Yamaha’s Custom Z Soprano Sax: Look at Little Sister

Yamaha's YSS-8ZZR Soprano Saxophone

Many years ago, a young musician roamed Music Row on 48th Street in New York City in search of the ideal soprano saxophone. After trying virtually every straight horn on the street, he decided that far and away the best available option was the newest model from Yamaha. The cash-strapped twentysomething cobbled together enough money and bought the horn. He would not regret his choice.

Twenty-odd years later he would audition another Yamaha soprano, a new addition to the company’s highly regarded Custom Z Series. Forced to compare the horns by the circumstances of this review, he has reason to ask: Is this bewitching ingénue a match for the now-middle-aged beauty with whom he fell in love so long ago?