This is an approximate guide to deciphering the meaning of the numbers and letters used to create the model numbers used on Yamaha Trumpets
1st Number - Range or Grade
The pre-1982 range of Yamaha Trumpets with three digit model numbers appear to have been marketed as such:
Vincent Bach Tormpeten gebraucht in lackiert und versilbert. Bach Trumpet Serial Numbers: Bach Trumpet Serial Numbers From 1925 to 1999.
1xx : Standard / College
2xx : Standard / College
3xx : Standard / College
6xx : Professional
7xx : Professional
9xx : Custom
Does anyone have any old brochures or marketing material from this time that they are willing to sent to me or share as a .pdf?
Post-1982 with the change to the 4 digit model numbers, the marketing material suggests the following.
T-xxx : T Series (Student?)
xxx-Q : Q-Class (2005 only, Student?)
xxx-AD : Advantage (Student?)
1xxx : Standard
2xxx : Standard
3xxx : Intermediate
4xx : Intermediate (Rotary only)
4xxx : Intermediate
5xxx : Allegro (introduced 2010 - , intermediate?)
6xx : Professional (Flugel range only)
6xxx : Professional
6xxxH : Professional Heavywieght (introduced 1987, replaced by Xeno Range)
6xxxH : Maestro Range (UK Brass Band marketing, now marketed as NEO range except cornets)
6xxx : Professional Signature Series (Bob Shew, etc...)
8xx : Custom (Unique Japan only medium bore range)
8xxxH : Pre-Xeno (Custom?) (Japan only) 1986-1990
8xxxUS : Xeno I (Japan only, 1990-1994)
8xxxUSII: Xeno II (Japan only, 1994-2001
8xxx : Xeno (international model, 2001-)
8xxxZ : Custom Z (Bobby Shew)
9xx : Custom (Rotary only)
9xxx : Xeno Artist Series (Chicago, New York etc. introduced 2005-)
9xxx : Custom
9xxx : Custom Artist (Allen Vizzutti, Bergeron, etc...)
As you can see there is quite a lot of varience in the way models are described, breaking away from the Range/Key/Bore/Model number structure.
2nd Number - Key or Pitch
I think this seems to be fairly well established, although the listed items in italics are more theoretical.
1 - Bb Bass (eg: YTR-916) (as only one set of custom made Bass Trumpets exist it is hard to say whether this was the intent of the the series number but it seems to make sense although doesn't fit into the 3 digit model numbers.)
2 - Eb Alto (no known Eb Alto trumpets exist but it would make sense that the number 2 was reserved for this pitch.)
3 - Bb (eg: YTR-6335)
4 - C (eg: YTR-8445)
5 - D (eg: YTR-651)
6 - Eb/D (eg: YTR-6610)
7 - G/F (eg: YTR-9710)
8 - Bb/A Piccolo (eg: YTR-6810)
9 - C Piccolo (eg: YTR-9910)
3rd Number - Bore Size
I think this was probably the intended system when the 4 digit model numbers were developed, but it just seems to dissappear in any organised form as more models have been introduced into the range. There simply isn't enough (appropriate) numbers to accomodate all the possible bores in a logical sequence. Also worth noting is the variance of measurements in the same bore sizes. I'd like to work out if this is a deliberate change of measurement made by Yamaha for speccific models or simply anj case of the original imperial measurements being changed to decimal and back again, each time changing slightly for the previous. Any thoughts or knowledge in this area? The measurements I have are as follows:
1 = Step Bore (YTR-6310Z)
2 = M (Medium) (YTR-6320)
3 = ML (Medium Large) (YTR-6335)
4 = L (Large) (eg: YTR-8445
But this doesn't have space for the S (Small) Bore or MS (Medium Small) bore, nor does it differentiate between same bore sizes, so I'll list the measurements in order and assume that the number system simply doesn't hold true anymore, other than maybe the 3 and 4 designation.
Step Bore
S = 10.50mm / xxx' (eg: YTR-6810)
MS = 11.00mm / 0.433' (eg: YFH-631)
M = 11.24mm / 0.442' (eg: YTR-946)
M = 11.25mm / 0.443' (eg: YTR-948FFMS)
M = 11.30mm / 0.445' (eg: YTR-6310)
ML = 11.65mm / 0.459' (eg: YTR-6335H)
ML = 11.68mm / xxx' (eg: YTR-4335G)
L = 11.73mm / 0.462' (eg: YCR-2310II)
L = 11.76mm / xxx' (eg: YTR-6340)
L = 11.90mm / 0.469' (eg: YCR-8335)
If anyone wants to supply me with the correct fractional imperial measurements it would be appreciated.
4th Number - Model, Version or Design Series
I'm assuming the 4th number was originally intended to designate the model or design within a particular set up. Ie: a 6335 and 6330B are both Proffesional Level, Bb, and ML bore, but the final number differentiates between the actual design of the trumpet. for example, one may or may not have a 2 piece bell vs a 1 piece bell, a gold brass vs yellow brass or even the same but with slightly different brace positions. I think that this system worked initially until model models and artists developed and this system simply ceased to work as intended. The addition of letters as described below has been introduced to help over come the limited combinations of numbers only. As far as I can tell there is no specific meaning to each number other than to differentiate one from others.
EDIT: I have realized that this description is not actually correct for the last number. It basically alternates between a '0' or a '5' (with a few exceptions). The '0' represents trumpets with a reverse construction leadpipe, and the '5' represents a standard construction leadpipe. Of course this doesn't hold true for the higher pitched trumpets with tuning bells and adjustable receivers etc.
Letters
The use of letters is inconsistent so needs to be looked at individually for each model really.
S = Silver Plate. The letter 'S' is used to denote Silver Plating. It is not used to denote a Small Bore even though the 'Custom' range of Bb and C trumpets from 1982-85 started including the bore size in the model number similar to Bach's (eg: YTR-9330ML). Additionally, note that 'S' is NOT used for ALL silver plated instruments though. It would appear that the 'S' is only used when a particular model is offered in both a lacquered version and silver plate version. If a model is only available in a silver plate configuration it would appear that the 'S' is not used, eg: YTR-9610. This is made more confusing as Yamaha themselves market some particular trumpets with an 'S' in their marketing material but not actually stamped on the same instument, eg: the Xeno Artist Series trumpets, only available in silver plate but marketed by Yamaha as YTR-8445CHS in all of their published material. When you look at the actual instruments, they are stamped as YTR-8445CH. I guess if you are looking at purchasing a Yamaha trumpet 2nd hand you must know what configurations it was originally offered in before knowing if a particular instrument has been modified or not. Also note that there is NO denotation for a lacquered instrument. I deperately need more close up photos of model number to actually confirm what is actually being done by Yamaha.
GP = Gold Plate. The letters 'GP' have been used for a very few select models offered with gold plating as the only available finish or as an option. It would appear that gold plating is available as an option from the factory through their Custom Workshop or Alteliers. Genrally, I believe that gold plating is applied over silver plating or nickel as it does not adhere to raw brass very well, and as such most gold plated Yamaha trumpets will have started life as a lacquered or silver plate version of the trumpet.
GL = Gold Lacquer. I have found one instance of this being used to denote a tinted Gold Lacquer in a range available with standard clear lacquer also. Not used anywhere else even when Gold Lacquer is used.
W = Raw Brass. The only instances of the letter W being used are on a particular range of rotary trumpets and flugel horns designed in conjunction with the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra, based on the Heckel model trumpets.
B = Black Lacquer. A few models have been released in 2010/11 as limited editions finished in Black coloured Lacquer. Used in the Yamaha saxophone range for a while but new to the trumpet range.
G = Gold Brass Bell. The letter 'G' is used to denote a bell made from Gold Brass. Again, it was originally only used when a model was available in two different versions, a Gold Brass belled version and a Yellow Brass version. If the model was only available with a gold brass bell it was not used. In more recent models it appears to be used even if the model is only available with a gold brass bell, I would presume as a marketing tool by Yamaha. In the earlier 3 digit models, it appears that there is the occasional use of rose brass, a higher copper content again, but ther is no letter used to indicate this. I have not found any material to classify the percentage of copper in each of the bell materials yet, in a fashion simialr to those used by Vincent Bach on each of the individual shop cards he kept for every single trumpet. Note that this does not have any bearing on the material used in the leadpipe.
R = Reverse Construction Leadpipe. Again, this letter is only used when a model is available with both a standard or a reverse construction leadpipe. It is not used when it is only available with one or the other. There is no letter used to denote the material used to construct the leadpipe.
T = Trigger. Used to denote a mechanical trigger for either the 1st valve slide or the 3rd valve slide. It is model dependent as to which slide it is. Again, only use where the trigger is an option within a particular model range, although i think there are instances where it is used just as a marketing tool on models where it is the oonly set-up.
DT = Double Trigger. Denotes a trigger on BOTH the 1st and 3rd valve slides. It appears this has only been used once on a 6000 series of cornets before the introduction of the Maestro and Xeno range. Whilst the later cornets are supplied with double triggers the 'DT' are not used.
RH = Ring and Hook. Only seen on the YCR-8335SRH, it is used to denote a 3rd valve slide fixed ring and 1st valve slide thumb hook (saddle). Different from the standard models supplied with both 1st and 3rd slide triggers.
H = Heavyweight. Denotes a heavyweight constructin of the overall trumpet. It appears the 'H' designation appeared in the mide 1980's in Japan and then became international with the introduction of the 'Heavyweight' 6000 range, and subsequent series II of the same range. Up until this point the Yamaha trumpet range was all medium to lightweight in a similar fashion to the Schilke range of instruments. Since the introduction of the heavyweight Xeno range the 'H' designation has ceased to be used. Note that there is no letter to denote Lightweight or Medium-weight.
II = 2nd Series. The 'II' indicates the 2nd development of the same model. One might descride it as an 'improved' version of the same model. It is sometimes hard to pin point what the actual change / improvement is. It might be anytrhing from a change in thickness of bell material, a change of brace design to the addition of a water key.
U = ???. The letter U appears on a select few of the Japanese only models of the Xeno I and Xeno II range before it was made internationally available. I have no idea what it actually indicates or means. 'Udon noodles?'
Industry | Musical instruments |
---|---|
Founded | 1918; 101 years ago |
Founder | Vinzenz Schrottenbach (a.k.a. Vincent Bach) |
Headquarters | , |
1 | |
Area served | United States and worldwide |
Scott M. Gervais - General Manager | |
Products | Trumpets, Cornets, Flugelhorns, Trombones, and Mouthpieces |
Services | Build to order |
Owner | Conn-Selmer, a division of Steinway Musical Instruments |
Number of employees | 175 |
Parent | Steinway Musical Instruments |
Website | bachbrass.com |
The Vincent Bach Corporation is an American manufacturer of brass musical instruments that began early in the twentieth century and still exists as a subsidiary of Conn-Selmer, a division of Steinway Musical Instruments. The company was founded in 1918 by Austrian-born trumpeter Vinzenz Schrottenbach (Vincent Bach).
- 2Vincent Bach Corporation
Vincent Bach[edit]
Vinzenz Schrottenbach (sometimes misspelled 'Vincenz Schrotenbach') was born in Baden near Vienna in 1890[1]. As a child he received training on violin, trumpet and bugle. By age 12 he had concentrated on the trumpet.[2] After he graduated from Maschinenbauschule (Mechanical Engineering School, Ansbach) with an engineering degree,[3] he entered into compulsory military service in the Imperial Navy, worked as an elevator operator, and then was re-conscripted during which time he served as a military musician in the Austrian Marine Band.
When he left the military the second time, Vincent decided to defy his family’s wishes and pursued a career as a solo cornetist touring Europe.[4] At the outbreak of World War I, he was in England and was forced to change his name and flee to the United States in order to escape detention as an enemy alien.[2] He resumed his career as a performer, interrupted by another term of compulsory military service, this time in the US military as a musician.[3][5]
While Bach was on tour in Pittsburgh in 1918, a repairman destroyed his mouthpiece, and Bach began experimenting with mouthpiece repair and fabrication.[2]
Vincent Bach Corporation[edit]
New York Period[edit]
First New York Period
- Time frame: 1918 - 1922
- Products: Mouthpieces
- Brand names: Vincent Bach
- Location: 11 East 14th Street, Selmer Music, New York, New York
- Set-up shop at: 204 East 85th Street, New York, New York[6]
- Serial Numbers: N/A
The Vincent Bach Corporation began when Vincent purchased a $300 foot-operated lathe and began producing mouthpieces in the back of the Selmer music store in New York. He established his shop across the street from the musicians' union. He ran an advertisement that read 'How to become a wizard on cornet without practicing' and accumulated $500 in orders in a short time and began his career as a manufacturer.[2]
Second New York Period
- Time frame: 1922 - 1928
- Products: Mouthpieces, Cornets, Trumpets
- Brand names: Stradivarius, Apollo, Mercury[6]
- Location: 237 E. 41st Street, New York, New York[6]
- Serial Numbers: 1-1000 (approximate)
By 1922 the company incorporated,[6] had 10 employees [2] and moved into a small factory at 237 E. 41st Street in New York.[6] In 1924 Bach began producing cornets and trumpets under the Stradivarius by Vincent Bach Corporation name.[2][7] In 1928, tenor and bass trombones were added to the product line as the company expanded and relocated.[2]
Vincent Bach trumpet mouthpiece
Third New York Period
- Time frame: 1928–1953
- Products: Mouthpieces, Cornets, Trumpets, Flugelhorns, Trombones
- Brand names: Stradivarius, Apollo, Mercury,[7] Mercedes[6]
- Location: 621 East 216th Street, Bronx, New York[7]
- Serial numbers: 1000 – 12,599
In October 1928 the company opened a factory in The Bronx to produce cornets, trumpets and trombones (both tenor and bass).[2] Shortly after this move, Bach removed the “Faciebat Anno” marking from his bell engraving that had been in use since before the 100th horn, and began stamping the bells with “Model” followed by numbers for the bell mandrel and bore size. Some horns have 'New York 67' as the location on the bell and are sometimes mistaken for a '67' bell model, however 67 was the pre-zipcode postal code for the Bronx. This practice continued through most of this period. The bell mandrel number had previously appeared in Bach’s script “Vincent Bach Corporation” that has been an enduring marking on Bach horns.[7]
The company experienced stresses, but survived the depression and expanded again afterward. During the Second World War, Bach coped with a shortage of workers and materials and, while not converted to produce war materials as many competitors were, the company cut back on production. Throughout the early years, Bach resorted to mixing parts and modifying earlier horns returned to their ownership during this period to provide requested instruments to customers. Some horns built from extra parts or reconfigured bear an X on the serial number on the second valve casing, others had a digit added to the original serial number. In some cases, the same serial number exists on another horn.[8]
Mount Vernon Period[edit]
Vincent Bach Mount Vernon manufactured trumpet (#26XXX) in an Elkhart case circa late 60s
- Time frame: 1953–1964
- Products: Mouthpieces, Brass Instruments
- Brand names: Stradivarius, Mercury, Minerva, Mercedes[2]
- Location: 50 South MacQuesten Parkway, Mount Vernon, New York[6]
- Serial Numbers: 12,600 – 29,999
Over the years, the company produced several ranges of trumpets, cornets, flugelhorns and trombones, using the brand names Apollo, Minerva, Mercury, Mercedes and Stradivarius. The Vincent Bach Corporation moved in 1953 from New York City to Mount Vernon, New York. Mt. Vernon Bach horns are prized for being hand-assembled instruments.[3][4] Mt. Vernon horns can be identified by the Bach manufacturing stamp listing Mount Vernon NY on the second valve casing along with the bore letter code and serial number.[4] It is the instruments from this early Vincent Bach era that are still the sought-after trumpets with the new modern version being similar but not the same quality.
Elkhart Period[edit]
Bach logo on a 30,000-series Mellophonium.
- Time frame: 1965 – present
- Products: Mouthpieces, Brass Instruments
- Brand names: Stradivarius, Bundy(Selmer name no longer used), Bach
- Location: 600 Industrial Parkway, Elkhart, Indiana[6]
- Serial Numbers: 30,000 -
In 1961 Vincent Bach was 71 and the company was acquired that year by The Selmer Company, with Bach staying on as a consultant[9] and continuing to work until at least 1974.[10] Bach accepted the bid from Selmer even though some others of the 13 which he received were higher.[2] It is believed that Vincent Bach continued customizing a small number of horns at the old Mt. Vernon facility for special customers.[11]
The bulk of tooling, along with many parts and assembled horns, were relocated to a former Buescher plant on Main Street in Elkhart Indiana where production started in January of 1965. Less than a decade later, production moved again to a Conn factory belonging to the Selmer Company on Industrial Drive in Elkhart, alongside of which the Conn-Selmer corporate offices are located presently.[2][4] The Bach line of brass instruments continues to be made in Elkhart, Indiana, using the same blueprints and the same techniques as the originals. They are sold as a premium brand under the name “Bach Stradivarius” as well as the student line “Bach” horns, manufactured in Eastlake Ohio.[12]
Strike[edit]
On 1 April 2006, workers at the Bach plant in Elkhart began a strike that lasted three years.[13] The main issues were the union's desire to preserve employee compensation and company's goals to increase product quality. Production was interrupted until the company hired replacement workers, and roughly a third of the strikers returned to work.[14][15] The strike ended when workers voted to dissolve the relationship between the company and the United Auto Workers union.
References[edit]
- ^Tarr, E.H., 2003. East meets west: the Russian trumpet tradition from the time of Peter the Great to the October Revolution, with a lexicon of trumpeters active in Russia from the seventeenth century to the twentieth (No. 4). Pendragon Press.
- ^ abcdefghijkPriestley, Brian, Dave Gelly, Tony Bacon, The sax & brass book, MIller Freeman Books, San Francisco, CA, 1998, p. 1970
- ^ abcHistory of Bach StradivariusArchived 2009-11-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ abcdHempley, Roy & Lehrer, Doug, Play it again Mr. Bach, 2002, Bachology essay at http://www.bachbrass.com/bachology/article.php?uid=4 retrieved 5/31/2011
- ^Note: Bach served in the same field artillery regiment credited with bringing the 'Cassion Song' to John Philip Sousa in 1917. The result, 'The Caisson Song,' would become the official U.S. Armymarch, 'The Army Goes Rolling Along.' See http://skyways.lib.ks.us/orgs/mcb/Library/M0126.htmArchived 2007-02-11 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ abcdefghBachLoyalist.com Timeline of the Vincent Bach Corporation and Serial Number List at http://www.bachloyalist.com/serials/serial_trumpet.htm retrieved 6/2/2011
- ^ abcdHempley, Roy and Lehrer, Doug, New York Bach Stradivarius Trumpet and Cornet Bell Markings, 2004, Bachology essay at http://www.bachbrass.com/bachology/article.php?uid=1 retrieved 5/31/2011
- ^Hempley, Roy and Lehrer, Doug, Bach’s X Horns, 2001, Bachology essay at http://www.bachbrass.com/bachology/article.php?uid=2 retrieved 5/31/2011
- ^Dundas, Richard, 20th Century Brass Musical Instruments in the United States, p. 5
- ^Pavlakis, Christopher, The American music handbook, The Free Press, Calhun Publishing, 1974, p. 655
- ^Hempley, Roy and Lehrer, Doug, Bach’s Bugles, 2004, Bachology essay at http://www.bachbrass.com/bachology/article.php?uid=7 retrieved 5/31/2011
- ^Vincent Bach website http://www.bachbrass.com/ retrieved 5/28/2019
- ^Conroy, Tommy (5 August 2009). 'Conn-Selmer strike ends'. South Bend Tribune (Indiana). Retrieved 23 July 2010.
- ^Marilyn, Odendahl (05 August 2009). 'Three years later, the Vincent Bach strike -- and the union -- ends quietlyArchived 2011-07-18 at the Wayback Machine '. The Elkhart Truth
- ^Stuckey, Mike (12 April 2010). 'Little sympathy, but much at stake for strikers'. eTruth. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
External links[edit]
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