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Yamaha YV-3400 Vibraphone

Range: 3 octaves F-F

Number of Reviews: 1

Average Scores:

Sound and Tone:	8
Design and Construction:	9
Appearance:	8
Customer Support:	n/a
Overall Rating:	9

Reviewer: James Walker e-mail: malletjazz@yahoo.com Date submitted: August 31, 2003 Purchase Price: n/a (school instrument)

Sound & Tone Rating: 8 Comments: The tone is consistent throughout the range of the instrument, with the possible exception of the highest "D," which doesn't speak quite as well as the other notes. I suspect this might have something to do with the tuning of the resonators - it's a really slight difference, only noticeable when playing unaccompanied (and if you're listening for it), and not worth the time and hassle of retuning that resonator. The only reason it doesn't get higher than an "8" is that I wish I could get some more volume out of it - my Musser is significantly louder than most Yamaha vibraphones I've played.

Design & Construction Rating: 9 Comments: I've always been impressed with Yamaha frames - they seem to have found a good compromise between sturdiness and portability. You have to keep things tightened up (i.e., keep the end panels' allen screws snug), and the stock diagonal braces are a must, but for the most part, this frame eliminates many of the wobbles vibists are used to dealing with. I haven't had to disassemble this instrument for transport, but I've helped friends move theirs in the past, and I've been impressed with how quickly and easily it breaks down for transport. The only extraneous noise I was not able to eliminate on this instrument is a mild "thunk" when on depresses the damper pedal quickly. I'm not sure if this is the weight of the bars coming down on the damper cord (which Samuels, or Yamaha, set really, really tight), but it was just loud enough to be noticeable during unaccompanied playing. The damper mechanism works well, although it has the same problem as other instruments which have the damper bar supported at a single point in the middle - the ends of the damper bar bow downward slightly, meaning that the middle notes don't dampen exaclty the same as the bars at either extreme of the range.

Appearance Rating: 8 Comments: Apart from the dings and scratches which came about from Samuels' touring over the years, the frame is clean-looking, and the gold bars are really nice. For a "gigging" instrument, this is about as attractive as it gets. (It's not fair to compare it to the "boutique" vibes like DeMorrow and vanderPlas on this count.)

Customer Support Rating: no opinion Comments: I haven't had to deal with Yamaha's customer service. I know that it takes a long time to special order an instrument with A=440 tuning, and given how many jazz musicians still use that tuning rather than 442, it would be nice if Yamaha (and other mallet companies) made it easier to get a 440 instrument.

Overall Rating Rating: 9 Comments: I've always held Yamaha instruments at arm's length a little bit - generally, I find that they a good, consistent minimal level of quality; I've yet to find a "dog" of a Yamaha mallet instrument. It's rare, tho, that I find one that I really love - usually, my response is "OK, this is nice," and that's about it. That's where I place this vibraphone - it's a really good instrument, but I wouldn't go out of my way to play it. This particular instrument is owned by the Jim Royle Drum Studio and was once the "road" instrument used by Dave Samuels when he was touring with Spyro Gyra - he is friends with Jim Royle, and donated this instrument to the Studio. Even with all of the wear and tear involved with touring, the instrument has held up really well - all it took was for me to tighten up some of the bolts and screws, and the wobbles and rattles disappeared (with the exception of the "thunk" referenced above). My primary instrument is a Musser ProVibe (roughly 25 years old), and I rate this Yamaha as roughly equal to a really good ProVibe - however, that is with the Piper M-braces added to the Musser vibraphone. Without the M-braces, the nod would go to the Yamaha; with the M-braces, they're quite comparable. (It's kind of like Coke vs. Pepsi - yes, you can tell the difference, but it's essentially the same thing.) If I were to buy a new instrument, I'd look into an extended range vibraphone - either the Yamaha, or one of the "boutique" vibraphones produced by the likes of Nico vanderPlas or Doug DeMorrow. I would be happy, however, if I purchased a Yamaha, and if I were to hook up with a company as an artist/endorser, I would be happy to be affiliated with this Yamaha instrument. The only hang-up? I would want an A=440 instrument, and the standard Yamaha tuning is A=442; I've heard from Yamaha artists that it takes 6 months or more to special-order a 440 instrument from Yamaha. I wish they'd offer both tunings on an equal basis - there are a lot of us "440" folk out here.