What is the difference between the 901 and the 991 series Yanagisawa saxophones?
This is a question that we get asked a lot. While there are several differences on the 901 vs the 991, it is important to note that they are built around the same fundamental design. In fact, on the alto, tenor & bari sax (this issue does not apply to the soprano), if you take just the bare tube parts of the horn (neck, body, bow & bell) without any keys or key posts on them, these are actually the same part on the 901 & 991. The principle difference is the construction style of the key posts to the body. With the A/T/B 901, each post is individually soldered on to the body. On the A/T/B 991, large groups of posts are first attached to a large brass “rib” and then that entire rib is attached to the body. This “ribbed construction” places more metal on to the body tube thus increasing the mass of the tube. This extra mass produces a darker tone. The Alto & Tenor 991 models also change the orientation of the octave key on the neck. The A/T 901 uses a standard top mount octave key whereas
