Evolution of Yamaha YEP-321

[cbz]

All the recent discussion on the evolution of the Besson/B&H Imperial/Sovereign/Prestige/York instruments got me to thinking about the changes to the Yamaha YEP-321 since its introduction in I believe 1969 or so.

What changes have occurred with this model? These are the changes I've noted. My horn is a mid 1980's vintage.

1. Change from metal to plastic valve guides. I have the metal guides
2. Change from small to larger finger buttons. Mine came with the smaller buttons but the newer larger buttons fit my horn.
3. Shorter third valve slide? I haven't seen a recent vintage 321 lately but my third valve slide is pretty long. Did they really shorten it on newer horns?
4. Stamp on the bell. The original models had a model stamp that you could scratch off (at least the 201 I played in junior high did). My horn has no stamp but the newer horns I've seen are stamped Yamaha.
5. Changes to the case. There are at least 3 versions of the case that they've used over the years. I have the second iteration.


Anything else? Nothing so dramatic as the changes on manufacturer's models but of interest to me nonetheless. I mostly play my Neo these days but I still love my old 321. I don't think I will ever sell it.

Thanks,

Arul

[davewerden]

3. Shorter third valve slide? I haven't seen a recent vintage 321 lately but my third valve slide is pretty long. Did they really shorten it on newer horns?

There is a seldom-used option one could employ for low range playing, and it requires the long slide. Here is a blog post that might help you see what I mean:

http://www.dwerden.com/forum/entry.p...lliams-Romanza

[daruby]

All the recent discussion on the evolution of the Besson/B&H Imperial/Sovereign/Prestige/York instruments got me to thinking about the changes to the Yamaha YEP-321 since its introduction in I believe 1969 or so.

What changes have occurred with this model? These are the changes I've noted. My horn is a mid 1980's vintage.

2, Change from small to larger finger buttons. Mine came with the smaller buttons but the newer larger buttons fit my horn.
3. Shorter third valve slide? I haven't seen a recent vintage 321 lately but my third valve slide is pretty long. Did they really shorten it on newer horns?

Anything else?

Thanks, Arul

Arul,

1. Plastic guides and felts on the new 321 are the same as the 621, 631, 642, and 842. Also same guides on Yamaha piston tubas. Early plastic guides were all plastic and tended to chip and break off the tab. Later guides have a thin metal plate molded into the bottom of the plastic that takes the force of rough handling in the tab slot, and wears MUCH better than the older guides. All Yamaha piston horns with modern guides suffer in student hands from kids fiddling with the 1st valve stem when not playing. Idle hands are the devils workshop! They idly turn the valve button, loosen the stem and guide hold down washer, and the guide loses its adjustment, tending to bottom out in the slot tab, causing the valve to stick. Students keep oiling and then tell their teacher: "Mr. Band Director, I keep oiling my first valve and it still sticks". Solution is to take the piston out, loosen stem and hold down washer, push guide towards the center and re-tighten. This is a weakness in all Yamaha baritone/euphonium/tuba with the same piston guide mechanism.
2. Not only the finger buttons changed, but so did the valve caps. The older models had a beveled edge with only a small amount of knurling. The newer ones have a flat edge that is completely knurled. Easier to screw on and off.
3. Don't know if the newest have a shortened 3rd valve slide. The reason for the long slide is that the slide goes all the way up the ferrule to the elbow that comes out of the 3rd valve, just like 1, and 2. You could have yours shortened by a tech by carefully cutting the slide and finishing the ends where you cut it. Then one pushes the cutoff pieces all the way up the 3rd valve ferrules to the top. A small gap should be left. Essentially this is what modern horns like my Sterling do. My Adams E3 still has a full length 3rd valve slide.
4. Bell etching. Early 321's had a "painted" logo. Later horns have used variations of laser engraved logos.

In addition - For a small period of time two different valved tuning slides have been available. They both came with a rotary "5th valve" that extends the tuning slide. The Yamaha model added a 1/2 step to the tuning slide so that 4th valve range down to B natural could be more in tune. A 3rd party slide from Ferguson in So Cal added a long full step (?) to provide alternate fingerings for the low range.

This is what I know about the 321. I really like the horn with the small shank when I use my Wick 4AY. A nice full rich sound. Most doublers tend to use a smaller mouthpiece and I think it comes off a bit "tromboney". The key is not the receiver as much as the mouthpiece.

Doug

[John Lebens]

My YEP321S was built in 2005 and the first and third valve slides are not only the same length but are interchangeable.

[daruby]

My YEP321S was built in 2005 and the first and third valve slides are not only the same length but are interchangeable.

Thanks. This clarifies things. Yamaha then would add an inner tube to the ferrule to match the diameter of the slide. Do both (or neither) slides have water keys? I believe addition of water keys might also be a change on the YEP-321 in the succeeding years.

[John Lebens]

Thanks. This clarifies things. Yamaha then would add an inner tube to the ferrule to match the diameter of the slide. Do both (or neither) slides have water keys? I believe addition of water keys might also be a change on the YEP-321 in the succeeding years.

Only the main tuning slide has a water key. BTW, there is NO “inner tube” to match the diameter of the slide in either of the long 3rd valve tubes.

[cbz]

My 321 (circa 1984) also has just the one water key for the main tuning slide. Looking at a Yamaha Parts catalog online I also see that the change to the plastic valve guides (different piston part #) occured around 1986.

Arul

[daruby]

BTW, there is NO “inner tube” to match the diameter of the slide in either of the long 3rd valve tubes.

Interesting....