An old Yamaha...

tubatom91 · Post by **tubatom91** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 10:08 pm

I have this old Yamaha that got donated to my school a while ago by an Alumni. We were taking inventory on all of the instruments when Mr.Orland asked me to bring it in to be catalogged. We were photographing and looking for the serial #. We soon figured out that there was no serial # on the horn,I know that this is a Yamaha most likely a YBB-321 4 valve BBb. The thing that strikes me as odd is that there is no # or Brand,also the valve springs don't match and the finger buttons are 3/4 matching. I have pictures below maybe you can help find a # or explain the "M&M" like valve buttons.
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f297/ ... 0_2406.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f297/ ... 0_2405.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f297/ ... 0_2412.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f297/ ... 0_2415.jpg

Jeffrey Hicks · Post by **Jeffrey Hicks** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 10:19 pm

that is probably a 25 year old YBB-321. It is of the original design with the the extended third valve slide. I played one in high school. I would imagine that the valve section has probably been replaced. The serial number is usually on the second or third valve. I would also surmise that even if completely refurbished the intonation would always be suspect.

tubatom91 · Post by **tubatom91** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 10:56 pm

honestly it plays better than the brand new one at school

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 11:26 pm

Yep! It's a Yamaha YBB321... built between 1970 and 1987. It's actually a pretty good old horn and parts are still available. Most everything will interchange with the new YBB321's except the some of the piston parts. Your horn should have the old-style pistons with the guide inserted into the top of the piston and held there with a screw. The new 321's have the plastic guides that are held on the top of the piston by a washer and the stem. You can interchange pistons if you also buy the new guide, washer, and stem. It's hard telling where those funky finger buttons came from.

Chuck(G) · Post by **Chuck(G)** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 4:15 am

Kind of looks like the first three were scrounged off of a YBB-103 and the fourth looks like an Allied "generic tuba" button.

tubatom91 · Post by **tubatom91** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 2:37 pm

all of the joints on this horn have been resoldered it has a very peculiar feel of the laquer like a flat paint feeling