Yamaha YVS-120 Venova Alto Wind Instrument (White)

Really not a bad sound at all. You do need to have a good sax embouchure to get a good sound, so if you are a beginner or lapsed sax player like me then you will have to work hard on developing this and it can sound unpleasant quite often.

It seems a bit better at playing in tune than the soprano venova. It has a "half hole" key to facilitate the F# fingering which is really welcome as the soprano relies much more on changing embouchure to get this note. The half hole unfortunately makes the f# a bit woolly sounding. Might have been nicer to have a different system, perhaps a side key that opened up a full hole in the correct place. However, with an increase in air pressure the sound is acceptable.

Ab and Bb which are a bit problematic on the soprano are played with cross fingering but sound well and are fairly in tune. All other sharps/flats are pretty good using the keys lower down.

Getting a clear sound in the upper octave can be challenging, certainly harder than a sax, but possible with some work and embouchure adjustment.

I'd recommend switching to a familiar alto mouthpiece and reed to make it easier to play. The mouthpiece and plastic reed it comes with are OK, but better to have something you are used to.

All in all a good investment - not too expensive and light and portable. Just don't impose it on a listening public until you have got used to it!

Yamaha have done well to research the physics of the Saxophone and, by using folded sound tubes, have produced a compact instrument without the complication of all the keys and links of a real Saxophone. Ideal for someone wanting to learn and understand the woodwind family.