SOLD : Yamaha Custom YSL-841, 1970s vintage large bore straight tenor

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trombonesLOUDERplease
Posts: 42
Joined: Jan 21, 2019

by trombonesLOUDERplease » (edited 2022-06-29 7:55 a.m.)

Selling my wonderful 1970s vintage Yamaha Custom YSL-841 large bore straight tenor.

.551 bore. It plays amazingly open!

Yellow brass, no lacquer on bell

Excellent condition

One tiny ding near water key

Professionally (ultrasonically) cleaned

Signs of normal use throughout, but slide is dreamy (10/10)

Pictures: <LINK_TEXT text="https://drive.google.com/drive/mobile/f ... sp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/drive/mobile/folders/13SRJX9Si87aZA4XbBDojiLojww6xO7Zo?usp=sharing</LINK_TEXT>

Inner slide tubes replaced by first owner (I’m the second owner). Yellow brass bell, no lacquer. Bell professionally polished. Looks amazing, but “No Touchy!”

What’s special about this horn:

1. It plays like a dream, and the slide action is A-plus-plus.

2. It’s a rare bird. It was only available outside of Japan for a brief period in the 70s, according to first owner

3. It pre-dates Yamaha’s Xeno line branding, but it’s 100% a Yamaha Custom (pro-quality) horn.

4. Schilke Co. imported the same pro horn into the US, only with Schilke branding, from Japan in the same time period, according to first owner.

Original case in excellent condition included.

Will ship CONUS only (sorry).

$750 firm, buyer pays shipping.

Will trade for equal quality pro-level jazz horn (preferably .508 bore, red brass bell). Must have A-plus slide. 1970s or newer. Must be cleaned. Will add cash to trade for right horn.
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Crazy4Tbone86
Posts: 1654
Joined: Jan 14, 2020

by Crazy4Tbone86 »

Are you sure the bell and slide are from the same vintage? The bell (and its serial number) definitely looks like 1970s. However, the slide looks like the “Custom” line from the 1990s. Even the nickel on the two parts looks completely different.

Those observations aside, looks like a sweet horn.
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lmalewic
Posts: 124
Joined: Apr 24, 2018

by lmalewic »

[quote="Crazy4Tbone86"]Are you sure the bell and slide are from the same vintage? The bell (and its serial number) definitely looks like 1970s. However, the slide looks like the “Custom” line from the 1990s. Even the nickel on the two parts looks completely different.

Those observations aside, looks like a sweet horn.[/quote]

If you check other pictures of that model they all have the same slide so it looks to be original.
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Crazy4Tbone86
Posts: 1654
Joined: Jan 14, 2020

by Crazy4Tbone86 »

[quote="lmalewic"]<QUOTE author="Crazy4Tbone86" post_id="179626" time="1653867385" user_id="8392">
Are you sure the bell and slide are from the same vintage? The bell (and its serial number) definitely looks like 1970s. However, the slide looks like the “Custom” line from the 1990s. Even the nickel on the two parts looks completely different.

Those observations aside, looks like a sweet horn.[/quote]

If you check other pictures of that model they all have the same slide so it looks to be original.
</QUOTE>
I just looked around on the Internet for the model. Although about half of the search results were for the same horn with the 002544 serial number. Indeed, there are other YSL-841 trombones out there that have the same slide and bell.

Very interesting. Growing up in the 1970s, I thought I knew every Yamaha trombone model from the old days. Sounds like it could be a horn of great potential. Over the years, I have played some wonderful Yamaha .547 straight trombones. In particular, I remember some YSL-610 horns at conventions that were absolutely fantastic.
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Vegasbound
Posts: 1328
Joined: Jul 06, 2019

by Vegasbound »

They where Yamaha’s take on the 8h
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stanzabone
Posts: 34
Joined: Apr 24, 2018

by stanzabone »

Sounds similar to the Yamaha Custom that Eugene Watts was playing in the Canadian Brass about that time. Although IIRC his was gold-plated; the whole group were playing gold-plated instruments for a while.
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stewbones43
Posts: 333
Joined: Oct 25, 2018

by stewbones43 »

Hope you don't mind me telling you, but you have an error in the description of the trombone. The bore is 0.551in not 0.547in. I have in front of me the Yamaha Custom trombone catalogue with all the 7 models listed and described; an alto and 6 tenors, straight and Bb/F versions in small, medium and large bores.

I also have 2 different Large bore custom slides, one with a wide, "Bach" width slide and one with a narrower "Conn" width slide made originally with push fit lead pipes. I use that one with my YSL-641 bell.

Cheers

Stewbones43
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Crazy4Tbone86
Posts: 1654
Joined: Jan 14, 2020

by Crazy4Tbone86 »

The "approximate" bore size is used for trombones in catalogs across the industry. The actual bore size of trombone inner slides varies, sometimes greatly, from the bore listed in the catalogs. I think companies stick with measurements that are established so that musicians can compare apples with apples, oranges with oranges......just my theory. Here are some other examples:

Conn 6H, 48H Listed bore: .500 Actual bore: .501

King 607, 608, 3B+ Listed bore: .525 Actual bore: .526

Bach 36 Listed bore: .525 Actual bore: .530

Holton TR-150 Listed bore: .547 Actual bore: .545

Jupiter 636 Listed bore: .547 Actual bore: .550

King 4B, 5B Listed bore: .547 Actual bore: .550

many Yamaha basses Listed bore: .562 Actual bore: .564

King basses Listed bore: .562 Actual bore: .560

These bore sizes are not necessarily true of all vintages of these horns. For example, I would not be surprised if Yamaha switched their tooling sometime in the 80s or 90s so that their large bore tenors are actually .547. I believe they changed their catalogs from .551 to .547 in one of those decades.
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trombonesLOUDERplease
Posts: 42
Joined: Jan 21, 2019

by trombonesLOUDERplease »

[quote="stewbones43"]Hope you don't mind me telling you, but you have an error in the description of the trombone. The bore is 0.551in not 0.547in. I have in front of me the Yamaha Custom trombone catalogue with all the 7 models listed and described; an alto and 6 tenors, straight and Bb/F versions in small, medium and large bores.

I also have 2 different Large bore custom slides, one with a wide, "Bach" width slide and one with a narrower "Conn" width slide made originally with push fit lead pipes. I use that one with my YSL-641 bell.

Cheers

Stewbones43[/quote]

Thanks. I had no idea! That’s probably why it plays so open. Post updated.
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trombonesLOUDERplease
Posts: 42
Joined: Jan 21, 2019

by trombonesLOUDERplease »

Bump - lower price, updated description.
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pjanda1
Posts: 158
Joined: Aug 29, 2021

by pjanda1 »

Wow. Gorgeous! And very tempting, though I do have a great 8H. Folks like to spend big bucks on valves, but the best valve, IMO, is none!

Paul