Yamaha, B&S, Stomvi

Bugleboy21 · Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2004 10:32 am Post subject:

I wanted to get peoples comments on these three brands of instruments:

Yamaha Xeno series Bb, C
Yamaha Custom series Eb, Pic

B&S Challenger series Bb, C, Eb, Pic

Stomvi Elite series Bb, C, Eb, Pic

Just trying to nail down a good buy for orchestral playing. I am particularly interested in intonation, timbre (unique and rigid or flexible enough to blend with sections), and ability to play ppp-FFF. Please only those who play the instruments regularly or used to in the past reply. I DON'T WANT THIS TO BECOME A HORN BASHING topic! Thanks!

Larry Dean
_________________
You have to be a S.M.A.T. B.oy to transpose well! -William Vacchiano

[ This Message was edited by: Bugleboy21 on 2004-01-19 13:35 ]

E.D.Lewis · Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2004 11:06 am Post subject:

Larry -
I've played a few of those horns and will try to sum up my feelings on them. I currently play the Yamaha XenoRGS Bb - that's the one with the reversed leadpipe, heavy mouthpiece receiver, etc... I think it's a great horn and would work well in any situation. If you play in mainly orchestral settings the standard Xeno 8335 or 8345 might be more to your liking. I've played on the Xeno C's also; great playing instruments, response and intonation are excellent but their sound is a little bright. I tried a B&S C once and it fealt like a tank to me. Not a bad sound or intonation, but not very responsive or agile. The other horn I've played on your list is the Stomvi pic. Great horn, easy to play and good intonation.

Good luck in your search,
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I find your lack of faith disturbing.

trombapaul2 · Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2004 7:43 pm Post subject:

Larry,

I too have played a few of the horns you have listed.

Up until a couple of years ago, I played the Yamaha 9830 Picc and
absolutely loved it. It blended very well with the orchestra but also
had enough "zing" in it to really shine in solo or chamber situations.
Unfortunately, it was stolen which brings me to Picc #2.

Until recently, I was playing the B&S Challenger II Picc. It too was a
very nice horn that blended well orchestrally. However, it proved to be
too big a bore for me get comfortable with (.465). I sacrificed a fair
amount of extreme upper register (couldn't afford a new Yamaha)
which I thought would come back after a while but it didn't. It was
also a quite heavy horn. Big sound but little "zing" (I like that word).

I am currently playing a Stomvi Elite Eb/D and it has proven itself to
be a great horn. Along with the Yamaha Picc, my Schilke E3L was stolen
and I had to look at a more affordable replacement for the Eb/D and
just took to the Stomvi like I'd been playing it forever. It blends with
ensembles very nicely, better than the Schilke in fact. This is probably
due to the fact that the E3L had the Berylium bell which is just too
bright for orchestral settings. I was also having some minor valve
issues with the E3L. The valves on the Stomvi are smooth and fast.
Both the Eb and D sides of the horn are well in tune and sound great.

Hope all this rambling helps.

Paul

(edited for minor spelling errors)

_________________
"NEVER practice...ALWAYS perform" (Bud)

[ This Message was edited by: trombapaul2 on 2004-01-20 22:36 ]

Asian Man · Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2004 8:58 pm Post subject:

if you want a review for a B&S Bb trumpet then ask Mark Pender. he uses them and says that they are great but you probably want somethin much more detailed than that

Graham Altham-Lewis · Regular Member Joined: 12 Dec 2003 Posts: 31

Larry,

I play the Yamaha 6335HS2 and I have been led to believe that the Xeno 8335 is just an improvement on this model. It plays very well - good intonation and a good orchestral sound if used with an orchestral style mouthpiece (they come with a gold plated orchestral mouthpiece) but it can actually be used for many other situations as well but that probably isn't an issue if you are just going to play orchestral.

Mine is the heavyweight version as all Xenos are and the 35 is ML bore where as the 45 is the large bore. It plays very consistently throughout the range and ppp and fff are reproduced well. I have not played any of the other horns you mentioned but I hope this helps.

Graham.

_gmdean · Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2004 2:33 am Post subject:

I'd also suggest that you look at the Stomvi forte line, my teacher thinks they are better than the more expensive elites. I tried the Bb elite but ended up with a good vintage Bach 37 which I prefer to my teachers forte. I would have gone for a forte if this particular Bach hadn't turned up. Can't comment on the others.
Mark

Bugleboy21 · Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2004 4:14 am Post subject:

Great Comments! Keep em coming!

Larry
_________________
SSG Laurence Dean
US Army TRADOC Band
Fort Monroe, VA
You have to be a S.M.A.T. B.oy to transpose well! -William Vacchiano

Mr. Stomvi · Heavyweight Member Joined: 01 Apr 2002 Posts: 1062

I had a Stomvi Elite Bb (large bore, reverse leadpipe,# 27 bell and # 3 leadpipe) and loved it. The # 27 bell is like the Bach # 72 bell. It was just a tad tight on the upper end but everything else was fabulous. Great sound (huge) and workmanship was top notch. I got a chance to compare it to the Yammie Xeno RGS and thought both were great horns especially for the money but thought the Stomvi had a larger, fuller, rounder sound. The Stomvi is a steal as you can find them for around $ 1000 or under. I got mine off of eBay for $ 750. I ended up selling it and purchasing a Stomvi Master Bb Ti (medium bore). There is no comparison between the Elite and the Master series. The Master series is much, much smoother and an easier blow ans more versitile with all the interchangable parts. Quite a bit more expensive than the Elite though. The Master series usually list for around $ 2900 but they can be found for $ 2100 used if you hunt.

Hope this helps

Seth Moore
_________________
"He has Van Gogh's ear for music."

Billy Wilder

Lawler Bb · Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2004 9:08 am Post subject:

I have played a number of the horns on your list, and own one of them.

I own a Yamaha Xeno 8445G C trumpet. It is a wonderful horn. Very even sound top to bottom, very stable sound extremely difficult to break up (I can't do it, and I find it easy to do on most horns), the best intonation I have found in a C trumpet, quick response, great valves, excellent build quality, etc. etc. etc. I really love the sound too, it is just about right in my opinion, easily adjustable with a different mouthpiece. I use a Laskey 80C and it can be dark, or really light up and project well. The bottom line, a great orchestral horn.

I have played a few Yamaha Xeno Bbs, the 8335S and the 8335RGS. Both are excellent trumpets, with the regular 8335 being my preference for orchestral playing. The RGS is a wonderful horn, but a little dark. It would be great for a jazz or commercial gig.

I have played the two Yamaha custom piccolos. The long bell is my favorite of the two, a little easier to play and with a better sound, for me. The 9820C model with the rotary valve on the 3rd slide is a good horn too, but I find it harder to play and for me it has a thinner, brighter sound. I prefer my Benge over these two horns, and I prefer Scherzer over all of these. Build quality on the Yamahas is great.

I have also played the B&S piccolo. Nice horn with a good sound, but too large of bore for me. I had some trouble filling that one up. Seems to be built very well too.

The Stomvi Eb/D is a good horn, basically as good as the Schilke in my opinion, but is too bright for me. I like the bigger and darker sound of the long bell Eb trumpets (Bach).
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Bugleboy21 · Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2004 4:11 pm Post subject:

I prefer to play with a deep sound (kinda like a baritone would sing), but 50/50 on highs and lows so that I can shade either direction on C or Bb. I got that out of a Yamaha Xeno, when I owned one. I'm curious to see if any of these other horns could have the same results or if they are better at doing the same thing. Thanks alot, ya'll!

Larry
_________________
SSG Laurence Dean
US Army TRADOC Band
Fort Monroe, VA
You have to be a S.M.A.T. B.oy to transpose well! -William Vacchiano

Lawler Bb · Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2004 4:17 pm Post subject:

Hey, that is a great analogy for trumpet playing. I would like to say that I have that concept too. I agree that the Yamaha does that well.
_________________
Eric Sperry
www.ericsperry.com
www.facebook.com/EricSperryTrumpet/
www.instagram.com/milwaukeetrumpet/

Bugleboy21 · Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2004 12:07 pm Post subject:

Question for Stomvi users:

How flexible is the Elite Series as far as shading tone? Does it hold it's tone on very loud volumes?
_________________
SSG Laurence Dean
US Army TRADOC Band
Fort Monroe, VA
You have to be a S.M.A.T. B.oy to transpose well! -William Vacchiano