TromboneChat

I just bought a Yamaha 891Z for big band work. I’ve tried both lead pipes that come with the horn and find myself wanting something between the two of them. Does anyone sell aftermarket lead pipes for these horns?

The 891Z is a .508" bore horn, so Shires, Edwards, and others make leadpipes for that bore size.

I don't know if people make the fittings though, or whether any other fittings are compatible, so you would most likely have to go press fit. The Yamaha leadpipes are 2 piece from what I can tell.

Gfactor wrote: ↑Wed Aug 03, 2022 7:37 pm I just bought a Yamaha 891Z for big band work. I’ve tried both lead pipes that come with the horn and find myself wanting something between the two leadpipes. Does anyone sell aftermarket lead pipes for these horns?

What do you mean when you say you want "something between the two of them"? I play that horn as my main horn and I can not hear much difference between the two leadpipes. One of them is longer and feel is different, but to me not much different sound.

I bought a Noah Gladstone 32h leadpipe that is I very good match for the 891Z. It made a change in sound (towards more classical) and also made the horn a bit more focused. I use that leadpipe with my 892ZX "Håkan Björkman" model which is the same trombone with trigger. I use the 892ZX instead of my Bach 36BO for classical sometimes. I use the LA pipe with my straight 891Z to play jazz.

/Tom

imsevimse wrote: ↑Thu Aug 04, 2022 11:58 am

Gfactor wrote: ↑Wed Aug 03, 2022 7:37 pm

What do you mean when you say you want "something between the two of them"? I play that horn as my main horn and I can not hear much difference between the two leadpipes. One of them is longer and feel is different, but to me not much different sound.

/Tom

Interesting - I hear a significant difference between the two with the LA pipe giving a brash, edgy, open sound and the NY a more mellow, veiled sound. Apparently the NY is intended to give more projection in an acoustic setting but the LA seems louder to me. An amalgam of the two might give a slightly more refined sound than the LA but with more cut-through than the NY. It’s early days though and maybe I just need to learn to play the horn

imsevimse wrote: ↑Thu Aug 04, 2022 11:58 am my 892ZX "Håkan Björkman" model which is the same trombone with trigger.

If you ever want to sell that... let me know!

I make .508 leadpipes, but I don't carry Yamaha threads so it would have to be press fit or swap out the ring from one of your stock pipes. Contact me if you're interested.

Interesting - I hear a significant difference between the two with the LA pipe giving a brash, edgy, open sound and the NY a more mellow, veiled sound. Apparently the NY is intended to give more projection in an acoustic setting but the LA seems louder to me. An amalgam of the two might give a slightly more refined sound than the LA but with more cut-through than the NY. It’s early days though and maybe I just need to learn to play the horn

For me, the LA is more diffuse and wants a smaller mouthpiece or a microphone. The NY is more focused and encourages better projection. I use one of Wycliffe’s “Master” mouthpieces with the NY, and it’s the finest small bore setup I’ve seen. Before I changed to Pickett mouthpieces, I used one of Brad’s 32H pipes in copper.

brassmedic wrote: ↑Thu Aug 04, 2022 4:05 pm I make .508 leadpipes, but I don't carry Yamaha threads so it would have to be press fit or swap out the ring from one of your stock pipes. Contact me if you're interested.

Thanks - on reflection I think I need to live with the stock pipes a while before I do anything but I’ll bear it in mind!

brassmedic wrote: ↑Thu Aug 04, 2022 4:05 pm I make .508 leadpipes, but I don't carry Yamaha threads so it would have to be press fit or swap out the ring from one of your stock pipes. Contact me if you're interested.

Is there a reason the threaded rings cannot be manufactured? Cost? Yamaha's objection?

I will just say if you come to prefer one of the 891's lead pipes, don't lose the other one.

When I got my 891, I went back and forth on the lead pipes and came to clearly prefer the NY. Two years into the horn, for no reason, I was just cleaning the horn and it was convenient, I put in the LA... and fell in love with it. Now I'm LA all the way! But, I'm keeping that NY pipe safe and secure as it wouldn't surprise me if its day in the sun returned. But, for now, I'm finding the LA to be "more interesting"

(I do find the two to both play and sound differently. And I don't have to work at the discerning part.)

I have a .508 Shires MD+ and like the Brassark 32h copper pipe, but prefer the MD+ 1.5 pipe that came with the horn…they’re very close but the yellow MD+ 1.5 is just a bit more centred and balanced. Either would work well if you decided to try something away from the LA or NY.

MTbassbone wrote: ↑Thu Aug 04, 2022 9:26 pm

brassmedic wrote: ↑Thu Aug 04, 2022 4:05 pm I make .508 leadpipes, but I don't carry Yamaha threads so it would have to be press fit or swap out the ring from one of your stock pipes. Contact me if you're interested.

Is there a reason the threaded rings cannot be manufactured? Cost? Yamaha's objection?

I'm not aware of any reason they couldn't be. It's just not something I stock because so far there hasn't been a huge demand for aftermarket small bore pipes with Yamaha threads.