Difference in Bell Sections YSL 446 vs 448

ATXBassBone · by **ATXBassBone** » 2023-02-18 10:52 p.m.

I have a ton of my students on the yamahas. The rental shop seems to willy nilly assign them 446 horns or 448 horns. I don't really want my kids on small bore instruments. This is Texas after all, and most of these horns will become their marching horn.

I know the slide on the 446 is a .525 and the 448 is a .547

Are the bell sections different at all? They seem to be the same I just cant tell.

Thanks,

Crazy4Tbone86 · by **Crazy4Tbone86** » 2023-02-19 10:20 a.m.

You know…..with all of the 446 and 448 models that I repaired when I worked in the Music & Arts shop, I never really thought about that. About 96% of the problems I had to fix on those instruments were on the slides or bent slide receivers on the bell section. Those parts, for obvious reasons, had to be different sizes.

I never had to replace any components on the bells. My bet is that the horns are the same from the rotor onwards.

ithinknot · by **ithinknot** » 2023-02-19 12:12 p.m.

[quote="ATXBassBone"]I don't really want my kids on small bore instruments. This is Texas after all[/quote]

Let's be honest, anything below .578" and the terrorists have won

Anyway, receiver/valve/wrap/neckpipe are different, same from the tuning slide onwards

Matt_K · by **Matt_K** » 2023-02-19 1:58 p.m.

446 is 8” bell, no? You should be able to look up the parts on the Yamaha parts website which I have bookmarked somewhere if you can’t find it. Sometimes they just indicate if a part is shared right on the schematic

ithinknot · by **ithinknot** » 2023-02-19 2:11 p.m.

[quote="Matt K"]446 is 8” bell, no?[/quote]

...no

Matt_K · by **Matt_K** » 2023-02-19 4:59 p.m.

The one I owned around 20 years ago was smaller than my 8820 bell or at least I thought it was. Thought it might have been shared with the 356. I just looked it up on their catalogue and it is described as this for the 446:

BELL SL445G/YSL-445G/448G (NEW)

So it is indeed the same as the 448 bell.

Interestingly, most of the parts beyond the rotor are listed as the same as the 448 but the tuning slide and neck pipe are indicated that they are shared with the 356. The tuning slides are compatible between all these (and many others I’ve tried) and I didn’t notice much if any difference between the 356 and the 548 tuning slides when I had several Yamaha in a variety of sizes to try next to one another so I suspect the parts are also identical but they DO have a different number in the catalogue

ithinknot · by **ithinknot** » 2023-02-19 5:40 p.m.

[quote="Matt K"]The tuning slides are compatible between all these (and many others I’ve tried) and I didn’t notice much if any difference between the 356 and the 548 tuning slides when I had several Yamaha in a variety of sizes to try next to one another so I suspect the parts are also identical but they DO have a different number in the catalogue[/quote]

Those leg measurements and TS crook appear on every grade from the 356 to the (lovely but Japan market only) 820GII, but the tuning slides as a whole vary - unbraced/brace material/trim rings and ferrule fancitude

Matt_K · by **Matt_K** » 2023-02-19 6:21 p.m.

Yeah I mean I’ve tried a 356, 548, 645, 646, and I think one other across as many bell sections and I thought the difference was very subtle and I wasn’t confident I could identify which was which in a blind test.

tbonesullivan · by **tbonesullivan** » 2023-02-19 8:00 p.m.

I would guess that the bell sections are identical except for the receiver for the slide.

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Difference in Bell Sections YSL 446 vs 448