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I recently switched to the YAS-875EX after playing on a Selmer Super Action 80 Series II for a few years, and I have to say I'm very impressed. I was especially impressed with the 875EX's homogeneous sound and silent key action, compared to the SA80II. While the Selmer would lose the warm sound in the higher registers, the Yamaha played consistently warm throughout. And while Selmers are notoriously noisy horns, the Yamaha has almost no key clicking, thanks to the excellent placement of felt and cork on the saxophone. Pros: - Intonation is great. Even after shipping displacement, the horn was the closest to "in-tune" that I have played. - The tone is a wonderful, warm sound. This does not fade in the upper register, as it does on many other horns. - Nearly silent key action. I was very impressed with the smooth, quiet action of the keys. No more distracting clicking during quiet passages! - Yamaha has established itself as a very consistent brand. You can trust that the individual saxophone you buy is the best one in the warehouse. - The YAS-875EX comes equipped with an adjustable front-F key to adjust intonation and color in the altissimo range. Cons: - At first, there were several leaks in the lower notes, which took only a few minutes of tweaking the keys and pads. This was probably only due to shipping displacement, but it will likely be a nuisance to inexperienced players. - Based on the design of the LH spatula keys, rolling from low Bb to low B causes the low C# key to open briefly. As such, quickly switching from Bb to B is quite difficult to achieve without compensating the air stream or fingering position.

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I recently upgraded from a beginner alto to the Yamaha Custom EX and I could not be more impressed. There is much debate over Selmer vs. Yamaha, yet after test playing different models and brands, I was very disapointed with the playability of the Selmers, which I found to be very resistant and unresponsive at an overpriced cost. However, I would still advise testing different makers of horns before buying to ensure you select the horn that works best for you. The Yamaha EX has an incredibly full, dark, and rich tone, and is amazingly free blowing and smooth. Upon blowing my first note, I felt as if the sound was almost 3 dimensional. I was particularly impressed in how responsive this sax was, which I feel is a very important quality in a horn, and the wide dynamic range it presented. Soft passages are a breeze as well as projecting your sound loudly. Less air is required overall. Intonation is superior, the best I've seen. The key action is almost completely silent. I did have to move down in reed hardness however from a 3 1/2 to a 3 to accomodate the mouthpeice. This horn is definately a great investment and well worth it!!!

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Years ago, when I was a freshman in high school, I finally managed to convince my mother to replace my beat up, secondhand student horn that was holding me back a great deal. I tried numerous saxes of varying brands: I tried Custom Zs, 62s, Selmer Serie IIs and Series IIIs, even a Cannonball (which I actually enjoyed a good bit). I had a friend who played an EX, and my band director played an older 875, so it had been hyped up quite a bit before I bought it. Even so, of all the saxes I tried, this was the best. And later on, as I got better as a player, the 875-EX got better as a sax. I tried other saxes afterwards as well- Yanigasawas, Selmers, as well as some vintage Kings and even a Mark VI, and never have I once regretted my purchase; the Yamaha Custom EX is still the best sax I've ever played by far (yes, even better than the famed Mark VI). The tone is beautiful; darker and more rounded than the Z, the response is quick and direct, the tone is perfect thoughout the entire register, it's built to last, with dense, heavy brass and wonderfully solid construction, and it has the best key action I've ever seen. Seriously, try it; i'd wager that there's no other sax on the face of the earth with smoother, more perfect action than the EX. Simply put, this sax is an absolute joy to play. It doesn't get better than this.

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What I like about this horn is the ergos. It's so effortless. The response is immediate and unmatched for the palm key notes like high d, e, and f. They just pop right out. This is a very tough horn to beat as far as ergos and response. The tone is not a selmer tone, but it's a sweet flexible tone. A quick word to the wise. Always check the buy used tab. I bought mine used for almost 800 less that regular price. It arrived with not a scratch on and only needed $80 of work. I'd always check that tab out.

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I am a junior in high school and I aspire to be a music major and eventually a band teacher. With this in mind, I realize I need a much better horn then my Yamaha YAS-23. My band director (Who Majored in Music Ed and Saxophone Performance) told me he would recommend this horn over his Selmer Super Action 80 Series II. I was on and off the fence about this one due to price. However, recently I stumbled on this shop and they had a YAS 875 EX custom in their store. I then proceeded to try this out because I had my mouthpiece with me.Wow what a delight!. Intonation in amazing, I ended up making my D's flat due to over compensating. The key action for the most part is great (the lower spatula keys felt weird to me. However, it might have been the store model's fault). I am fairly confident that I am going to buy this horn for college no exceptions.