Posted by Dave Seip on September 22, 1999 at 16:31:03:
In Reply to: YAMAHA TUBAS or A SHARP STICK IN THE EYE posted by never mind on September 22, 1999 at 13:39:07:
I think most people dislike Yamahas because they don't seem to hold up under normal wear and tear, or even non-use, very well, compared to other horns. My school owns several YBB-321s that are pieces of junk. They haven't necessarily been abused, but if they aren't constantly maintained, they develop problems other horns don't. I was visiting a college, and they gave me a Yamaha rotary to try (I don't remember which model--possibly a 641) and every slide save the tuning slide (the only one moved on a regular basis) was stuck, just like the 321s. Contrast this with a Reynolds tuba I owned for about two years before selling it to buy my current horn, a Getzen CB50. It had been sitting in a pawn shop for a really long time, and had obviously not been oiled or maintained in any way. However, all the slides came out for me to grease them, and all the valves opened.