NAMM Report 2023- Amazing Chinese horns and American disappointments

Full write of almost every horn at the show:
tiffanyjohns.co...
Want a lesson with me? Fill this out:
forms.gle/eKUX...

[@Braymond212]

I was also really surprised by the quality of the Chinese horns! I'm actually trying to get some of them in my shop soon (including the Y-Fort trombones). Thanks for the good recap!

[@mchwang6645]

Thank you for visiting and sharing your experiences. I'm also very curious about your experience with Chinese trombone!

[@davidwilson2214]

Hi Aidan! I really enjoy all your videos. Always something to learn and enjoy. Glad to hear the Chinese horns are better. I am 69 years old and have been playing tennis since 1964. I still have a Conn 8H they bought me brand new in 1967 when I made first chair in middle school. Just last week I bought a new Conn 88HT and love it! Any suggestions for a mouthpiece for it? So far I have decided to use a Schiller Symphony M5.3 which has great sound with lots of brilliance to it. Just an amateur but play good. Playing in our church group and enjoying it a lot. Keep up the great videos and the best to you!

[@davidwilson2214]

Playing trombone; not tennis. Oops. Parents bought me the 8H

[@davidwilson2214]

Schilke

[@AidanRitchie]

Hey, David! If you like that 5.3 then keep using it. A modern 88H isn't very mouthpiece picky, I think anything you find that fits your face will do a pretty good job in the horn. I would stay away from the really big stuff, but as an amateur I would stay away from that anyway!

[@DanielDoniza]

Yeah man, pretty accurate. Curious about that y fort horn. Some how i missed that vender while i was there.

[@jg2977]

I’ll have to try the Courtois Creation AC421-BHRA-1-0 New York .547 someday. What you said about Shires is accurate - they’re great, if you hit the note in its exact slot. If the Courtois is more forgiving in that regard, it could be good for me. But I just spent money switching my Shires tenor to an axial from a rotor, which widened the slots for me and made it easier to play, so I’ll be stuck with the Shires for a while longer😂. I’ve gotten lots of compliments on my large bore Shires tenor sound. Nobody has said it sounds boring. I have a 7YLW bell and a TB47G slide. If the slide was yellow it would probably sound boring, but the gold slide really adds warmth, color and depth to the sound.

[@Finetales]

I thought the Courtois was much more forgiving than the Shires horns.

[@jg2977]

@@Finetales my favorite jazz trombonist, Steve Davis, played a Courtois for a long time. He still may play the same horn now.

[@timbortner1014]

Quick question: As a bass trombonist, I generally use a 1 1/2G mouthpiece for bass and a 5G for large bore tenor. Any mouthpiece recommendations for a small bore tenor? Thanks and keep up the great content!

[@AidanRitchie]

If those work for you, a 6 1/2AL might be good. It depends on the small tenor!

[@SuperJox]

Tim I use the same on those two and opt to use an 11c for small tenor myself

[@EvanBeachy]

hey aidan. i play a Q-series bass with the 1 leadpipe, bach 1.25 for soloing (small throat, nice overtones) and a griego 1 for ensemble. its the all yellow model, and it plays really good. im curious if you also had this when testing - 6th and 7th partials, contrary to most horns, are actually quite flat for me. 1st pos. D is almost unusable, depending on the day (unless its the third of a major Bb chord, in which case its perfect), and the F is usable but i have to lip it up. its annoying, but everything else is sooo good about it i really dont care that much. did you also experience any of this?

[@AidanRitchie]

I didn't notice that, no... But I also have not had a ton of time on them!

[@EvanBeachy]

@@AidanRitchie gotcha. took me a while to realize it! i tested out a getzen and a conn along side it, the response didn't even compare. they all sounded fine, but man does that Q-series work! definitely not changing anything about it for a while.

[@aammarkhan2661]

I also play a Q series bass and have the same issue. The F I definitely find myself lipping up quite a bit although as I go further down the slide it seems to be less extreme (or maybe my ears are just adjusting I’m not exactly sure)

[@EvanBeachy]

@@aammarkhan2661 gotcha! that's the one thing about my bass that I wish was better. loving the sound I get from it all together. ive been experimenting with tuning much closer to the D above the staff, and pulling out ever so slightly on the B flat. its a small enough adjustment that the horn just plays better in tune most of the time. also, with my griego 1 the intonation in general seems to be much less of an issue. maybe something about the larger throat tightens up the intonation a bit? i also have to have my tuning slide about an inch further in with the 1 as opposed to the bach 1.25. strange. curious, how does the Bb in the staff to G at the bottom of the staff feel to you? that register is a little slippery on that bass, unlike my tenor or other basses ive tried. have you noticed anything in that regard?

[@aammarkhan2661]

@@EvanBeachy The bottom of the staff also feels hard to center at times. I’m in love with the rest of the horn in the money range but I find it difficult to be consistent down there. Could also be an embouchure or an issue with hearing the notes.

[@Finetales]

You did too play a bad euphonium, the ZO plastic one!

[@AidanRitchie]

I'm being materialist!

[@seth094978]

The thing about euphoniums is that there are lots of well made options, but most are the same old British formula, unfortunately one I really dislike. The low range of a compensating euphonium pretty much always sounds terribly muffled, and the rest of the range sounds slightly muffled and indistinct. Really good uncompensated horns that actually sound good in the low range and clear in the high range are super uncommon, and more than 4 valves, as is necessary for good intonation, is especially rare. Good German baritones, traditional American baritones, French C tubas, French Bb saxhorns, and the like are really hard to find, having been supplanted by the easy to play but shitty sounding British style.

[@AidanRitchie]

Yup, I'd like to see some other designs as well... but the british thing is getting pretty perfected as we wait!

[@PosauneundPapier]

My $250 Chinese alto trombone is better than my school's Conn 36H

[@bassclefburrows]

Which one?

[@yuhaoliu1580]

@@bassclefburrows I think he's just trying to be sarcastic, cheap is bad

[@tristanperciful6609]

How the hell does your school have an alto, do you have a symphony orchestra?

[@PosauneundPapier]

No it’s actually an excellent instrument. I’ve had many pros play it and they all like it

[@PosauneundPapier]

I’m in a conservatory not high school!

[@loghbrass]

The new Yamaha tuba 🤤🤤🤤

[@AidanRitchie]

Word is it's pretty good!

[@JasoniumGH]

How much are the Y-Fort trombones and how can I buy one?

[@miataenjoyer2786]

Second this, wouldn't mind information on the brand.

[@AidanRitchie]

You know pretty much as much as I do haha

[@Finetales]

I was told by the rep the following prices: YSL-563L or GL (fixed bell, no removable pipes): $1200 YSL-663L or GL (fixed bell, removable pipes): $1700 I think? YSL-763L or GL (screw bell, removable pipes): $1900 There is also a 363 that looks the same as the 563 but with a nickel slide. As for where to buy one, you might be able to contact them on their website, but otherwise will have to wait until they get picked up by a distributor.

[@jptech57]

I find it very sad that the American manufacturers are turning to China to produce instruments now not only because they are cheaper but because they are better. How far things have fallen from 60 years ago when there were a decent number of high quality, high output factories here with no thought given to outsourcing.

[@epicwaluigi7773]

I know its made with Tomer but Jesus, 9k for an 835!?

[@AidanRitchie]

That's MSRP, they'll sell for much less. Still on par with the other major brands though.

[@epicwaluigi7773]

@@AidanRitchie oh ok, thats good

[@aasavickas]

Interesting that the domestic were being sneaky and lazy but the Chinese are making great horns for cheap. I wonder if the instrument business will be like the Auto Industry. I could see all the big trombone manufacturers bought out by Chinese company's and the only domestic horns worth buying are the boutique luxury brands. I don't really get why people would pay so much for a modern Bach, Conn, Yamaha, etc. There is great cheap chines and excellent other makers like Getzen at a similar price point but better.