I have been teaching music for many years in Suffolk. I drive 38,000 miles a year and motoring has...
I have been teaching music for many years in Suffolk. I drive 38,000 miles a year and motoring has always been an interest. I have a 15 year old son who is into music and sport - when he can be dragged away from his Playstation
Member since:24.02.2001
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Yamaha have been making musical instruments for over one hundred years and I have always found their brass instruments to be reliably in tune, which is not always the case with other student trumpets.
Since about 1980, they have always had a student instrument priced between £250 and £300. The 2320 model was originally the only one in this price range. It is a well made instrument with quite good valves, and hard wearing gold colour lacquer finish. It has a mobile third valve slide for fine-tuning the low D and C#. As prices of instruments were rising, and the 2320 went over the £300 mark, they introduced a cheaper trumpet into the UK.
The first of these was the T100S This is a silver plated trumpet, with a smaller bore than the 2320, making it suitable for younger players. The valves are reasonable, so long as they are regularly cleaned and oiled. Yamaha machine the valves so finely that the slightest bit of dirt, and they will stick!
When the T100S was priced over the £300 mark, the next student trumpet appeared. This was the 1320. This was a medium-large bore, like the 2320, and available either in silver plated or nickel plated versions. The silver one feels better. The nickle plated trumpets always felt slippery to the touch but they do have that extra shine to them! Later on, the 1320 was also available in gold lacquer.
The 4320 is an intermediate trumpet, better than the 2330, and a few hundred pounds less that the semi professionsl 600 range. It is similar in specification to the 2320, except that the valves have a non-stick coating, and it comes in a slightly larger case.
The finish of all the Yamaha trumpets is of very high quality. Silver plating will always last longer than the gold lacquer. In general, the better the model you choose, the more reliable the valves will be!
I think if you try various makes of trumpet for feel in the shop, when you pick up the Yamaha you will notice the quality straight away.
Buying a used trumpet:
Yamaha use various letters after the model number. For example
2330E = manufactured in USA. 2330S = silver plate.
You might think this is obvious, but if you are buying used remember that if the instrument has been reconditioned it can be either relacquered or silver plated as part of the reconditioning.
You can check if dents in the bell have been removed quite easily. A good repair will make the instrument look like new. but turn the instrument round slowly, and don't look just at the bell, look at the reflection in the bell. The slightest crease will show up in the reflection.
Check the valves, especially the second valve. This can easily become troublesome if the instrument has been put down with the 2nd valve slide facing down. Although this can be cured by slightly easing the slide away from the trumpet body, what you are doing is stretching the metal and of course weakening it in the process. This sometimes also happens when a student places his books across the top of the instrument in the case.
Hope this helps anyone looking for a student trumpet.
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Hi, i like your op. it's nice to see the ytr2320 getting a mention, i thought that they were gone and forgotten.
Although i've given you a VG (how could i betray a fellow brass player(presuming you are)) perhaps a bit more on the later models might be nice.
Dan ;O)
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