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Yamaha YV-3700 Vibraphone

Range: 3 octaves

Number of Reviews: 1

Average Scores:

Sound and Tone:	8
Design and Construction:	7
Appearance:	8
Customer Support:	-
Overall Rating:	9

Reviewer: Diego Urbano e-mail: not given Date submitted: June 30, 2002 Purchase Price: not given (school instrument)

Sound & Tone Rating: 8 Comments: This set is excellently well tuned, the bars sound brilliant and deep in the low register, the higher bars don't sound as much as the lower ones, there's a lack of fundamental and slight frame noise. The vibraphone works fine with almost any type of mallets, in some cases, if the mallets are too heavy, the bars produce a buzz when getting in contact with the felt, or some hard-light mallets get too much harmonics and a very warm sound, sometimes unpleasant. When played with the proper mallets, this instrument works fine, and projects very well.

Design & Construction Rating: 7 Comments: The frame is solid, only when brakes are applied and all the wingnuts are tightly secured, otherwise, it's not stable. the screws get loose easily, so you need to re-tight them frecuently.The instrument is easy to assemble once you get used to it, and the parts are small enough for being transported in the back seat of a "typical" car. The frame is height adjustable, but the mechanism isn't secure at all, least for me. i think that with gas-aided braces, it would be perfect. The casters are excellent, they are big and the brakes are of the first quallity. The cord is the original that came included, it's working like new, and the instrument was bought in 1998. The instrument has some extraneous sounds some times, most of them come from the damper system or from loose bolts, but are all easy to fix. The bars are of the standard graduation (2-1/4" to 1-1/2"). The fans work excellent, the pulleys and belts have "teeth", so the rotating is synchronous in both resonators. It's suposed that the motor is silent, but after a little time, it sounds more than before, and the noise is transmited through all the frame. It also presents some awful sound coming from the internal belt because it sleeps from the axis for the external pulleys. The before mentioned axis has become bent a little, with the consequencies of the syncro belts getting off the pulleys. The pedal works fine, but it's assembly is poor and needs to be readjusted frecuently. The instrument is quite easy to move around, but it shows wear after 4 years of use.

Appearance Rating: 8 Comments: The instrument looks good, the bars are beatiful. I'd loved a more equilibrated design.

Customer Support Rating: n/a Comments: i have had no contacts with Yamaha. the set came with one year limited warranty and an user's manual.

Overall Rating Rating: 9 Comments: I'm quite satisfied with the instrument, however, i'd not buy it again, in fact if i have to buy yamaha, i'd only buy the bars, since they are great. The instrument belongs to the univesrity where i study, so it's used generally for percussion ensembles, and i use it for a Jazz quintet configuration (bass, drums, trumpet, guitar, vibes) when i've to play there. I'd highly recomend this instrument to a student or a pro, but it doesn't stand up for "public" use.