Yamaha YAS-23 Alto Saxophone / Gorgeous

For Sale is a Yamaha YAS-23 Alto Saxophone, made in Japan and in Near Mint condition.  Yamaha stopped making the YAS-23 in Japan in 2010, so it is increasingly hard to find examples of this great horn in this shape.  The instrument is exceptionally clean overall, with only a couple minor scuffs on the bell, above the logo,  no dents, and no dings.  The chrome is Excellent condition overall, clean and shiny.  The neck and cork are in excellent condition.  The Keywork and Pads are both, Excellent. 

Please be sure to check out the photographs, carefully.  I have attempted to show details from every angle.

This saxophone was professionally serviced in Early February, 2025, with the action adjusted, any leaks corrected, and the levers and mechanisms checked to good working order, regulated and properly lubricated.  The upper and lower stacks were regulated. This nearly flawless YAS-23 is in perfect working order and ready to go. 

In addition to its original Yamaha Case, the sax comes with a Yamaha 4C mouthpiece, ligature, and mouthpiece cover.  The mouthpiece has been cleaned and sterilized. 

The YAS-23 has a well-earned reputation as the perfect beginner saxophone, favored by music educators everywhere, and a sax so good that professional players use them as well.  These horns have a great, warm tone, and perfect intonation.  No longer made in Japan, the newer Yamahas (YAS-26) are made in China and just don’t measure up to the Japanese horns (they also list out at over $2400!).  

Why buy a used saxophone for your student player?  There are really two reasons; price and quality of the horn itself.  

Across the country, most school districts equip young players through “rent to own” purchases.  These purchases are predicated on the full list price of the new instrument, plus interest.  If your son or daughter sticks with the instrument,  the parent winds up paying that full list price plus interest, over time, and ends up owning a new horn made to poorer specs than the YAS-23.  If the student gives up playing the horn, the parent’s only options are to either pay off the instrument, or turn it back in to break the contract.  In the former case, you end up owning an instrument that is not worth what you have invested in it.  In the latter case, you wind up with nothing.  But, as the YAS-23s become harder to find, you can be sure that their value will only go up, and a good used instrument, properly maintained, will always be something you could resell.

The second reason to consider buying a Yamaha YAS-23 is the quality of the horn itself.  These are the best student horns available, plain and simple.  If you had three students with similar levels of experience and technical proficiency, all trying out for the school band, the one playing the better horn will sound better because the horn sounds better.  That in turn translates into opportunities to solo and stand out within the band, and that could lead to scholarships later on.  As a music educator, I can tell you from experience that the main reason students give up learning an instrument is because they are trying to do so on an instrument of inferior quality.  When the instrument sounds bad or is hard to play, the student blames him or herself, frustration sets in and soon enough, the instrument is back in the case, under the bed.

This instrument is the perfect saxophone for the beginning to advanced player, and will cost you to own, about a third of what you would spend purchasing a newer, poorly made horn, through a rent-to-own program.

This Saxophone is sold AS IS and is not returnable unless it is in a condition other than that stated here or revealed in the photos.

Serial#: 128681

Included with Sax: Yamaha Hard Case, Yamaha 4C Mouthpiece, Ligature, Mouthpiece Cover

Price:  $800.00 + $65.00 shipping (Lower 48 USA only)