| I bought a Yamaha YM-40 three months ago, so I thought this might be a good time to do a little review of it. Keep in mind that I'm a beginner, and this is my first real marimba.
The YM-40 is 3.5 octaves, C to F, with paduak bars and aluminum resonators. It's small enough to fit in my Toyota Sienna mini-van, which makes it portable enough for gigging. I can load it myself if I have to, but usually I get someone to help me. I don't bother tearing it down - I just put the cover on it and wheel it out to the car.
There are two height levels for the resonators. The manual says to use the low slot if the temperature is under 72 degrees, the high one if its over 72 degrees. I suspect that there are sweet spots when the temperature is about 70 or 75 degrees, but I haven't really tested it. I just know that the resonators sound out of tune as often as they sound in tune, and it's probably because of the air temperature.
The resonators detach easily. I made space in my closet for them. I practice at home without them, because the instrument is actually too loud for my little music room.
In performance, the YM-40 is loud enough for small club work without amplification. I've been setting it up with a pair of Shure SM-57's overhead for outdoor shows. The SM-57's are too directional, though, so I'm looking for a pair of nice, inexpensive condensor mikes.
Aside from the tuning issue, there's another problem with the resonator tubes. The resonator assembies have an odd rattle, caused by the way they are simply placed on the frame. Through experimentation, I've found that I can eliminate the rattle by squeezing the ends of the metal mounting bars together, and I think that a couple of strong rubber bands could fix it. It's annoying at low volumes and solo, but it gets absorbed into the overall sound of the band when we perform. That's why I haven't really got around to fixing it yet.
The price of this marimba is its most attractive feature. It cost me about $1800, and you can order it at any music store that carries Yamaha. The list price is higher, but the dealer I got it from was hip to his web-based competition and matched their price right off the bat.
This instrument was probably designed for schools, but I'm finding it to be very appropriate for our original rock band. It has a real classy, professional look to it. In our music I don't really need any notes that are higher or lower than what's there, and a bigger marimba would be a problem on some stages. The tone is acceptable - actually the band thinks it's great! - and the resonator tuning issue isn't a big deal when mixed with the guitars and fretless bass. They tune to A-440 and the marimba is A-442 and nobody even notices, so the odd difference of the resonators isn't going to bother anyone.
The bottom line is that I think I made the right choice with the Yamaha YM-40. Someday I'll probably buy a bigger concert marimba, but for my current needs this one is just about perfect.
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