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Thread: Yamaha YEP-641

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    West Palm Beach, FL
    Posts
    3,853
    The 642 bell is 12" and not one piece. Also notice in the pictures shared above that the top bell bracing is lower on the 642 than on the 641. You really can't see the brace on the 641 as it's a 'butt brace' I think they call it up as high as they can get it. Also the lead-pipe on the 641 is 3/4" shorter which requires the player to pull out the MTS (main tuning slide) further to be in tune. With the lead-pipe being lower means you'll need to hold up the horn a bit higher. I used a 2" thick pillow to help hold it up when seated.

    Fingerings shared above by Dave do work, but on my 641 the tone for concert 'E' (treble F#) fingered 4-2 although better in tune didn't sound as good. Might just be my 641 though.
    Rick Floyd
    Miraphone 5050 - Warburton BJ / RF mpc
    YEP-641S (recently sold)
    Doug Elliott - 102 rim; I-cup; I-9 shank


    "Always play with a good tone, never louder than lovely, never softer than supported." - author unknown.
    Symphonic Band of the Palm Beaches
    El Cumbanchero (Raphael Hernandez, arr. Naohiro Iwai)
    Chorale and Shaker Dance
    (John Zdechlik)

  2. Yes! They are completely different. The YEP641 still used some of the tooling from the non-compensated 4-inline YEP-321. Here is the relationship:

    1. The YEP-321 was Yamaha's first "good" euphonium. To this day it is a nice intermediate instrument that plays well, 4 valves inline, has a small shank and an 11" bell. The YEP-321 has been one of the top intermediate student horns as well as popular with tuba and trombone doublers due to its layout.
    2. The YEP-621 built on the YEP-321 but has a large shank receiver, is a 3+1 non compensating 4 valve instrument, has essentially the same 11" bell and some of the same wrap for 1-2-3 valves. The YEP-621 has never been officially imported to the US, though a few have migrated here. It is used as an "intermediate" in markets where students are clearly going to migrate to a 3+1 professional horn.
    3, The YEP-641 is a fully compensating version of the YEP-621. It has the large shank, is a 3+1 valve layout, but still has the same 11" bell and some of the same wrap for the 1-2-3 valve slides as the 321.

    Valve buttons, and caps are interchangeable between these three horns. I "think" actual pistons are interchangeable between the 321 and 621 as well.

    The YEP-642 and YEP-642 NEO are completely different designs. The compensating valve wrap, valve layout, tubing, and its larger bell and bell design are all different. The YEP-842 Custom is quite different from the YEP-642 as well with different ergonomics, leadpipe, etc., though I think the actual valvesets are the same. The NEO and the Custom both are available with or without triggers these days.
    Adams E3 0.60 Sterling bell - Prototype top sprung valves
    Concord Band
    Winchendon Winds
    Townsend Military Band

  3. #13
    The YEP 321 is a preferred horn for top jazz players as well.
    John 3:16


    Conn Victor 5H Trombone
    Yamaha 354 Trombone
    Conn 15I Euphonium

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    NYC metro area
    Posts
    523
    Walter Barrett uses a Yamaha YP-641. He had a trigger added to it, and he may have had other work done to it over the years. He gets a beautiful tone from that instrument, and it blends well with the Besson that the second chair player uses (forget about me, I'm in fourth chair unless we have five people show up, then I'm fifth chair).
    Dean L. Surkin
    Mack Brass MACK-EU1150S, BB1 mouthpiece
    Bach 36B trombone; Bach 6.5AL and Faxx 7C mouthpieces (pBone on loan to granddaughter)
    Steinway 1902 Model A, restored by AC Pianocraft in 1988; Kawai MP8, Yamaha KX-76
    See my avatar: Jazz (the black cockapoo; RIP) and Delilah (the cavapoo) keep me company while practicing

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