First off, there were no packing peanuts used in the packing of the horn, but plenty of large pillow/air packs--I much prefer these to peanuts that become a mess in my studio, get caught in bends in the horn, etc... Not a huge deal, but something that I appreciate.
The case is not the same cheap Chinese case that was coming with the last MackBrass horns I have seen. The exterior of the case is much nicer than the previous ones and the wheels are much nicer. The interior seems the same, though. In fact, the corner that touches the top bow and holds the mouthpiece ripped out when I removed the horn. I'm not sure if I got a fold of the plastic over the horn caught on it or lifted the horn at a wrong angle, but that part of the case is definitely no longer securely attached (the fabric does keep it mostly where it needs to be and it goes right into place when the horn is placed back into the case). This is not a big deal for me as I never intended to use the case but to either sell/give it away--I have already received a Miraphone gigbag for it which fits perfectly.
The horn itself looks great and there is only one small blemish that doesn't bother me. The blemish is in the logo on the bell where it doesn't seem to be all the way engraved in or where it just doesn't look even. Everything else is fine as there is no issues with the silver plating or any mechanical problems. I'm sure everyone is wondering so the valve tops thread decently well. My last three horns (Kurath F, Gronitz PCK, and a brand new PT6P) all had at least one cap that required some special attention when replacing and this horn is no different. The 1st valve's cap is a little fussy but the others thread fine. The threads do feel a little stiffer/tighter than I am used to but they are getting better as I have used them more and more (I spent some time just taking them on and off to see how they were).
Playing wise, the horn was little stuffy right out of the box but all of the notes were right on the money with most of my go to mouthpieces. My Sellsmanberger Solo and Szentpali CC are the best fits with the Sellsmanberger Symphony having a few problem notes and being a bit stuffy and my Szentpali F giving the horn a real closed-off feeling. The low range was hit or miss and felt a little more difficult to center than my MackBrass 540 (the PT10/15 copy). The high range was real difficult to center and even get out.
The only real issue I had with the horn, though, was that it was buzzing more and more as I played. Everything was tightened all of the way down and the only thing I could think of that one of the springs were vibrating as it only happened when valves 1 and 2 were used. I took the valves out, realigned them as they seemed slightly off (or at least not how I set up all of my horns), replaced the springs with genuine Yamaha ones. The buzzing is now gone and, with the new alignment, the horn is now much more even and the high range and low range issues are instantly resolved.
Edit: I forgot to mention that this fifth rotor might be the smoothest and quietest rotor I have ever seen. If not the smoothest, definitely tied with the PCK and old GDR Perantucci F that I owned.
I'll post some pictures below and give some more impressions after I use the horn to teach tonight and over the week.
