YBB641 vs Alex 163

[dantetuba]

Hi guys
I would like to know if the Yamaha 641 is based on Alex 163.
Because they are very similar.

Thank

[bort]

I think the 861 and 163 are more similar than the 641 and 163.

In my limited experience, a Yamaha is like the same concept and amount of sound, but without the "magic" of an Alex. Intonation might be a lot better on the Yamaha.

[Tom]

Because they are very similar.

...until you play the two of them. The Yamaha 641 isn't even close to sounding like an Alexander 163.

There are other makers with much closer physical copies of the Alexander 163 BBb. I would look towards an older B&S if you were looking for a "good" 163 copy. They came in many brands and model names but were all basically B&S 101 tubas.

The Yamaha 861, as bort mentioned, is much closer to actually being an actual Alexander copy. It's a CC tuba though. They are rather rare tubas and regarded as being quite good.

Yamaha does copy a lot of designs from other makers though. They actually really do have a vault at their Japan headquarters that contains exceptional examples of instruments manufactured by others. From trumpets to tubas - it's all there.

[Billy M.]

I was under the impression that the Yamaha 841 was more of a copy of the Meinl Weston 20/25 as opposed to the Alexander 163. I am well aware that the 861 CC is a copy of the Alex 163 CC.... and I would love to get my hands on one.

[TheGoyWonder]

supposedly they could be similar, but that's only the oldest generation of the 641. Used to play some tweener generation, with swanneck-shaped leadpipe but with s-link linkage...certainly nothing to drool over.