Yamaha Trumpets – New Models

Yamaha trumpets have always been well established. In the beginner range the Yamaha YTR-1335 especially had a good following with Trumpet teachers as it offered the beginner trumpet player a good sounding, in tune option. Best of all the Yamaha student trumpets were always very reliable, less time for Teacher/Parent to spend having to get the instrument adjusted or fixed etc. That said, it’s a design that had been around for a while. Now, as part of an overall student and intermediate re-design the Yamaha student brass range has changed, for the better…

Yamaha YTR-2330

NEW Yamaha YTR2330. This is the first in the new student Trumpet range replacing the old YTR1335, ideal for the beginner. The instrument has been kept light to help younger plays with the weight, also the distribution of the weight is excellent, this is often a problem on the budget instruments. The 3rd slide ring is fully adjustable to help smaller hands reach correctly around it and the instrument benefits from the new multipart slide making process (see below) and Yamahas new yellow brass 2 piece bell (see below). In addition Monel valves replace the old nickel type and this should lead to a smoother action with a more positive long term ownership prospect. Coming with an 11B4 mouthpiece and a very smart new slimline case, ideal for kids. Available in Lacquer or Silver Plate. 

Yamaha YTR-3335

NEW Yamaha YTR3335. Yamaha tag this as ‘The Next Step’ in the model line up. It’s similar in spec to the YTR2330 but benefits from the addition of a brace to the main tuning slide. This is not present on the 2330 student trumpet because it adds weight, however the 3335 benefits from this extra weight and strength and as such has a little more oomph to the sound. The mouthpiece supplied is an 11B4 and the case is a black zip up backpack style with hard protection. Also available in Lacquer and Silver Plate.

Yamaha YTR-4335GII

NEW Yamaha YTR4335GII. Now this was a tricky one, the original YTR4335 has always sold really well, it had some unique features originally including monel valves and a gold brass bell. This has all of course been kept, as has the brace on the main tuning slide (the 3rd slide also benefits from a water key). This New version benefits most from the new Yamaha bell design: They have done a lot of research into the thickness of different bells from the start of the flare down to the very end of the bell. This thickness can vary massively in other brands which can give a slightly patchy sound with some dull areas in projection. Yamaha have now adjusted their thickness ratios at different points on the bell to be more inline with their Xeno professional series, there is a much more gradual reduction of thickness towards the bell end. This has given these intermediate Trumpets a real boost in response.

We were lucky to be at the launch of these instruments with Phillipe Schartz (BBC National Orch Wales), and when the new 4335 was played vs the old model you could hear that he could push the limits of the new model further. A greater dynamic range was possible, and with the level of player expected to use a 4335 (grade 4/5 upwards) this is a real boost. If you’re sat in a Big Band at school or part of an Orchestra section, that extra whammy (technical brass term!) from this new bell design is worth having. The instrument is supplied with a great case with backpack straps and is available in Lacquer or Silver Plate.

New Bell & Slide Making Processes:

Bell Thickness & Material: Fundamentally the idea here was to help improve the response, projection and feel to the player. A lighter guage brass was opted for in tests as it gave a more immediate sound, pleasing for the player who feels there is more response because of this. In addition to the guage change the consistency of production and tapered thickness of the brass were modified and vastly improved. Again these attributes really put more expression and flexibility into the players hands.

Slide Making Proces: Without getting too stuck down in technicalities this is a small change but most repairmen would greet it. The old tuning slides on Yamaha trumpets were made as part of a one part process, the material was drawn out from one piece to make a long 2 legged slide. The issue with this is that often dents appear at the head of the slide and to get these dents out you need adequate space to manouevre dent balls and dent removing gear. As part of the new trumpet range these slides are seperate parts that are now soldered together to make one piece. This means they can be unsoldered to allow better access to serious dents and dings at the end of slides which can cause sound issues as they are at a critical point in the tube and cause something of an obstruction. A technical change that the player won’t really notice, but a good idea for ongoing ownership reasons!