Yanagisawa A-992 Alto Saxophone

The Yanagisawa That Fans Love

Some saxophones are respected. Some are admired. And then there are instruments that develop a following of their own.

The Yanagisawa A-992 is one of those instruments.

It is my personal favorite Yanagisawa alto—and I am certainly not alone. Among Yanagisawa fans, the A-992 has earned a particularly special place. You can never say enough about this model, because the more you play it, the more you begin to understand why so many players become attached to it.

The bronze body is at the heart of what makes the A-992 so special. Bronze has always been one of the materials that makes Yanagisawa stand apart from other major saxophone makers, and the A-992 shows what the company can do with it at the highest level. It offers a distinctive playing experience and a character that is unmistakably Yanagisawa.

The A-992 was the bronze counterpart to the brass A-991 and represented the top level of Yanagisawa's 99x series. It was later succeeded by the modern WO20, continuing Yanagisawa's tradition of developing professional bronze altos.

And if you pair the A-992 with a solid silver neck, the result is, in my opinion, one of the finest combinations in the world of professional alto saxophones. It is a combination that brings together the unique character of the bronze body with the special response and refinement of a solid silver neck.

I have never met a player who truly understood the A-992 and was disappointed by it.

At James Sax Corner, the A-992 is one of the models we hold in the highest regard. For players who want to experience what makes Yanagisawa different, this is one of the instruments we would always encourage them to explore. It is not simply a high-end professional alto saxophone. For many Yanagisawa players—including myself—it represents the very best of what the brand has to offer.