YAMAHA YAS-280 Saxophones Student Alto saxophones, C key, gold

I bought the cheapest one available on Amazon at $850 list but after taxes, shipping, and excise fees it was closer to $1100. Still the cheapest option for this sax on Amazon at the time and probably not available anymore at that price. I think it came all the way from a vendor in England! When I first ordered it was out of stock and I to wait a few weeks for it to be restocked, so I guess this is recently manufactured and not old stock that was sitting around. The box arrived in Yamaha packaging (not Amazon boxing!) That was a little disconcerting because they left it at my front door with pretty pictures of a sax on the box! I'm lucky it wasn't stolen! Anyway, the box was right side up, unblemished and free of dents. A good sign!Unboxing required removal of many small pieces of cork from the key mechanisms. Some of them were hard to spot and hard to remove. I used wooden chopsticks to avoid scratching the finish which was quite shiny and unblemished. But I did miss a few corks at first which prevented some keys from working. So it's easy to understand why some reviewers might have thought their horn was defective.Once all the keys were freed the horn plays quite nicely through all registers with smooth easy non-clacky action and easy sounding of all notes top to bottom. I did notice while using an online tuner that it was difficult to push the mouthpiece in far enough to get it perfectly in tune. The online tuner said it was 6 cents flat. I'm not too concerned because with a brand new mouthpiece and cork the fit is quite tight and should loosen up a bit with continued use. Or it might just be my embouchure needs tightening.Compared to my 1970's vintage YAS-23 the horn seems a little lighter and the metal seems a bit thinner. The sound seems a little thinner too. But this horn has a high F# key which the YAS-23 lacks. And the action is less clacky.Overall I am quite pleased/relieved that this horn is perfectly acceptable for my needs. It should satisfy any amateur for many years.(By the way, mine DID include a neckstrap. Also included cork grease, polishing cloth, neck cap, mouthpiece, and a 2.5 strength Rico reed. I think most beginners would do better with a 2.0 or even a 1.5 but that's nitpicking. Most glaring omission is the lack of a spit swab on a weighted string. Every player needs one of those!)UPDATE ALMOST FIVE YEARS LATER:I still love this sax. I've had it servced twice in the past five years. The service shop says I should actually get it serviced at least once a year if not more. Kind of like going to the dentist for a cleaning. It's had no major problems. The neck cork did start to chip away and that was easily replaced. I had a couple of pads replaced but most of them are original. The thing is that when you let it go without service it gradually develops slight leaks that you may not even notice until you get it back from service and it sounds so much tighter and better. My tech guy says the pros get their horns serviced every six months or even every four months!Aside from service issues, I think the only fault I might find with the horn is that the high register keys, when you get up into the E, F and F#, they are a little awkward. Like coming down from F# to F, E, Eb (using the side keys not the fron F), those are a little cramped and clunky. Or maybe I'm just a klutz. But hey, even Bird didn't play above high D that often.Everyone tells me my tone is great. Its just a nice clear sounding horn. I've compared it to the higher priced Yahamas and they do sound a little richer, I think they have more brass. But for my purposes i still love this horn.I do recommend upgrading the mouthpiece when you're ready. Maybe get an Otto Link instead of the included Yamaha 4C which is a pretty bland sounding mouthpiece.

My kid is continuing band and renting is no more a good option. This is the best purchase. Thankful to Amazon to bring this instrument with affordable price. Worry free and no damage packaging from Yamaha. Instrument arrived on time and shipping was easy.My kid is very happy with the sound, quality and beauty. This is beginners instrument and worth the purchase.

For those who are looking at the YAS-280, I am going to share my process and my experience.1. This product is authentic2. You cannot register it on the US Yamaha website. The reason is that they don't have the YAS-280 added into their system. It is an Asian market product.3. You are able to verify the product by contacting Yamaha Japan or Korea. They will tell you when/ where it was built.4. Serial numbers on Yamahas are not given to a specific instrument line. I know. My serial number for the YAS-280 is a duplicate for a flute in the Midwest and began to panic.5. Korea and the US are on different timeframes. They answer while we are sleeping. This company did the same thing I did and contacted Yamaha Korea. They got the same verification I did.6. The seller is required by Amazon to show bills of purchase and authentication for the Yamaha line.7. Overall, the YAS-280 is a lovely product. The sound is clear and it play well.Best of Luck!

Good quality instrument. Voices very well. Half the price of the equivalent made for America instrument. Arrived on time. Only downside is that, since it was marketed to Asia and Europe, you can't register for warranty in United States.

YAS 280 alto saxophone cheap price and sound good make me happy . but this saxophone built the F key and #F key too close .when player play #F note . the two key bump together and make noise sound . when play fast note or solo . sounds more louder and finger feel something against . as a saxophone play I think I need tell people who want buy this brand and hope YAHAMA company can see my massage fix this problem .as famous saxophone brand this is big problem .hope YAMAHA fix it quickly make more sax player consider this brand sax .