FEATURES
- Intonation: Consistent and dependable, allowing students to play in tune across all registers.
- Durability: Power-forged keys and reinforced design ensure longevity, even under the demands of marching and daily practice.
- Ease of Use: Thoughtful key shaping and spacing promote comfort and natural hand positioning for beginners.
- Ergonomics: An adjustable thumb rest accommodates individual hand sizes for optimal playability.
- Value: Due to its superior craftsmanship and long-lasting construction, the YAS-23 maintains excellent resale value and remains a top recommendation among educators and repair technicians.
*Includes hardshell case & mouthpiece
DESCRIPTION
The Yamaha YAS-23 Alto Saxophone is a legendary model, long regarded as the gold standard for student and intermediate saxophonists. Known for its outstanding reliability, precise intonation, and rugged construction, the YAS-23 has helped countless players develop their skills with confidence and ease. Its ergonomic design and smooth key action make it one of the most comfortable and responsive student instruments ever produced.
The Yamaha YAS-23 Alto Saxophone was first introduced in 1980 at Yamaha’s renowned Toyooka factory in Japan. Designed as a successor to the earlier YAS-21 model, it brought notable structural improvements, most significantly a soldered bell-to-body connection that enhanced the instrument’s durability and stability. These refinements made the YAS-23 an immediate favorite among educators and repair technicians for its strength and dependability in student use.
Over the decades, the YAS-23 became a benchmark in the world of student saxophones, celebrated for its craftsmanship, precision, and ease of play. Instruments bearing the “Made in Japan” engraving are particularly prized today, symbolizing Yamaha’s peak era of meticulous quality control and exceptional manufacturing standards.
Yamaha concluded production of the YAS-23 around 2012, introducing the YAS-26 and later the YAS-280 as its successors. Production of these newer models shifted to other facilities in Asia, marking the end of an era for the Japanese-made versions.
During the 1980s, Yamaha also assembled select YAS-23 saxophones in the United States using components manufactured in Japan. These U.S.-assembled models can be identified by the distinctive bell engraving reading “YAMAHA ESTABLISHED IN 1887 JAPAN,” a detail that continues to attract collectors and musicians alike.This advertisement features a truly “Assembled in the USA” Yamaha YAS-23 with Serial Number 2842XX, placing it approximately in the late 2000s or early 2010s.
The instrument shows some average wear and tear from years of playing. There are the usual feather scratches throughout the body and neck. A visual inspection detects no dents, but there are a few very minor dings or pings as well as some scuff marks on the bow of the body. Adjustments have been made to the Alto Saxophone by our Technician, and the instrument is ready for General Playing Conditions. With the Alto Saxophone, you will get a Non-Original Hard-Shell Case (wear and tear condition) and Non-Original Mouthpiece.
Whether you are a beginner or about to enter the arena for your first march, the venerable YAS-23 is the perfect choice for your music making. Act now, don’t delay!
SPECIFICATIONS
- Key: E-flat (Alto)
- Level: Standard/Student
- Body Material: Yellow brass
- Finish: Clear baked epoxy lacquer
- Keys: Nickel-plated yellow brass
- Auxiliary Keys: Front F
- Tone Holes: Drawn
- Pads: Waterproof leather with wool felt
- Pad Resonators: Plastic
- Thumb Hook: Adjustable plastic
- Springs: Stainless steel
- Pivot Screws: Tapered with nylon lock
*Includes hardshell case & mouthpiece
