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• Bore: 17.5-19.5mm (0.689-.768")

The Yamaha parts lists actually shows the YEB-631 and YBB-631 sharing some tubing knuckles in valves 1, 2, and 3 so that must be true.

https://parts-search.yamaha.co.jp/html/ ... _id=104528" target="_blank

Numbers 111, 112, 114, 115, 116, 118.

I was very surprised by this. Before I looked, I was certain it would be the same .728 as a YBB-321.

The university here in saskatoon Saskatchewan Canada has a ybb-631 in silver and I was fortunate to spend a lot of time on it after I bought my ybb 632 neo bb flat tuba.The 631 is a sold tuba, built like a tank.Pitch was very good on it with the concert e flat in the staff being a little sharp but very workable.For a bb flat tuba the upper register above the high b flat was remarkably easy to play and in tune.This being said anything from the pedal bb flat up to the concert f seemed really stuffy and I felt like I was blowing into a brick.On my neo bbflat,the 632, the low register was outstanding,no stuffiness..very open and free blowing.The 631 had, I believe, a 17 inch bell, which made the sound more direct and pointed.My 632 neo has a 19 inch bell which produces a very broad sound.I would have liked to try the 631 and 632 in a british brass band setting.I think this would have been a wonderful sound and something bloke has spoke about.The only thing that I did not like about the 631 was the placement of the 4th valve.If you look at the picture of the 631 in the ebay add the 4th is buried and in a very awkward placement on the tuba.I am nearly 6 feet tall with a very good reach and I found it just about impossible to reach.Yamaha fixed this problem when they placed the 4th valve on the 632 almost in the middle of the tuba making it much easier to reach.All in all the 631 is good tuba and very workable,but the placement of the 4th valve would be a deal breaker for me.

I just remembered Steve Noel had one of these in silver. It was a beautiful horn and he sounded great on it, but I don’t believe I played on it. I sat next to him with myself playing a Besson 994 and we played together well in the New England Brass Band back in 2004 or so.

If memory serves me correctly, Doug Yeo, conductor of NEBB at the time, helped Steve get the horn via Yamaha of America out of Michigan since no one had one in stock. Maybe Osmun brokered the deal, but it had to come out of storage, for sure.

These things are certainly rare. While the concept of brass bands caught on here in the USA, I don’t thing the culture is nearly the same. For that reason, there’s a hodgepodge of instruments in the mix. Also relying on memory, I think I sat in on something for the Central Florida Brass Band back in the 90s using my Mel Culbertson piston Neptune. i think I used a rubber band to hold the fifth valve down and pushed/pulled slides accordingly to approximate a BBb, to which the horn did pretty well.

When I started in the NEBB, I had my 6/4 BBb Holtophone. Mr. Yeo wasn’t too keen on that monster in the back row out of respect to the concept of all the basses being compensating. Luckily I picked up a B stock 994 from WWBW for $2500 with case and it was surprisingly decent. I played only on that horn enough to be familiar with it, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected it to be.

Which leads me to why these British style horns probably don’t get used often in the USA, and more specifically the YBB-631: the YBB-321 and YBB-201. There are lots of things “off” about those horns. I’d guess a branding issue from people interacting with those tainted the way the YBB-641 (and stuff like the Besson 994) would be perceived. I was one that thought, based on experience, that every top action horn with the Conn 2xJ being the exception was something to be avoided.

I have one, and they definitely are built like a tank. That said even that couldn't stop denting when I dropped the Main Tuning Slide while trying to figure out if I had a leak somewhere. It's one of the first things that will get fixed when the stay at home order is lifted.

When I purchased it. Dillon Music had both a used YBB-631 and a Ybb-632 in stock. I was guessing someone who played in a lot of Brass Bands had decided to move on, or maybe got something else. Anyway, at the time I could barely play a big tuba, but I did find that the Ybb-632 was a bit easier for me to make notes on. It did not seem as "stuffy" to me, though for me all BBb tubas seem "stuffy". However, the 632 was more than twice as expensive as the 631, so that decision was made. I already play a bit of 3+1 Euphonium, so a 3+1 tuba was a pretty good choice.

For me, I did not find any issue with using the "hidden" 4th valve, and honestly it's a heck of a lot easier to reach than my Euphoniums 4th valve, for me anyway.

After getting it, I dug around to see if I could find the specs, and this is what I found:

Hand-lapped Monel pistons resist corrosion and maintain a tight fit and smooth action over many years of heavy use. The valves are arranged with 3 top-action and the fourth side-action for fast, effortless fingering. Its yellow brass bell, gold brass mouthpipe, and .689"-768" bore make it capable of a rich, full, very musical tone. Its compensating system ensures accurate tuning on all notes throughout the instrument's range, particularly in the difficult low range. Yamaha's advanced technology puts its silverplate among the finest. It produces a soft, rich tone ideal for subtle musical nuance and expression.This is a tuba that the most advanced player will find wonderfully responsive and satisfying to play.

Key of BBb. 4/4 size, .689"/.768" dual bore, 17-1/2" yellow brass bell, compensating system, 3 front-action and a 4th side-action Monel pistons, silver-plated finish.
All Yamaha wind instruments come with a limited 5-year warranty.

FEATURES
Key of BBb
4/4 size
.689"-768" bore
17-1/2" upright yellow brass bell
Gold brass mouthpipe
Hand-lapped slides
3 top-action and a fourth side-action valves with Monel pistons
Silver-plated finish
Includes case

I may attack it with some calipers tomorrow. I will also say, I love that the valve block is removable. BUT, somehow the nut for the leadpipe keeps loosening itself and leaking. It needs some weird wrench to properly tighten it.

Sidebar: I can see this horn if I follow the link, but don’t see it in any version of a search I try... can anyone smarter (younger?) than me figure out why that might be? I’d like to see all options if I search for something on eBay!
Thanks,
T. J.

Well, I just found out there is no British brass band with only Neo instruments. According to the US and European Yamaha web sites, there are not Neo trombones or Flugelhorns, just Custom and Xeno to to along with the standard lines. I was barking up the wrong tree yet again.

I was aware of the 631 Eb and BBb basses. The 631 Eb is probably my favorite Eb bass, but it was way out of my price range.

Yeah, it's here now: https://www.ebay.com/itm/SILVER-YAMAHA- ... 4570274474" target="_blank

I don't want to think about how much that case probably weighs.

I recently purchased a very nice "restored" Conn 24J (I already have a Kanstul upright bell) from this eBay seller. Very nice tuba, super easy transaction, fast shipping!

Wow looks good! Usually the inner bows, the second loop of this paperclip-style design of tubas, are beat up when used. Because that's the first place it hits if it slips off the edge of a chair.

Yamaha paperclip-shape tubas always have an Ab that is really flat. Shame because they are otherwise in tune and very easy-responding. the older 321 and the newer 632 both, so has to be the 631 too.