Repairman's Overview: Yamaha Soprano Showdown: Vintage 62R vs. new 82ZR

Saxophone repairman Matt Stohrer of www.StohrerMusic.com gives yet another epic long-form wordslam, this time on the topic of the vintage Yamaha (purple logo) 62R soprano saxophone as it compares to its newly introduced descendant, the Yamaha 82ZR Custom Z soprano saxophone. Note: I am (despite appearances) only human and (despite rumors to the contrary) fallible. My sample size for the 82ZR is exactly one, and no two saxophones are exactly alike. So! Add this information to your mental quiver and get out there and make your own decisions. Also, see my original Yamaha YSS-62 (purple logo) repairman's overview here:    • Repairman's Overview: Yamaha "Purple Logo"...   The purple logo 62 is the straight neck version of the purple logo 62R (shown in the video you are now watching) and the two are mechanically almost identical. EDIT: I now have it on good authority the body tube of the 62R and the 82ZR are identical. EDIT: Someone at Yamaha saw this video and said: "Hi Matt, I saw your soprano comparison on youtube. Nice job! In the video, you mentioned that you were unclear as to why the low C# tonehole was moved on later 62's (and the 82Z). It was moved over to the low B/Bb side on the later 62's to make the low C# stay closed more positively when low B or Bb is being played. On the older 62 (such as in your video), the low B to C# adjuster screw is very close to the hinge, so a tiny amount of movement at the screw contact translates into a substantial amount of movement at the outside edge of the low C# pad. I have never been 100% satisfied with the adjustment I am able to achieve on instruments with this design. On the later 62 (and the 82Z), there is a long arm which places the adjuster screw far from the hinge (near the center of the pad) which is easy to adjust and keeps the C# closed very securely. I hope that makes sense"