Yamaha YTS-480 Intermediate Tenor Saxophone

Yamaha YTS-480 Intermediate Tenor Saxophone is the tenor for a player who has outgrown a student horn and wants more body in the sound and more room to push. It offers a little more resistance than the 280, which gives you something to lean into at volume, and the hand-engraved gold lacquer finish looks the part on a stage.

480 style neck

The neck on the YTS-480 is Yamaha's 480 design, a step up from the student neck. It adds a touch of resistance compared with the entry model, which translates into a more solid, projecting sound when you push air through it, and the horn still stays easy to control at low volume.

High F# key and front F key

A high F# key and a front F key are both fitted, so altissimo work and fast upper-register passages use the same fingerings you will find on a professional tenor. Nothing to relearn later, and no workaround fingerings for the top of the horn.

Separated key guards and adjustable thumb hook

The key guards on the 480 are separate pieces rather than one long bar, which gives the horn a more flexible response and a more open feel under the fingers. The thumb hook is adjustable, so you can set the right-hand position to suit you and play long sets without cramp.

Gold lacquer with hand engraving

The YTS-480 is finished in gold lacquer with hand engraving, a detail you do not usually see at this level. A Yamaha 4C mouthpiece is supplied, a sensible medium setup that works for concert band and jazz alike until you settle on your own.

Specifications