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SaxophoneMan.com |
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All Things Saxophone |
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Hollywood Winds S80-L Baritone Sax |
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Last modified 09/12/08
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I really wanted to give this horn a go because my friend had a lot of input into the design of this saxophone. I have heard that the original designer of the Yamaha YBS-62 (that’s been my Bari of choice for over 20 years) also contributed to the design. In addition to all that, Bari sax was where it all started for me so it’s just plain sentimental. · Construction, look & feel The horn is modestly engraved, with a gold tone lacquer finish — good looking, but not very ornate (of course all that bling or lack thereof has NOTHING to do with the sound of the horn). Action is very good — a lot of attention has been given to improving the feel of the horn as is evidenced by the layout of the “line” keys (B,A,G,F,E,D). They aren’t in a line at all (see the photo below) . This is probably great for a lot of players but I didn’t like the feel |
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of it. Just not great for my big hands and long fingers. The neck & body fit together very well, but the plug provided for the body side of the neck joint is the cheap plastic that is being used a lot these days. Pads are all good quality, with nice nickel resonators up through the palm keys. The sax has two braces for body to bell (pictured at left) — a good feature and nod to the fact that Baris get banged around a lot more than the other common saxes. Hollywood Winds puts the sax in a sturdy plastic and metal case (with wheels) that almost equals the quality and durability of a flight case. Again a nod to the extra protection that a Bari sax needs. The low A thumb mechanism actuates from the left side of the horn instead of the right, which has been the standard set by the YBS-62 20+ years ago. It seems awkward to me — that may be because I’m used to the right side. · Sound This sax gets a nice fat Bari sound. Not as big as my Yamaha or the Cannonball Stone Series Bari, but respectable. Here’s a soundbyte of me playing this horn (my setup is a Berg Larsen 120/0 with a Rico Royal 3.5 reed) Listen to the Hollywood Winds S80-L Bari Here’s the same lick played on my Yamaha YS-62 Bari (same mouthpiece & reed setup) Listen to SaxophoneMan’s Yamaha YS-62 Bari It’s easy to hear the slightly brassier sound the Yamaha produces. · Intonation Intonation is not perfect (it isn’t perfect on any saxophone), but it is every bit as good as my Yamaha. Some of the altissimo fingerings that I’m used to on my Bari don’t work on this horn, but there are alternate fingerings that work fine. · Price At $3,995 the S80-L is priced considerably lower than a Yamaha YBS-62 but more (of course) than a Jupiter or other horn targeted to the student market. It’s in the mid range of Bari sax prices, and it’s worth what you pay for. Overall this is a good sax. Personally I can’t get used to the layout of the keys on the line, the low A thumb mechanism, or the palm keys (they’re built down further than the Yamaha, again probably sized for a typical hand). I wouldn’t play one, but I’m certain that it would be a good choice for many players, particularly because of the finger friendly ergonomic design. |
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Hollywood Winds S80-L Baritone Sax |
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The Hollywood Winds Baritone has two braces for body to bell—most Baris have one |
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Good Quality nickel resonators on all the pads |
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Ergonomic design on the key layout |