Yamaha YAS-23

About the Yamaha YAS-23

The YAS-23 is built entirely from yellow brass - body, neck and bell - with nickel-plated keys, drawn rather than soldered-on tone holes, stainless steel springs and waterproof leather pads. A front F auxiliary key, polyester key buttons, an adjustable plastic thumb rest and tapered pivot screws round out the keywork. Unlike Yamaha's intermediate YAS-52, which shares its neck, bore and keywork directly with the professional YAS-62, the YAS-23 is a standalone student design with no shared pro-model lineage - its drawn-tonehole construction is a simpler, more affordable manufacturing approach built for durability rather than tracking a flagship horn's specifications. It ships complete with a case, a 4C plastic mouthpiece, ligature, mouthpiece cap, cork grease and a neck strap.

Where to buy

• Reverb Yamaha YAS-23 Alto Saxophone w Case 540 EUR Best price View details
• Reverb Yamaha YAS-23 Alto Saxophone w Case 648 EUR View details
• Reverb YAMAHA Yamaha YAS-24 Alto Saxophone [002461] (07/23) 838 EUR View details
• Reverb YAMAHA YAS-475 Alto Saxophone [J67720] (09/23) 1.381 EUR View details
• Reverb YAMAHA YAS-480 Current Model Alto Saxophone [61295] (09/23) 1.511 EUR View details
• Reverb YAMAHA Yamaha YAS-62 G1 NECK Alto Saxophone [C91003] (09/23) 1.770 EUR View details
• Reverb YAMAHA Yamaha YAS-62 G1 NECK Alto Saxophone [344413] (09/23) 1.953 EUR View details
• Reverb YAMAHA Alto YAS-62 G1 Neck Alto Saxophone SN.C6xxxx [C61674] (09/23) 1.959 EUR View details

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Sound character of the Yamaha YAS-23

Players consistently describe a warm, clear tone straight out of the box that's easy to control, with accurate intonation that helps beginners build good pitch habits early rather than fighting the instrument to stay in tune.

What owners of the Yamaha YAS-23 say

Sentiment is overwhelmingly positive and centers on an unusual combination for a student instrument: genuine durability paired with an easy, low-resistance response that smooths out the early learning curve. Reviewers specifically call out how well the brass handles knocks compared to flimsier budget competitors, and even well-worn used examples with visible lacquer wear are described as outplaying many current-production student saxophones. The honest limitation - that advancing players will eventually outgrow its tonal ceiling - comes up, but framed as a natural progression point rather than a complaint about the instrument itself.

Playability & handling of the Yamaha YAS-23

The recurring theme across reviews is sturdiness: the brass is described as structurally sound enough to take the occasional dent without the flimsy feel some cheaper student saxophones have, which matters for an instrument that will spend years in a school locker. Playability gets consistently positive marks too - low resistance and an easy response that reviewers say make the learning curve noticeably smoother, including from players switching over from clarinet. User reviews on Audiofanzine average a perfect 5 out of 5 across the reviews checked, with one buyer specifically noting no regret over the purchase at roughly 300 EUR. The one honest caveat that surfaces is that advanced players chasing fine tonal detail will eventually want a professional horn - but that's an expected limitation for an instrument built for beginners, not a flaw in what it's designed to do.

Recommended accessories & strings for the Yamaha YAS-23

A case, 4C plastic mouthpiece, ligature, mouthpiece cap, cork grease and neck strap come included, covering everything needed for lessons to start immediately. Standard saxophone upkeep applies: wiping down and swabbing after playing, reapplying cork grease at the joints, periodic pad care, and an annual service check.

Technical data for the Yamaha YAS-23

Price history for the Yamaha YAS-23

Cheapest seen: 540 EUR  ·  Most expensive seen: 1.959 EUR

The history of the Yamaha YAS-23

The YAS-23 served as Yamaha's core student alto before being succeeded by later beginner models, and remains sought after used for its Japanese manufacturing quality.

About Yamaha as a manufacturer

Yamaha entered the saxophone business in 1967 with its first alto and tenor models, the YAS-1 and YTS-1, anchoring production from 1970 at a dedicated factory in Toyooka. While the brand's intermediate YAS-52 line was built to carry the professional YAS-62's neck, bore and keywork down to a lower price point, the YAS-23 represents a different strategy entirely: a standalone student design engineered from the ground up for durability and ease of play rather than tracking a flagship model's specifications. That distinction matters for understanding where the YAS-23 fits - it's not a simplified professional horn, but a purpose-built first instrument from a company that, by the time it introduced this line, had already spent years refining what makes a saxophone genuinely easy for a beginner to learn on.