Yanagisawa BWO1 Baritone Saxophone

Yanagisawa BWO1 Baritone Saxophone

The New Reference Point for Professional Baritone

The BWO1 is Yanagisawa's professional baritone saxophone — a handmade instrument that sets a new benchmark for power, sensitivity, and playability in its class. Based on the legendary B901, the BWO1 represents a ground-up redesign, featuring a new neck, improved ergonomics throughout the key-work, and reworked tone holes that take intonation stability to a new level. Like every Yanagisawa, it is crafted entirely by hand in Japan.

Baritone saxophones have long been known for consistency and a full, commanding voice. The BWO1 inherits that tradition while pushing it forward — delivering an instrument that is as versatile and free-blowing as it is powerful.

Sound & Response

The BWO1 is built for players who need to fill a room. Its lighter single-post-to-body construction allows the instrument to resonate more freely, enabling a massive sound with excellent response. Tone holes with revised dimensions and positioning give the horn exceptionally accurate intonation across the full range, from a deep, resonant low A all the way up to a commanding high F#.

For players who favor edge and projection — big band, jazz, and funk contexts especially — the BWO1's un-ribbed body construction delivers the brightness and bark that cutting through an ensemble demands.

Key Mechanism & Ergonomics

Yanagisawa has redesigned multiple elements of the baritone key-work for the BWO1, resulting in an instrument that feels remarkably nimble for its size.

Redesigned Right Hand Pinky Keys: The angle of the right-hand pinky keys has been revised for smoother, more natural fingering in fast passages.

Side Bb & C Key Feet: Additional feet have been added beneath the side Bb and C levers, along with mechanical optimizations for producing these notes with greater ease.

Fluororesin Octave Mechanism: Yanagisawa's fluororesin non-stick coating ensures a reliable octave-key action with no stickiness, even after years of heavy playing.

C# – Bb Rocking Key: The C# and Bb keys feature a rocking table/seesaw mechanism that allows for optimal speed and fluidity between keys.

Redesigned Low A Thumb Key: The low A thumb key has been newly designed for smoother, more comfortable fingering in the instrument's lowest register.

Sway-Free F-Auxiliary Key: This mechanism ensures a proper seal of the pads when playing in the low range of the saxophone, stabilizing tone production where baritone players need it most.

White Shell Key Touches: Indented mother-of-pearl key touches provide a natural fit and feel under the hand, and are less slippery than plastic.

Neck Pipe Plate: A new plate has been added to the front of the neck pipe, tightening the sound from the middle to high registers.

Repositioned Strap Ring:  The strap ring has been repositioned for a more balanced, comfortable playing experience.

Newly Designed Right-Hand Key Guard : An exclusive addition to the baritone range, this guard protects the player during playing and prevents clothing from catching in the mechanics.

Construction Highlights

Single-Post-to-Body Construction: Posts are individually soldered directly to the body tube, resulting in a lighter instrument that resonates more freely for an open, responsive sound with a characteristic edge and projection.

Blue Steel Springs: Blue steel springs are more efficient and hold tension more effectively than stainless steel, enhancing key action throughout the instrument.

Tri-Point Balanced Bell Brace: The bell and body are firmly linked by a three-point balanced brace, ensuring structural resilience and focused resonance even when playing fortissimo.

Metal Resonators: Metal resonators are an improvement from the standard plastic, adding clarity to the tone and improving response across the whole dynamic range.

Waterproof Air-Tight Pads: Yanagisawa's waterproof pads are airtight, providing complete confidence in the instrument's tonal integrity, while the waterproof material offers a greatly extended pad life.

Hand-Engraved Bell: Each Yanagisawa saxophone is hand-engraved by highly skilled craftsmen, lending the BWO1 a distinctive, artisanal character.

Who Is It For?

The BWO1 is an ideal choice for players who need a reliable, free-blowing baritone for any genre. Its lighter construction and easy response make it especially well suited to jazz, big band, and contemporary ensemble playing.

Renowned across the world for exceptional quality and superb performance, the Yanagisawa BWO1 is simply one of the finest baritone saxophones available at any price.