Submitted 2 years ago

By David

From Madison, Wi

Reviewed at

The YDS 150 is an amazing new digital saxophone with the potential to be as revolutionary as the electric piano when if first became available. True, it is does not sound exactly the same as a standard saxophone even if it is played through a good amplifier/speaker but, it has some remarkable advantages over a "real" saxophone. It can be played through headphones without making any external sounds and when played through a speaker with other acoustic instruments the volume can be easily controlled to moderate level. One does not need to play for years to develop a proper armature and the notes are always in tune and yet, it is possible to easily bend notes to get a real bluesy sound. Using Bluetooth to connect to a smart phone one can modify the sound to a soprano, alto, tenor, or baritone sax and other synthetic sounds like harmonica, pan pipes, etc. I also love being able to transpose into different key signatures as needed and create my own fingerings for a range of 5 octaves for each instrument setting. When jamming with others or with music piped into the sax from the internet this is a game changer. I know that some YDS 150 players (see their Facebook pages) use this only as a quiet practice instrument because the fingering is very similar to a "real" sax. I see it as a new instrument and play with friends at open mics and jam at home with different music and music aps. I have played a flute in the past but, for the last 2 years I am in love with the YDS. Unfortunately this new instrument has a major design flaw with the key sensors that shows up after months of playing. I had these sensor pads replaced twice under warrantee during my first year and the YDS broke down again after the warrantee expired. I paid for a new YDS and added a 3 year warrantee extension to the purchase. From the Facebook page this appears to be a common and serious problem. Some of the notes simply stop responding or respond after a short delay which ruins the music.

Submitted 2 years ago

By Humberto

From Coral Springs, FL

Reviewed at

As a true beginner, I have found in the YDS-150 an incredible instrument that I can use to develop my music skills. I do hope that in a future firmware update, the YDS the TRANSPORTATION Function is added to the instrument itself, independent of the app.

Submitted 2 years ago

By Ralph

From France

Reviewed at

It looks like a soprano sax, well designed. It looks even better than the new model YDS 120 from my opinion even if it's more expensive. I love this hybrid design. May be you could have replaced the plastic parts with aluminium or carbon etc. When I plugged it to my amp it was beautiful. A bluetooth function to amplify the sound wouldn't be bad... Ergonomics is OK however the touch is too light; I would have prefered half weighted keys. The mouthpiece is quite good (all in one concept, mouthpiece and body would be simpler to use). The sounds are good, a mix of traditional and synth sounds. But certain sounds are too similar to each other (lack of diversity). This instrument is not perfect but generally speaking, it is a good INNOVATIVE instrument for practicing at home "in a silent way", entertainment, studio and why not live performance !

Submitted 3 years ago

By Smitty

From Chicagoland Area

Reviewed at

I haven't picked up a sax in over 20 years. I saw this wind synth on YouTube and began searching for reviews. When I learned the capabilities of this instrument, I had to get one. I love that I can switch from soprano, alto , tenor or bari at the touch of a button. This instrument is not made for playing gigs. It is a terrific practicing tool, and you can use it as a midi controller. I am VERY happy with my purchase. I hope Yamaha can provide updates and maybe give it's users new sounds to try. I highly recommend this product if you want a great practicing instrument, or if you just want to have some fun playing the saxophone.

Submitted 3 years ago

By JH61

From Roma, Italy

Reviewed at

This MIDI instrument wants to imitate a real instrument but ends up being neither one nor the other. It is too big; I never used internal speakers. It is very good for quiet playing/studying and the sax-like keyboard is great but the key quality seems poor: electrical key travel is too short and probably there are some firmware bugs on kbd management. Micro USB is not a good choice for onstage use.

This is great for pracice and playing music for different sax types. The internal speaker is on key but somewhat tinny. Usinge a wired head set sounds better for the player. The built in blue tooth is only for listening to background music playing on an iphoe. The instrument does not cotain a blue tooth transmitter. This is confusing at first. I was able to hook up a low latency blue tooth tranmitter using the head phone jack and pairing it with a low latency blue tooth receiver hooked up to a speaker and now I have great sound for an audience. This is better than the wired output.

I do not play sax, so everything I play is by ear, and it is a blast. The first extra sound I made was a bass sax and then a contrabass sax, both with that fantastic low A key.The next will be the soprillo, I think. I am able to use the Bluetooth for programming and playback through my iPhone. Another great benefit is that no you have more than double the dynamic range than you have with an acoustic instrument. You can go from a fortissimo to a real pianissimo very easily and it all stays in pitch. I don't think the people that have had problems are understanding the instructions. I am 83 and had no programming problems. I use a small rechargeable battery pack and play for hours. I hope we are able to obtain other sounds for it in the future…I have a Yamaha scooter, a Yamaha bass clarinet, and this, and love them all. Keep it up guys!!

I have played professionally for over 40 years. I bought the Yamaha YDS-150 to make gigging easier. Boy, did it ever deliver! I used to carry 4 horns to a job but now I just need ONE. This horn plays wonderfully and has a great sound. Some say it can't match acoustic horns and they are correct but it sounds close enough to use as a substitute. This horn is a pleasure to play. I really enjoy it!

I USE THIS DIGITAL SAXOPHONE TO PRACTICE MY BARITONE SAXOPHONE MUSIC. I LIVE IN A BASEMENT APARTMENT AND PRACTICING MY BARI IS NOT AN OPTION. NOW I CAN PLAY WITH OR WITH OUT HEADPHONES!

producing new music.