Yani 991s are far superior to the 901 series. I've tried them both and have happily been playing on a Yani 991 about 8-10 hours a day for the last 5 years (God bless college!). The Keilwerth are great horns as well, beware of some of the keywork issues on the Keilwerths though. My buddy had one that had adjustable palm keys so you can set them to your own height. Sounds great huh? Not so much, they don't stay tight after a couple months of serious playing and your palm keys start moving around. The sound out of Keilwerths is something else though. Very vibrant overtones because of the larger bore of the instrument, just a different sound compared to anything else out there right now. I'd say check out the Yani 991 and the Keilwerth SX90s and go based on comfort and ease of playing. They are close in price and definitely under your price range. Make sure you try a couple because all manufacturers have issues from time to time, although Yani and Keilwerth are fairly reliable in their construction. If you get a chance check out the new Yamaha Custom EXs (legit) and Customs Z (jazz). These horns are about the same price and worlds ahead in sound, far better then the troublesome Selmer Series IIIs.

Yes, definetly a huge difference in the 901s and 991s. Am I the only one who is amazed by the 9933? I would agree that the Z is more narrowed to jazz, but I find the 875 EX to be quite versatile. While I usually just use it for legit, and a couple other saxes for jazz, I've put my jazz setups on it and found it to work quite well. It was though aimed more to the classical player, because of the features, I believe. So if you're doing both jazz and legit, don't shy away from the EX.

yeah, but i really dont like a bright tone. yamahas and the series III are known to be really bright. i really liked the Yanigasawa i tried at Rayburns (i forget what model it was....=( ), and i really liked the Keilwerth i tried too. the unlaquered yamaha Z wasnt as bright, and i liked that one too..... i'm doing mostly jazz by the way too. i play trumpet in concert band and marching band. alto sax is for jazz band. i'm lead this year, and it really sux that i have a crappy horn cuz every1 can hear my every note....i really really need a horn thatz better than my beginner alpine(which is almost everything, lol). all the guys see me as the "little freshman girl who plays sax", so i gotta prove them wrong. but then again, district auditions are more legit.....

Maybe a Selmer II; they are supposed to much more dark than a III.

i think the series IIIs were a mistake they fall apart pretty badly IMHO i wouldnt get one

but Woodwind Brasswind has it for 33 or 34 hundred, less than the ref, and I believe Saxforte matches and or beats prices, wwbw will beat the price of your original site and Samash will beat those prices. because of the price drops at wwbw, the model your looking for might be less expensive than the samash price. they will match or beat it, and therefore, give you an even lower price.

YAS 875: I primarily play tenor (1959 MVI and a ser II) but have a YAS 875 alto I double on. I picked up a hard rubber Phil Barone New York M5 and what a difference: Fat & Lush. Lower register almost sounds like a tenor. Action is very crisp along with good intonation.

what's the difference between the 875 and the 875ex?

The 875ex has something extra. That's what the ex stands for. I haven't a clue what it is. Check out the Yamaha website.

I'll throw out my ideas too... I'm playing on a Selmer SA80 series II. I like it a lot, seems to be able to transition very well in various styles and tones, BUT I am a new fanatic of Rampone & Cazzani. Talk to Mathew at Sax Forte about that one. They are known to be more fat and dark in the tonal colors. Rampone makes two different models, the R1 and R1 Jazz. The jazz is the same as the R1, but made out of "red brass" instead of "yellow brass." The "red" has a high copper content, making it more dark, and the bore is, as I understand, even larger than the Keilwerth, making it even fatter and "darker." I've got the R1 silver curved soprano that I'll NEVER EVER try to replace with anything. I absolutely love it! I like the fact that I can make it brighter when I want to (it's the yellow brass) but usually it's WAY fat and full bodied, as dark as I want it to be. That's my opinion... and the only R&C I've played is the curved soprano (superior instrument to any curved model out there as far as I'm concerned!) Hope that helps you... and let us all know if you should ever try an R&C alto. I'd like to know how they are.

aren't those expensive

okay, i checked those out and they're not that bad when it comes to price. it only sucks that people that don't live in italy have almost no chance of ever being able to try one, unless they're on a trip and run by the place.