Posted by Wade on March 14, 2001 at 15:12:32:
In Reply to: Yamaha YBB-641 posted by Greg Crider on March 14, 2001 at 09:24:46:
I owned one of these for eight years. It was quite good. The sound and intonation were great, but the response was sluggish in the low end. I bought mine new in 1983, and it had the old one-piece leadpipe.
Sometime shortly after that (1985?), Yamaha made the fatal error of going to a two-piece, red brass leadpipe. This was done to make repairs less expensive, from what I am led to believe. I feel that having a soldered joint in such an important location made this model REALLY inconsistent.
I would avoid the two-piece leadpipe at all costs, unless you have a good working relationship with a repairman who is a stud with a torch. If the horn has the one-piece, yellow brass leadpipe then it might be a real sweetheart to play. Good luck, and ask for a 14 day period to test the horn while this person holds your check.
Wade