I bought this horn in January 2004, trying out many different horns including the Selmer References and the Series 3. Immediately I knew this horn had the perfect feel, sound, and touch. I use it to play in concert band, jazz band, and jazz combo. In all of these groups, I use the Custom mouthpiece that came with the horn(Yamaha 4CM)which is a very versatile piece and is very similar to the Selmer S-80 C*. Many people who are professional musicians say that this is the next Mark VI. I recommend this horn to anyone wanting to find a great horn at a very reasonable price. All the quality you would expect from Yamaha with the perk of Selmer heritage.

I've had my silver-plated 82Z for about 3 months now, and I am still amazed by it. The tone is so pure and beautiful, the action and handling is perfect. The only thing I don't like is the stock mouth piece. The tip opening is way too small for my liking. I'm am playing the horn with a 5* Otto-link metal and it just rocks. If you want an outstanding horn that will last you a life-time, and you can afford it, go with the Z

I just received my yts82zin black today. Man everything that you read about in these reviews are true. I have been playing on this horn for only a few hours and the tone just keeps sounding better on it everytime I play it. I've played both the Selmers series 2 and 3 and I think these are better. I would recommend it to all sax players looking for a good horn to try these out first. These horns do live up to there names. Hitting the altissimo notes on this horn is so easy that its unbelievable. I really do recommend this horn to all sax players regardless of what kind of music you listen to.

I am a former owner of a Yamaha 62 tenor, and I used it in rock ensembles instead of my mark VI, because it cut better than the Selmer. It did not otherwise thrill me, and I had long since washed my hands of Yamaha due to its extreme edge and lack of color in the sound. I was at the music store last week looking at a Selmer Reference 54, a Series II, and two Series III tenors with different lacquer treatments. The salesman pulled out a Custom Z tenor for me "just to try". I wasn't going to play the Yamaha, but he HAD brought in a tenor from France for me, so I humored him. Boy am I glad I did! This horn played the closest I have ever heard to my 1954 Mark VI, and it felt already broken in! As expected, the action was better than the Selmer, and the intonation was perfect. This is what Yamaha is good at. What I didn't expect, was how MUCH faster the Z played, and that the sound was much more like an old Mark VI than any of the Selmers I had in front of me. It was amazingly free blowing from top to bottom. The tone had color I didn't expect from a Yamaha, and it was even in width from the very top of altissimo, to low b flat. The other thing that surprised me that it was a darker sound than even the reference selmer. As far as projection and focus, I guess the Selmer was the winner in some ranges, particularly the upper range. I expected the reverse to be true. I feel that because of the even-ness of the tone of the Z, I can more predictably get the sound I'm looking for, and adjust my playing - once, rather than adjust it by register, as I'd have to do with a new Selmer. Note: The hype about these horns was unknown to me until I came home and looked it up on the internet - if you're looking for a vintage horn experience out of a new tenor, the Z is it. Period.

This is an incredible horn. It is very free blowing and allows the player to get that certain sound that they are looking for. The keywork is very responsive and smooth, a must for any professional player. I have played on a mark VI and a reference, and the Yamaha Custom 82Z performed better than both. I am very pleased with my horn (lacquered) and it will be good to me for years to come. Great job Yamaha!