New Trevor James Custom
Signature Series Altos - Made in England!
I
never thought I’d say this, but I actually prefer the TJ to the Yani A9937 solid
silver!
Phosphur Bronze, T2285
When testing this saxophone I decided to compare it with a Yanagisawa A902
as this is a well-established model in a similar price bracket. I am also
very familiar with the Yani, as I have one (well, an A901).
Mouthpiece-wise, I used an Otto Link metal no. 7, with a Rico Royal 2.5 reed –
generally I think this set-up gets the right balance between a warm-sounding
jazz mouthpiece and a free-blowing reed, giving a nice ‘fruity’ and clear sound,
but with lots of body too.
Firstly, the build quality on the Custom Signatures is very satisfying and they’re made in England! The whole body is ribbed, giving stability and strength to the design. This also means there is more resonating brass, for a fuller and more powerful sound. This is the concept used for the Yamaha 62 and beyond, and for the Yani A991 and beyond, but not the A902.
The action seems very solid and precise – no double action or sponginess! The pearls are not as dished as the Yani, but still seem comfortable.
Now, the most important thing – sound! In many ways, it is similar to the A902; contemporary, bright, resonant and rich. But I’m stuck with the job of trying to describe how it differs! For me, there is a slightly more feathery-lightness to the TJ, especially at the bottom-end. Whereas the Yani seems to offer a richness in the ‘middle’ part of the sound frequency, the TJ errs on the lighter, more jazz-based sound (similar to the Selmer Series II) and particularly at the bottom-end. Of course, this is all very subjective and I had to throw each sax back and forth before being able to articulate such a difference! In order to prove to myself that I wasn’t imagining things (and to cure my insanity) I tried the Custom sax against a TJ Horn and it didn’t have nearly the same power or resonance. But this can all only be good news for Trevor James as it means that their new pro series saxes really do stand up with the best.
Rose Brass, T2280
The main difference in appearance with this model (other than the colour of the
alloy) is that it has a flared bell, which is one of the TJ options.
Although this won’t make a massive tonal difference it will certainly do
something! Once again, I spent a while going back and forth between this
sax and the TJ Bronze model. Ultimately I found it came down to a slight
difference in tone and the ‘attack’ behind the tone. The Bronze seems to
retain its nice featheriness and by comparison to the Rose Brass, seems quite
focussed in sound. The Rose Brass seems to have a tad more edge to the
‘attack’, and the follow-through sound is a little brighter and more powerful.
Rose brass is another term for ‘Red Brass’ which essentially means that the
brass alloy has a higher copper content. More copper means more
brightness!
All Solid Silver
Typically, when you convert a basic saxophone design from brass to solid silver,
the sound becomes dramatically louder, brighter and richer. For me, this
can often be too much and I end up trying to fight the brightness by adjusting
my embouchure!
I was amazed to find that the TJ Solid Silver alto actually had a sound that I could happily work with! It didn’t sound as though the ‘middle’ part of the sound frequency was on overdrive, instead it had a nice breadth to the overall tone. The obvious comparison is the Yanagisawa Solid Silver range as they are well established and cover the same metal combinations (silver/brass/bronze) as Trevor James. I never thought I’d say this, but I actually prefer the TJ to the Yani A9937 solid silver!
Solid Silver Neck and
Bell, Brass Body
Again, similar in many ways to the fully solid silver, this model has the same
velvety richness and breadth of sound. I suppose the sound is just a
little more subdued and contained. The obvious Yani sax to compare this
model with was the A9932Z (silver crook, bell and bronze body).
My guess was that the Yani would sound ‘fuller’ (due to the bronze body) but, again, I was surprised by the TJ. For me, it still won on sound! In terms of key action both TJ instruments feel comfortable and natural. Perhaps some people might prefer the dished pearls and slightly ‘poppier’ pads on the Yani design, but overall this didn’t bother me.
The Yani may look more luxurious, with its incredible fine engraving on the bell and crook and its underslung octave key, but the TJ actually sounds broader in tone to me. The Yani has more of a sweet focus in its tone and this is what makes it so popular among many players, particularly classical musicians. Perhaps a way of summarising the TJ is that it is a solid silver design more suitable for jazz, and this suits me very nicely!
Shortly after testing these saxes I spoke to Dave Farley, the main technician at Trevor James in their Maidstone workshop, and put my views across to him. He attributed much of the sound to the design of their crooks (necks) and the individual attention they pay to the pad venting. The crooks have a more open design and a broader taper within the bore.
My overview is that Trevor James have a winner here, and it’s British!
Jim Cheek. saxophones.co.uk March 2005.