milestone for Yamaha, setting the company on the path to becoming one of the world’s most-respected saxophone makers. Long treasured for their reliable performance and exceptional quality, original “purple-logo” 62s have held their value and routinely command respectable sums in the used market.
A solid investment in your musical future
Today, Yamaha continues to adhere to the principles established during the creation of the original 62 series nearly a half century ago, providing saxophonists with fine instruments to inspire their artistry and meet their technical demands. Sweetwater is proud to offer you Yamaha’s distinguished saxophone line, which offers outstanding value at every level, from student models to sophisticated professional saxophones heard in premier venues and concert halls around the globe. Endorsed by countless pros and recommended by teachers of intermediate students ready to step up to their first professional sax, the Yamaha 62 alto is a superstar, and certainly one of the most famous saxophones ever made. The “workhorse” of the Yamaha sax lineup, the 62 offers a unique combination of performance, build quality, affordability, and professional acclaim that has allowed it to retain its prominent status for over four decades. From its elegant, elaborate hand engraving to its graceful, tone-enhancing 62-style neck, the YAS-62III is a delight to behold and a pleasure to play. Expertly crafted in Japan, the Yamaha YAS-62III professional alto saxophone is a solid investment in your musical future.
Yamaha YAS-62III Professional Alto Saxophone Features:
- Eb alto saxophone with brass body and integrated key posts
- Neck with narrower bore taper
- Upgraded professional neck receiver
- High F#, front F auxiliary keys
- Improved Low B–C# connection mechanism
- Adjustable thumb hook
- Hard steel needle springs
- Elaborate hand engraving
- Quality crafted in Japan
- 4C mouthpiece and semi-hard case included
