Oddball Custom Yamaha- very cool

[Burgerbob]

Here's a really neat horn I picked up today.

Yamaha Custom YSL-841 (nominally a straight .547). However, this one has been customized, largely at the Yamaha factory from what I can tell.

I also assume the original owner had the straight tuning slide as well at some point, but that's just speculation.

In any case, it's a .525/.547 dually, rose gooseneck and bell in 8.5". It plays great! The linkage is actually quite well set-up and not hard to use.

I haven't noticed anything really odd about how the horn plays or responds yet, other than a pretty sharp 6th partial. I do actually quite like the sound, and I'm using it tonight on something... we'll see how it works.

[walldaja]

Cool horn!

[Tbarh]

I remember when the 800 series came out in the beginning of the eighties.. I remember a lot of players fell in love with them and bought them .I have been on a search for one almost since back then... Really great horns all of them ( no bass afaik).. I don't suppose Yamaha has made any better tenors ever since .
This one looks very strange but smart( if that makes sense)..Bet its great !

[NotSkilledHere]

I think i remember seeing this specific one a while back! Very unusual! How's the ergonomics?

[Burgerbob]

I remember when the 800 series came out in the beginning of the eighties.. I remember a lot of players fell in love with them and bought them .I have been on a search for one almost since back then... Really great horns all of them ( no bass afaik).. I don't suppose Yamaha has made any better tenors ever since .
This one looks very strange but smart( if that makes sense)..Bet its great !

There were basses too! These models are all Japan only.

I think i remember seeing this specific one a while back! Very unusual! How's the ergonomics?

Actually totally fine!

I used it last night and found out the hard way that the lever (that the ring is attached to) was glued in, not threaded or soldered. Oops... That'll be remedied soon.

[TonyNeal]

All it needs is a straight tuning slide.

[Burgerbob]

All it needs is a straight tuning slide.

Yup, I can only assume that was around at some point. A bit hard to find now.

[jonathanharker]

Neat! I'm just wondering... why? to have an unimpeded gooseneck? But then the valve is at the back in the middle of the bell taper...

[Burgerbob]

My assumption is that the original owner had a straight tuning slide as well, so they could use it as a straight horn.

John Sandhagen noted that it looks like the tuning slide taper is totally changed, in that it starts from the rear port of the valve rather than being lopped off and having a huge step between the valve and the tuning slide. So they may have made an entirely new taper just for this horn.

[Burgerbob]

Even cooler...

Finally measured the slide bores.

.525/.551

F attachment is .571

[Matt K]

Interesting, I wonder how many [st]stock[/st] factory 525 slides havea large shank pipe from Yamaha. I wouldn't be surprised if this was the only one.