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Outstanding Yamaha Intermediate Alto Sax





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Optimized for smooth action and superior tone, the Yamaha YAS-480 is an outstanding intermediate alto saxophone that boasts many of the advanced features found on the company’s professional models. Students love the YAS-480 for its easy playability, great intonation, and expressive, full-bodied sound; band directors love it for its rock-solid construction, which keeps it in the classroom and not in the shop. A popular choice for advancing saxophonists, the Yamaha YAS-480 offers impressive quality, performance, and value in an intermediate alto saxophone. If you’re ready to take the next step in your development as a player, it’s an excellent choice.





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A perfect blend of features, playability, and value





Unpretentious yet masterful, the Yamaha YAS-480 alto saxophone is a near-perfect blend of features, playability, and value. It has many of the hallmarks of a Yamaha pro sax, including a high F# key, an adjustable thumb hook, and smooth, consistent action. This is a horn that will go the distance in your development as a musician and allow you to grow as an artist. This starts with its neck ? it comes with Yamaha’s excellent 62-style neck, which sports a slightly narrower bore taper that gives you faster response and greater control, focusing your notes and providing a more compact landing zone for intonation. A majority of players will find this pro-style neck facilitates a comfortable airflow ? essential for a strong tonal core. However, should you wish to expand your sound, the YAS-480’s professional neck tenon receiver and redesigned octave key system allow you to add a custom neck such as Yamaha’s acclaimed V1.





An intermediate saxophone that brings out your individuality





Saxophones designed for the up-and-coming player should provide a smooth transition from from your student model while introducing professional features that enhance the myriad of playing techniques, from embouchure to fingering, that collectively produce the unique sound you are developing. As accessible as it is exceptional, the Yamaha YAS-480 is an ideal intermediate alto saxophone. Its post-to-body construction gives you quicker response with lighter overall weight and less initial resistance, resonating more immediately as compared with heavier ribbed-construction saxophones that generally require more effort from the player. Indeed, many seasoned pros credit the critical time spent with their Yamaha intermediate model as foundational to their successful careers.





Yamaha saxophones: designed and built for artists





In 1967, Yamaha debuted their first saxophones: the YAS-1 alto and the YTS-1 tenor. Both found favor in the sax player community. In fact, jazz great John Coltrane, who built his reputation on the tenor and soprano, played the prototype YAS-1 gifted him by Yamaha extensively during his 1966 tour of Japan. In 1972, Yamaha partnered with renowned classical saxophonist Dr. Eugene Rousseau to develop a new line of professional-class saxophones. After arduous years of prototyping, testing, and revisions, Yamaha introduced the fruits of their labor: the YAS-62 alto, the YTS-62 tenor, and the YSS-62 soprano. Designed with three guiding principles in mind ? superior acoustics, top-notch mechanisms, and artistic feel ? the 62 series saxophones represented a milestone for Yamaha, setting the company on the path to becoming one of the world’s most-respected saxophone makers.





A solid investment in your musical future





Today, Yamaha continues to adhere to the principles established during the creation of the original 62 series nearly a half century ago, providing saxophonists with fine instruments to inspire their artistry and meet their technical demands. Sweetwater is proud to offer you Yamaha’s distinguished saxophone line, which offers outstanding value at every level, from student models to sophisticated professional saxophones heard in premier venues and concert halls around the globe. Widely recommended by teachers of intermediate students ready to step up from their first saxophones, the Yamaha 480 alto is a workhorse of school bands and wind ensembles worldwide. From its elegant hand engraving to its graceful, tone-enhancing “62” neck, the YAS-480 is a delight to behold and a pleasure to play. Expertly crafted by skilled Yamaha artisans, YAS-480 intermediate alto saxophone is a solid investment in your musical future.





Yamaha YAS-480 Intermediate Alto Saxophone Features:


Post-to-body construction; yellow brass body and keys


62-style neck with narrower bore taper for optimum tone and response


Professional neck receiver and octave key system compatible with optional Yamaha Custom necks


Front F, high F# key


Improved low B-C# connection mechanism


Separate key guards with adjustable screw cap stoppers for pro-style adjustments


Left-hand seesaw key for comfortable, optimized playability


Adjustable plastic thumb hook


Elegant hand engraving on bell


Expertly crafted by skilled Yamaha artisans


Included 4C mouthpiece, ligature, and case