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The Eastman ETS852 52nd Street tenor saxophone, named after the birthplace of bebop, delivers a classic, vintage-inspired sound. But Eastman’s next-generation 52nd Street tenor is also supercharged with modern innovation, including a new neck design and optimized keywork incorporating the company’s revolutionary DS mechanism. The ETS852 has a quick, light, fluid action and responsiveness that sets a new standard for saxophone playability. Developed in collaboration with renowned saxophonist Bob Mintzer, Eastman’s design team has elevated the 52nd Street series to new levels of precision, opulence, and tone. The Eastman ETS852 52nd Street has it all: flawless ergonomics, gorgeous vintage visuals, and a big, voluptuous sound. It’s also an incredible value, and comes with two necks to suit your playing preference. Whether you’re a professional tenor player or aspire to be one, the Eastman ETS852 52nd Street deserves your serious consideration.
The 52nd Street saxophone is a professional instrument and comes unlacquered for a truly vintage appearance. It is an exceptionally responsive horn in all registers and produces a big, fat sound with precise intonation. A larger bell and specifically-placed rolled-style tone holes contribute to the sound qualities of this instrument that many compare to some of the great vintage horns of the past. This model includes both an "S" and "M" neck, developed with Bob Mintzer, and features our DS mechanism to provide players with versatility and unmatched playability.
The ETS852 52nd Street’s DS mechanism represents nothing less than a complete reassessment of the saxophone mechanism. To achieve their goals with the new system, Eastman exercised some lateral thinking, borrowing keywork design elements from professional flutes handcrafted by the Wm. S. Haynes company, an Eastman brand. Their exhaustive research and development is manifested in this horn’s exemplary keywork, which incorporates both a newly optimized key layout and the DS mechanism that underpins it to enable a level of precision, stability, and ergonomic perfection heretofore unattainable in saxophone key articulation. Everything sits perfectly under your hands, ready for immediate deployment; the keywork operating with seamless synergy to provide you with a horn that functions, in essence, as an extension of your musical id.
The Eastman ETS852 52nd Street tenor sax features rolled tone holes. Although a subject of debate among experienced saxophonists, players who favor horns so equipped cite the immediacy with which their notes are triggered and an enhanced weight, width, and spread to the sound that is particularly pronounced in the low range. One benefit of rolled tone holes that’s not debatable is longer pad life, courtesy of the larger surface area they offer for the pads to make contact with. This will save you costly and time-consuming trips to the repair shop. Seating precisely against this horn’s rolled tone holes are specially treated leather pads that provide a reliably leak-free, airtight seal.
Perhaps the first thing you’ll notice about the Eastman ETS852 is its oversized bell, which has a prominent flare that helps to focus and project the sound while enhancing brightness and punch. A hand-hammered bell, a feature found on many premium pro horns, assists in delivering focused and impactful bass tones, while opening up the horn’s overall tonality. Naturally, the ETS852 is equipped with a high F# key and an adjustable thumb rest. With its smoothly ergonomic key layout and responsive action actuated by blued steel springs — the professional standard for durable, perfectly tensioned keywork — the 52nd Street tenor provides a nice, crisp snap in response to your fingering, which you’ll certainly appreciate when executing fast, demanding passages! These advanced features join forces to make the ETS852 a high-performance, value-packed standout among saxophones in its class.