[TPIN] Yamaha NY / CH / LA / Shew compared

[Chase Sanborn]

> I would be curious to know if Chase tried more than one of each  
> model and picked his four "finalists" to really hone in on...

No, just one sample of each. I've never gone the route of picking  
through identical models, at least not since playing Yamaha. They are  
famous for consistency, and while no two horns will play exactly  
alike, you can be pretty confident that a Yamaha out of the box will  
play well.

I always take a new horn to my repair guy (Ron Partch in Toronto) for  
fine-tuning. He checks alignment and vents the valves, looks for  
errant solder, and sometimes re-fits slides, water keys etc. He  
didn't have to do much to the Chicago, but no mass-produced horn can  
receive the individual attention that he can provide. Mind you, he is  
a world-class craftsman and I trust him completely. This is not a job  
for just anyone with a hammer.

Several people have emailed me recently about the mouthpiece gap.  
This varies with horn and mouthpiece combinations, and personal  
preference. I've never had to adjust the gap on a Yamaha with GR  
mouthpieces. GR believes a gap of about .14" is perfect. With a  
Yamaha and GR's standard shank, it will probably be a little less  
than that, but still within the acceptable range in most cases.

Chase Sanborn

TUNING TACTICS: http://www.tuningtactics.com

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