Outstanding Yamaha Intermediate Baritone Sax
Optimized for smooth action and superior tone, the Yamaha YBS-480 is an outstanding intermediate baritone saxophone that benefits from company’s “top-down” design process, incorporating many of the advanced features found on the company’s esteemed professional models. Students love the YBS-480 for its easy playability, great intonation, and fat, punchy 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 bari players, the Yamaha YBS-480 offers impressive quality, performance, and value in an intermediate baritone 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 YBS-480 baritone saxophone is a near-perfect blend of features, playability, and value. It has many of the hallmarks of a Yamaha pro baritone, including a vertically integrated bore and neck design borrowed from the YBS-62II. This is a horn that will go the distance in your development as a musician and allow you to grow as an artist. Yamaha innovation starts from the neck down. The 480 baritone comes with Yamaha’s excellent hydro-formed “62” neck, which sports a bore taper that gives you faster response and greater control, focusing your notes and providing a more compact landing zone for intonation. And speaking of intonation, the YBS-480 is designed with a shorter bell that helps center the challenging intonation of the baritone’s lowest notes, as well as providing enhanced sonic consistency throughout the instrument’s entire range. The keywork has also been ergonomically optimized for comfort, speed, and overall playability. Easy to hold and nimble to play, the YBS-480 proves that a baritone sax doesn’t have to be sluggish or ungainly.
An instrument that brings out your individuality
Saxophones designed for the up-and-coming player should provide a smooth transition from your student model while introducing professional features that enhance the myriad of playing techniques, from wind control and embouchure to fingering, that collectively produce the unique sound you are developing. As accessible as it is exceptional, the Yamaha YBS-480 is an ideal intermediate baritone saxophone. Its post-to-body construction gives you quicker response with less initial resistance and (in conjunction with the shorter bell) enables lighter overall weight — particularly desirable in a bari. This allows the instrument to resonate 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.
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 baritone is a workhorse of school bands and wind ensembles worldwide. From its gleaming gold lacquer finish to its graceful, tone-enhancing “62” neck, the YBS-480 is a delight to behold and a pleasure to play. Expertly crafted by skilled Yamaha artisans, the YBS-480 intermediate baritone saxophone is a solid investment in your musical future.
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, 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.
Yamaha YBS-480 Intermediate Baritone Saxophone Features:
- Post-to-body construction; yellow brass body and keys
- Improved ergonomics for comfort, speed, and overall playability
- Vertically integrated bore and neck design from the YBS-62II for professional response
- Hydro-formed 62 neck with narrower bore taper for optimum tone and response
- Shorter 2-piece bell for improved low-note intonation
- Receiver for optional peg (sold separately) to help support the weight of the instrument
- Expertly crafted by skilled Yamaha artisans
- Included 5C mouthpiece, ligature, accessories, and case
