TromboneChat

Found one of these being sold as part of an estate sale. From the pics it’s obviously an open-wrap f-attachment yellow brass horn in great shape. I’ve found info that it was part of a line that was made exclusively for Brook Mays Music in Texas by Yamaha. Here’s what I don’t know:

Where does it fall among Yams? Comparable to 300s, 400s, 600s, Xeno’s?

What’s the bore size?

How does it play?

Any help appreciated!

I had the chance to buy an Yamaha XT trumpet and sought info as I did not recognize the model number. I was told it was an intermediate level horn sold only through a limited network of dealers to give them a profitable line with less competition

Did you buy it? I think these are essentially the 500 series Advantage model..

I passed- I try to stay with pro level horns unless I have specific student that wants an intermediate

So I ended up buying the XT1 Trombone I found. It was priced pretty low I thought and I offered a couple hundred less since I really wasn’t sure what I would get.

It is a .547 bore, large shank open wrap horn. I believe it is the same horn as the open wrap YSL-548 Allegro with a couple small differences. The Allegro comes with a Rose brass bell and the XT is yellow brass. The other difference is the case for the XT is a Pro-Tec case (design from 10 yrs ago) with a large external pocket and shoulder strap that has “Yamaha” and “XT” embroidered on the side. It’s not marked as Pro-Tec but I have a Pro-Tec case for my other horn and the cases are identical. For me that’s an upgrade from the standard hard case.

I’ve played some Allegros before that belonged to students of mine and they played well. A couple of those students made All-State Bands on those horns. This horn feels the same - a mostly mellow tone quality that doesn’t have the power of my Bach 42, but plays pretty evenly. The rotor is a mechanical linkage and moves smoothly, but plays kinda stuffy. The main slide is light and super smooth. This is a high level intermediate horn.

It’s still amazing to me that I haven’t seen any more of these around.

Here’s some pics

So I play on this horn. It plays most like the Xeno YSL-882OR. I chose the XT1 over the Xeno because it’s slightly lighter. I can play lead in jazz and blend extremely well in orchestra/wind ensemble settings. I could be wrong, but i think Yamaha listed these horns as semi-professional, however it’s miles ahead of the Allegro model that they sell now. Personally, I think it’s better than the Xeno because of how versatile it is. The bottom line is that it’s not an intermediate horn, I can guarantee that.

With Yamaha, the terms "Student, Intermediate, and Professional" are just marketing designations, not an indication of build quality or musical worth. For example, the 620 is a lighter horn than the 8820, but for some people and purposes, lighter is better. But, the quality of build and material is top-notch across the entire Yamaha line.