Interesting fact ... because of those same packaging/space restrictions, a curved soprano flew on the space shuttle. Played by Ronald McNair during mission STS-41B. Sadly, he was later lost with the rest of the crew with Challenger, STS-51L.

Nice to see the curved soprano getting some love! I’ve played one made by Yanagisawa for nearly 20 years now. I love how the sound comes back at you versus a straight model. Since it’s relatively unique, it generates questions from the audience too.

I've been itching to find a pro sax player review the jean paul sop and my prayers have just been answered

Of course, you sound fantastic on all sopranos. In the low/middle register I cannot tell the difference. In the upper range the sound of the Yanagisawa is much richer though. Great video!

If I was Jay travelling with one of the horns it would be the Singer's Day. It sounds pretty good (with the Jody Jazz piece) and won't break your heart when it gets stolen at the airport or out of your car. I have an Allora that sounded like a wounded duck with the stock mouthpiece. I got a piece from Soprano Planet that makes all the difference.

this video has come to me whilst i was looking for curves sopranos... it’s a sign!

I have a curved Cannonball soprano. I play tested a curved back to back with a straight, and fell in love with the curved sax right away. I know from a distance they sound more or less the same, but for me (the one who's playing it), the curved has so much better feedback and since I'm almost always the only one listening to it, hard to say no. Also, Cannonball puts the bell keys on the opposite side, so you have no clearance issues what so ever with the right hand, which is nice.

The sound of the Singer facinates me.

Why do you exactly upload this during my search for a curved soprano 😳

Thank you, my friend, for posting this video. I have no doubt that I am the only one who requested of you by e-mail this specific comparison of expensive vs inexpensive curved sopranos, so I feel honored to see that you should answer my request and so promptly. In fact, there are many mid-priced curvies out there that were not taken into consideration, (e.g., Phil Barone, International Woodwind, etc @ $1600-2500) so I would be curious to know whether they are any better than the cheapies that you have mentioned., but I am grateful that you have taken the time to make this comparison of three models. The problem is that one cannot just walk into a music store and expect to find and play-test a curved soprano, as they are usually special-order items, as you know. Then again, most players online do not seem to take them seriously anyway, but rather see them as cute little novelty instruments to complement their collection, and consequently do not address the usual intonation issue, but just try to compensate with the embouchure. Then, when you DO find someone online that owns one model or another, he is usually an intermediate-level player, leaving us wondering whether he is really able to make a good evaluation anyway. Since I sent you that e-mail requesting this comparison video to be made, back about March, I guess, I have since bought a Kessler Custom (a.k.a. Chateau) and a Jean-Paul (brass) like yours, and have been disappointed with both of them for the following reasons: 1. The neck angle is very important to me. The vintage curvies had a sharp angle, and was much more comfortable. Today the Yanagisawas and the Jean-Paul have a somewhat sharp angle, which is good, but the Kessler (Chateau) and most of the others out there opt for the shallow angle (like the Singer's Day), which is uncomfortable. To make matters worse, with the bell pointing upward as on an alto, the sound now comes back directly in your face, making it TOO loud in many cases, as others have mentioned. On the other hand, the jean-Paul and the Yanagisawa have the bell tipped further away from the player horizontally, and in conjunction with the steeper neck angle, the result is that they do not present the problem of giving "too much" volume feedback to the player, which is the one good point of the Jean-Paul. 2. However, intonation is more important than comfort. The Kessler intonation is "fair," and the Jean-Paul intonation is "poor." I was surprised to see that you did not hardly mention that issue. As I've said already, many musicians do not take curvies very seriously anyway as their main instrument, when they prefer to play tenor or alto for example, so they just learn to "lip up" or "lip down" the notes that play out of tune, and choose not even to mention the issue as a flaw. I am told that even the vintage curvies had this problem. Consequently, the SC991 and the SCWO10 are said to play in very good tune compared with most others, and especially the SCWO10. Do I just have a dud from the Jean-Paul factory or what? I mean, it is not noticeable to the average non-musician in the audience, but I am sure it is to any musician. I mean all notes might play well except for middle C, for example, or middle C#, which screws up everything. I never had that problem on other horns. Otherwise I have to push way in on the mouthpiece, and expand my oral cavity, and get slightly better results. However, my experience with the Jean-Paul, during the past five months of continual use, is that it has SERIOUS intonation problems, when not compensated with the embouchure. I had played an Antigua Winds straight soprano and a Yanagisawa s901 straight, and neither had intonation problems with any good mouthpiece, but the Jean-Paul does. And yes, I noticed the RH fingers colliding with the bell keys, as well. And, of course, be prepared to find yourself blowing out excess saliva from the palm key tone holes and from the two octave vents, throughout your performance, every 30 minutes. Something about the angle must be the culprit, because I did not have to clean out the saliva this much on the straight sopranos. But if the Singer'sDay has a shallow neck-angle, I'm afraid I'm not willing to sacrifice a sharper angle for better sound.

Great video. I played a curved soprano and the ‘feedback’ from the player’s perspective and the ergos of holding the curved soprano closer to the body made me fall back in love with soprano playing. I bought a Schagerl bronze curved soprano (Taiwan). It’s a wonderful horn.

I want a fancy lit shelf dedicated to mouthpieces haha

I got one last year. I found as I get older, it got too painful to hold up a straight. With the curved my shoulders can relax. On a budget I got an allora, around the same price as the two you reviewed. With a Eugene Roseau mouthpiece and now the legere reeds you reviewed.... life changing. I can enjoy playing soprano again

Thank you Jay! I am considering getting a soprano sax, and I decided on a curved ss, exactly for the reason you brought out -- size when flying! As far as the play test, I honestly could not hear difference worth $4000. I'm sure the Yani has a better feel, etc. Between the less expensive models I preferred the Singer's Day. I would consider getting a Jean-Paul or a Singer's Day, if I could find one I could play test before buying (-- not so easy in Romania). This summer I have the opportunity to buy a (Chinese-Korean-German) Karl Glaser soprano sax, which I would not do if I had to order it on-line, but I have the opportunity to play test it before purchasing. On verra!

The Singer's day curved soprano seems to have more rounded sound, I will choose Singer's day

Just picked up a returned gold lacquer Jean Paul curved soprano for $300. Love that little rascal. Amazing how they can produce such a good horn for an affordable price.

I am using singer's day Alto and Curved soprano. Great to know you're reviewing singer's day. 👍

The Singer's Day SDSC-2013 Curved Soprano Saxophone is is my choice, I like the warm and focus sound !

Just bought another tenor myself and told my girlfriend it was 200 buck 😂😂

Jay: "You can't really hear much of a difference in the recording" Inevitably, some commenters: "Oh mY GoD, the YaNaGiSAWA sOUndS SO00OOOO much BeTteR" (mortgages house) Let's be real... the sound difference is so minimal. Unless you already are making a living playing soprano and need a work tool, you most certainly will best spend your extra money on a decent mouthpiece and some lessons. I'm not much of soprano player, but I spent something like $150 on the cheapest ebay curved soprano I could find, got it adjusted, and it's worked fine for the last 10 years or so. Sounds pretty much like any of the ones in this video (minus the whole skills issue, of course).

I play tenor as my main, and bari as my second in line. And over the past year I’ve begun to pick up a curved soprano and a clarinet and it’s so fun to double. Happy Saxophone playing everyone

I've been playing the Cannonball sopranos for almost 20 years now. It is a mid grade version, less than half the cost of the Yani, but I really like the ergonomics as I am getting more arthritic, and I have always liked the way they play and sound. I play an arc rather than the curve and always use the curved neck for the richer tone. I also love the Jody Jazz mouthpiece.

Ok, singer's day is the one to go for. the sound at this price point almost unreal

I’ve recently purchased a Jean Paul curved soprano, and I love it. It fits my fingers well and I can get a really nice sound out of it. The model I have costs about A$1115 without shipping which is the most I would pay for it. I’ve played sax for about 15 years now and in my opinion the Jean Paul USA saxophones are amazing for their price.

I was legitimately thinking about getting the Jean Paul one for a bout a month now and this helped with my decision on whether or not I should get it. Thanks BetterSax! Curved soprano here I come😂

The Yani sounds the warmest. The Singers Day doesn't too bad, sort of a close second and it certainly is much better than the Jean Paul.

The fact that most Soprano have a straight bell is what attracted me to it. Even a used Yani is over 2K which is out of my price range since I am a novice and that's why I wouldn't be able to tell the difference in a blind test.

The Yani and the Singer's day sound almost identical, only thing is the Singer's day sounds like it's a struggle to play high notes. Yani all the way. Jean Paul is a bit darker then the other two. I play a Jean Baptiste and had it for over 9yrs and still have it. 🎷

I love the curved soprano sax. I’m so glad you did this comparison!!

Jay you sound fantastic on soprano! You should play it more!

I still love this video! Helped me purchase my curved soprano a year ago! I actually liked the Singers day sound the best in the blind test. I didn't like the straight neck on it though. The Jean Paul had low quality sound imo. Even though it had the more curved neck and cheaper price I couldn't buy it. I ended up purchasing the Conn SC650 Curved Soprano for $714. It was listed over $1,000 on another site. It has great ergonomics and sound. The only complaint I've had is one sticky key that messes with part of the octave key. But I'm happy that it had the best of both worlds and still the same price range.

Awesome video again Jay!!! I've been looking for an affordable and reliable curved sop for years now and am so glad you've decided to put up a comparison video. Sounding great by the way!

Finally!!! I play curved soprano mine is an international woodwind saxophone

Thanks for you wonderful and inspiring videos, also you are such a warm hearted man! sopranos: intonation on a soprano is such a difficult task in itself. The Yanagisawa is so much better, you hit the tune instantly right and no readjustment is needed, you sound so lightly and easy with the Yanagisawa, what i think is very important, and worth the price, also for beginners it is very frustrating to master the intonation on a soprano. If a beginner can afford a Yanagisawa, this would be a great help to get in love with a soprano

Currently I'm playing a Lazarro Sorpano Sax with a Jody jazz HR * mouthpiece. Jay it's the player and the mouthpiece that makes the difference man.

It's kind of funny how I made my way back to this video. The time goes by so quickly. I started my son playing with my old Bundy alto, which should have had a complete repad/adjusting the day it was given to me. I had it completely gone over and it never played that way for me before that. But he wa asking me if we could get a better sax (no pun intended). I told him we couldn't afford it at the time. A bit later I pulled it out and was playing some Dave Koz music and really having some fun. He came to me with his jaw on the floor and said he never knew that Bundy could sound so good. The teaching moment! It isn't the instrument that makes the musician, it's the musician that makes the instrument (you all understand what I'm saying). A good musician can make practically any playable instrument sound good. My son finished his degree in music and is now teaching. 😁 He learned a great lesson that day.

I really love my singer's day straight soprano. Glad to hear their curved model is pretty good too. I'm hoping to pick up their tenor sometime soon (it's the only sax I don't own) so if you ever get a chance to review their tenor I would love to see that!

This video couldn't have come out at a better time! Just 2 days back I was going through the Jean Paul and Thomann websites comparing their models. The Thomann TCS 350 looked like a pretty good comparison against the JP and I was trying to find more in-depth reviews online. Thank You sir Jay for your amazing work and impeccable timing ! 😀

Jay, you could play a sock and make it sound brilliant !

I have a Cecilio curved soprano saxophone in black lacquer. It's price tag is fairly reasonable at approximately $300.00 - $400.00. I also added a "klanbogen" by ReedGeek (around $100.00) which has really enhanced the resonance.

Of course the Yani has a great tone, Singers Day would be my second choice. The S.D. Is close second. I’m hearing a little bit more whine in the Jean Paul that I don’t care for in a soprano. But for 700 bucks you can’t seem to go wrong with the Singers Day for a budget Dax.

I bought one straight from a Chinese factory via AliExpress, no problems or leaks as far as I can tell. I figured it went well with the tenor and "little sax" as they're all in Bb.

The Singer's Day really fills up the room with sound. It really sings.

Beautiful video! You explain the complicated world of Curved Soprano Saxes very clearly. In fact, we go from a multitude of economic (Chinese) tools to professional ones, and there is little or nothing at an intermediate level (and even price). I have a straight professional sax and would also like a curved one, but without spending a fortune. I'm in serious trouble. I would be grateful for a suggestion.

This was awesome!!! You make the cheaper ones sound expensive.

Thanks so much for the video because I didn't realized about the different neck curvatures. I'm very much in the market for a curved soprano, but the the choices are overwhelming (Windcraft, Allora, P.Mauriat, Cannonball, Kessler & Sons, Growler, Oleg, Musikwerks, Avalon, Sky Music, K. Blumen, Schiller, Jean Paul, Singers Day, Yany).

Update over a year later: I purchased a Yani SC-WO20 and am very happy with it. I've been on the hunt for a Curved Sop for the same reasons that you have yours, it's a great travel size. I'd like to try a Yani. The key thing to me is ergonomics and the trouble with that is everyone's hands are a different size. So what's great for you, may not be great for me. I've tried a bunch already, I've found some that had great right pinky positioning but terrible left pinking positioning and then some that were opposite to this. I need to find something that has both covered well for me. I'm hoping the Yani covers that for me because it's about the last of my choices. The main reason ergonomics is important because I won't be playing it a lot, I don't want to have to relearn muscle memory because this one has something in a weird position compared to my other saxes because I won't be playing it a lot. So I just want to be able to pick up and play and not have to fight the instrument because that just won't be fun.

Jay , ;) I have a very vintage ( 1915 ) York & Sons ) Curved Soprano Sax...... AND I am simply thrilled to own it , as well as to occasionally - playing it ..... I also have the Alto , Tenor as well as the C-Melody ! + the Bari !! All of them being of the York family .

Send the Yanagisawa back make your wife happy. Take her on a nice vacation with the price difference. Sound wise, here in my recording studio, there are minor differences but none that would warrant one to cost, more than a few hundred dollars at most, more or less than the other. They sounded wonderful. So go surprise your wife.... take her on a Cruise even with the money you saved.... possibly and probably you both might be happier!!....??? : ) Singers my choice!

The Yani sounds the best to me, the Singer comes in a close second

The Monique curved soprano I bought off eBay 24 years ago is still holding well. Only one adjustment was needed after 10 years in. Not bad for $800 bucks!

You seemed to have a lot more control over the yani. The Jean Paul was pretty bright in comparison, and the signers day wasn’t that bad, although you didn’t seem to have the same consistency in the tone

It's an American myth that all Chinese instruments are bad or don't last as long as European and American made horns. I bought my Taishan baritone 7 years ago and have used it on several recordings and a lot of (paid) live gigs. No problems with durability, it's in better tune than most other horns. Many Chinese fabrics have made instruments with lower quality for years, but they are constantly working on improving their products - perhaps a lot faster and more systematic than most other brands.

They're so small, so cute🤗

The Yani and Singers Day sound similar but the Yani has a better sound overall but in the blind test, I couldn't really tell which was which. I got a curved soprano recently as I wanted one for ergonomic reasons as I don't like the weight of holding a straight soprano. my main saxophone is a Yanagisawa AWO2 and I play alto more than soprano, but I always wanted a soprano sax and having played a Conn-Selmer Avant DSS-200 for a year and not liking the weight of holding it, I wanted a curved soprano, so I sold it and after searching around I decied to get a Windcraft WCS-210 from Dakwes Music in the UK. It is made in Tawain and comes with a Yamaha 4C and standard brass 2 screw ligature and x2 Gonzalez reeds. The case is quite nice, and reminded me of a Yamaha saxophone case. I only had it a few days but it seems well made with no key movement. I have to get used to the left hand pinky keys as they are mre angled to the left so they are in the same position as the left hand side palm keys which is different than most other saxophones I have seen or played. I played it for two days and it plays well and is freeblowing with a warm sound using a Eugene Rousseau Studio Jazz SJ6 and a Selmer Concept. I find the curved sopranos have a fuller tone than straight sopranos but the tuning takes more work as you have bends in the body compared to a straight soprano. The only issues I had with it was that the left hand pinky keys and the neck didn't seal well causing an air leak so I had to send it back to get fixed before I can play it properly but it has a 1 year month warrenty amd a 14 day return if I didn't like it, which is good.

Great video Jay !!! I have gone through the same thing as you did. Btw, almost no difference in sound, but you looked more confortable on the Yany. Thank you !!

I have a Polyphonic Spectrogrameter and all 3 are so similar it makes do difference. It's exactly like ya said, it's the Musician that makes the Music not the instrument. the very very slite variations will be like you said, the mouth piece material and geometry, The Reed Material and Geometry, and the Key Receiver and Bell material and Geometry. It boils down to Musician, Geometry & Material (Silver vs Brass/Bamboo vs Plastic)

omg i love this videos o make comparing sax prices and quality! will you do one for tenor sax?

The Singer is my favourite. It has a much "jazzier" sound to it. I bought myself the Muriat semi-curved.

Since I went Yani, I haven’t looked back. Got SC992 7years ago for the same travel portability and ‘in-your-face’ feedback reasons among others like built quality, ergo, tone etc. I love the warmer tone of the bronze too. Maybe some pro players stick with straight sop for their pro (sax) ‘look’ and unspoken image (among colleagues) on stage. I love my Series III as well but not not more than 992. You can guess what my next bari brand will be next month....shi...don’t tell my wife 😉

I always enjoy your videos and thanks for this one too. I'm a semi pro player and been playing many years. All my instruments are Yamaha including a violin. Agreed its the musician 99%. Yascha Heiferz probably the greatest violinist on the planet. He had a several million dollar Stradivarius. I remember after playing the Tchaikovsky concerto, a lady in the foyer after his performance said Mr.H your violin sounds so amazing. He put his ear to the 'f' hole and replied 'funny, I don't hear anything!'. I was offered a mint 1950's Mk6 tenor for £9k. I tried it and was pleased to get back to my YTS 280 Yamaha.... Keep making these videos. Your a really good musician... Regards John UK

I play a lovely Rampone and Cazzani curved soprano!

I have a really cheap Vento, bought it new in 2016 for $600. It's sound it super bright more like the 3rd one you tested.

Great video! Thank you Jay, curved soprano is my favorite sop.

Would be interesting to see how these compare to the inexpensive Ammoon soprano, especially since I took a gamble and picked one up last year and lucked out, it was even nicer than the one you got.

Sounds almost same, but I tink yanagisawa 1 , Jean paul and third single day ... greetings from California ✌🏻👍🏻

The travel restrictions to carry-on luggage apply sometimes but I have been able to get through multiple airports and fly internationally with my Alto Jean Baptiste saxophone. Maybe I won't be able to get away with it on a tenor but I find that a nice smile and a good attitude opens many doors with the airport 😁 authorities and anyone in general. Side note, you never posted which sax was which on the blind test. Great video 📸 🎷😊

My Oddessy has been brilliant for the money, and sounds great with a nice tone. Less trouble than my Yamaha, and the finish and operation cannot be faulted so far (12 months)

Maybe it was because Jay was more warmed up or something, but the Singer's Day really stood out to me and is my clear favorite. Trained sax players will probably disagree.

A word of caution, which may appear in other posts and I just didn't see it: The curved Yani is probably one of the most counterfeited saxes on the market today. (I just bought a real 992 curvie and it is truly amazing!!)

A "curvy" has been on my wish list for a while, and I've always had a thing for a silver sax. To me, the Yani does stand out in the first full demo when you take it up the register, where the JP and Singer sound just a bit stuffy up there in comparison. But to your point, almost imperceptible among the three. Very tempting since the JP and Singer are about the price of a new smartphone. Thanks for doing this video.

For travel curved soprano is best, I prefer them over the straight ones.

If you're an older player get a curved. I used to play a soprano when I was in my thirties. I got one a year ago, and even with the strap, it killed my fingers, to the point that I sold it. When I was young, I never even thought of that. Now, well into my 60's, get a curved soprano, much more comfortable.

Hi Jeff. Well, I travel since 2017 around Brazil playing with my alto on my unicycle. Caring in it makes me think about buying one Curved Soprano, thinking about selling then my alto and only travel caring the soprano, but... I bout one curved soprano "Mitchell" obviously Chinese... and now... I travel with bought!!! Lol!!!

YESSSS been waiting for this video forever!!!!

Thanks for the video, im guessing that "C" is the Yanagisawa. Its initial note seemed clearer and more responsive. Being at the lower note range I hypothesize that the expense makes this difference. 8>)

I’m still waiting for a better sax straight alto

I have a question. If one expensive sax vs one cheaper sax is no different from the other given they are (somewhat) equal if not similar, why charge so much if it doesn't matter. In other words what exactly are we paying for, especially if intonation depends on the player ultimately?

I picked up an excellent condition SC992 on reverb for 3k.... Bronze bell-- LOVE it!!!

Can't wait for when you review bass saxophones, have to do them all.

Thank you Jay, I was waiting for such a video from you for a very long time! Looking forward hearing you playing more the soprano Yanagisawa. I also chose this soprano (SC-W20) mainly for it’s hand baggage size (next to its sound of course). ☺️

I always have a 'mid-price' curved soprano (I've tried a few !) hiding behind my bari in the big band - nobody ever expects a curved sop solo from the bari player, heheh... ;-) They all need good embouchure control, and usually a bit of lipping at the extremes... Great video, thanks !

Which do you recommend? Jean Paul curved Soprano or Conn SC650 curved soprano?

I play on yanagisawa sc-9937 in orchestra and it's a nuclear bomb in curved soprano, especially good for jazz music compared to my selmer serie 3. Thanks for the video,Jay!

I Like the brightness of the Jean Paul; it sounds more like a soprano.

Great review. I was actually expecting also some comments on the tuning of the instruments. To my understanding the tuning of sopranos, and especially curved sopranos can be off on the cheaper instruments making them (even) harder to play in tune than the more expensive instruments. Listening to the fragments I sensed some difference especially in the high notes, but hard to judge on a short piece of music. I would really like to know your perception as a player. Did you have to correct a lot more on the cheaper instruments to play in tune? I personally play a Selmer Mark III (straight) soprano but always been tempted to add a curved soprano to my collection.

In my painfully amateur opinion the curved soprano layout is cute as a bug. Aside from that, well, I can't think of anything good to say about the soprano. Sure is cute, though.

All three sound sweet

What a beautiful melody!!!

It would be interesting to do a comparison with a vintage horn. I bought a curved 1922 Buescher a few years ago which has a great sound but is very difficult to intonate so I bought a Yanagisawa recently (2nd hand) which plays much easier but which has a slightly less "interesting" sound

As a repair tech, after the considerations listed here, ie ergonomics, tuning etc, the issue is can I fix it? Many of the inexpensive saxophones have softer materials and are more prone to key bending just thru regular handling. . Another issue is tone hole flatness. While you can adjust a pad in the cup to deal with a tone hole that is not flat I believe that the pads will wear faster and it is much more difficult to address normal wear and tear leaks. Leveling toneholes is a bit of a job made more difficult by the size of a soprano. I have not seen either the Singers Day or the Jean Paul soprano. I have worked on a Singers Day Baritone. While obviously a Yani copy the issues mentioned place it squarely in the "it is ok and I hope I can fix it " box. Not something I would give to a younger player. However, for those wanting a taste of what a soprano would be like in your life it sounds as if either of these would be fine to start with. Just as an after thought I always tell people that sax repairs have paid off my mortgage. Keep your horn serviced!! It is cheaper in the long run and you will have a better playing experience. As usual a thanks to Jay for his assessment. As another commented you can make anything sound great.

Always helpful and well produced content! Congrats. The Yanagisawa stands out specially in the upper range. Surprising how small the diference is considering the price range difference though. The blind test made it a bit clearer to me, but still...

I just bought a $250 USD Lauren LSS100 straight soprano just to have around to play in gigs for assorted clarinet/trumpet parts. It plays great and is yet another example of expensive isn't always better

The curved soprano saxophone is easier on your shoulders. The Yanagashiwa soprano saxophone is the Rolls Royce of saxophones. Jay, this is another great video. I am about to buy one for myself. I admit that I don't have a wife to explain to. You get what you pay for...!😅🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂😅😎

I would choose Yanagisawa and Singer. The higher octave sounds smoother

I love curvy sopranos!

Hi Jay, so far I like the Singers Day the best, at least much better than the Jean Paul.

They all sound great but I'd say the singer is number 1, the other two are tied for second.... amazing sound for the price!

Interesting! Bob Wilber had such a different sound on his curved soprano sax. These still don't sound the way I'm used to hearing a soprano. Maybe because Bob was a clarinet player too (?).

Jean Paul all the way. I’m buying one.