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Yamaha YV3910 Vibraphone

Range: 3.5 octaves C-F

Number of Reviews: 1

Average Scores:

Sound and Tone:	7
Design and Construction:	9
Appearance:	9
Customer Support:	4
Overall Rating:	9

Reviewer: Dwayne Corbin e-mail: corbind@email.uc.edu Date submitted: July 21, 2004 Purchase Price: $8110.50

Sound & Tone Rating: 7 Comments: It is my understanding that Yamaha purchased the Deagan patents, and thus the tone is similar to the old Deagan wide-bar instruments: that is, they ring quite a bit longer than Musser vibes, and the tone color is a bit more veiled than a Musser. This is great for contemporary art music, where sustain and fundamental pitch is important. Related to this, it responds GREAT to bows, though the bracing between the inner 2 rails is jointed in such a way that the up-bow motion pushes the naturals and flats together if you're not careful. The upper end is a bit muted compared to the mid-range, though it's plenty loud. The low end is beautiful, though since it's an extended range instrument, you sometimes have to put a soft mallet in the bass, which is fine for 4 mallet playing, but not possible for two mallets. The lowest 5 notes (the "bonus" notes) have very pronounced overtones, like a bass marimba, when played with regular mallets. Only a heavy, softer core mallet will produce a strong fundamental. These overtones can conflict with notes in the upper register...for example, the low "D" will produce a strong "F#" 2.3 octaves up, so you can't voice a d minor chord against this, unless you're using a softer mallet in the bass. This drove me crazy at first, but then I realized that no one else could hear it in a jazz setting, you don't play roots in a jazz setting anyway, and very few could hear it in an exposed classical setting. When they could, a soft mallet seemed to fix the problem just fine. I special ordered the instrument at A=440, which has been a life-saver when working with classical musicians. The instrument is perfectly tuned. I also ordered the gloss bars, which have a brighter tone than the matte bars: re: more overtones. This compounds the above problem. Also, compared to the Yamaha matte bars I've played, the tone just isn't as nice. The matte bars seem to be closer to that classic jazz sound, and will sound better for recording and acoustic settings. The gloss bars were developed for Dave Samuels (who with Mike Manieri was the first to get this instrument) who wanted a brighter tone for more projection in live situations. I've been very surprised at how loud this instrument is in a club setting...i have been able to not use mic's several times, which is great, and sometimes conductors actually tell me to play quieter in a classical setter, also unusual for vibes. So, if you need to have loud vibes, go for the gloss, though I dislike them for the type of music i do (which is mostly practicing and small acoustic jazz and chamber music). My lower rating is more my feelings about the gloss bar than anything else.

Design & Construction Rating: 9 Comments: The frame is very unique in that it comes apart into small pieces. I can fit the entire frame into a Protechtor hardware case...the only problem is that the case then weighs about 80 pounds! I move the instrument from home to school to gigs infrequently since I don't play it too often, but I've probably assembled/disassembled it around 40 times. It takes about 20 minutes to set up, which is a really long time when you're at a gig. However, I have a VW Jetta, and I can fit the entire instrument, plus a be-bop kit, into the car. No mini-vans necessary! As far as I know, there are no cases available, so I had to make my own. The frame is quite sturdy, esp. for it being so collapsible. I have never liked center-post pedals, but it works fine. The pedal works OK, but it's nothing compared to the Musser Piper vibe pedal, which is the most amazing pedal ever! The extra bass notes take quite a while to dampen, so if it's possible, call Musser and see if you can retro-fit a Piper tube on it. The instrument is height-adjustable, but not for multi-users. As in, you have to completely disassemble it to change it safely. I am 6'1" and I have it all the way up, which is GREAT, since I started to get real back and neck problems playing of short Musser instruments. The casters are amazingly smooth and the lock wonderfully. I've never had the instrument slip away from me. Also a bonus: the bass notes are not so long that you can't fit it through a normal door. It only has about a 1/4" clearance, but it can go through, unlike extended range marimbas. I've had no problems with frame noise. However, it would be great if Yamaha swapped out their rubber bar separators (what's the real term for these?) with felt ones, as the bars vibrate against the rubber at times. The motor is the best on the market. It has teeth so you can preset an off position: open, closed, or 1/2 way. It automatically returns to that position when you hit the off button, so the tone stays even. None of that fan-open on the naturals fan-closed on the flats stuff. Also, it's totally silent, which is great, and has a very wide range of speeds, and can maintain the slowest speed of any vibe I’ve seen. It's also easily removable for the non-motor type, and the cord detaches, so when you want to keep the motor on, but aren't using it for that gig it's not wrapped around the end piece looking all stupid. I've had the instrument for 5 years, and it's in perfect shape, but I rarely use it outside of my home, so that's not saying much. I think it's a great instrument for a personal user, but would be cautious about institutional use due to the many joints and hinges which allow the instrument to break down so well. I imagine that these would begin to weaken with 10 people using it in the same week.

Appearance Rating: 9 Comments: It is a stunning instrument: black frame, gold mirror bars, gold resonators that don't have the annoying false al tubes or the arch shaped front resonators. It's a very contemporary, simple, but sleek look. I wouldn't recommend gloss bars to anyone for the above overtone issue. Perhaps worse, however, is that they scratch REALLY easy (the bar pins have put many scratches on the side of the bars, but thankfully none on the top) and it's annoyingly reflective. The finish is a true mirror-- you could do your hair with it--which is beautiful until you get stage lights creating constellations on your instrument and blinding you...also, it puts this crazy reflection on the ceiling and/or back of the hall, which is quite humorous since it looks like a giant jaw opening and closing as you depress the pedal. I've played in large group settings where I've received more comments on the lighting effects from these reflections than the music...not a good thing!

Customer Support Rating: 4 Comments: Yamaha was not easy to get a hold of when I purchased this instrument. Some of my problems were due to purchasing it through a certain percussion company from Philly not especially known for it's customer service, though I'll swear by them for any percussion purchase anyway. I tried to find out answers to some of my initial questions about overtones and matte vs. gloss bar, but no one returned calls or I just couldn't get to anyone. I personally talked to Yamaha reps and PASIC and at my grad school when they visited, and just got a lot of ends. The problem is that the tech's are in Japan, and salespeople are in the US. Yamaha salespeople seems great with drums, but I don't think many of their people know much about their mallet instruments.

Overall Rating Rating: 9 Comments: I do love this instrument: the low notes open up a completely new world in jazz comping (you can truly play solo music w/o having to voice the melody so high!!!) jazz soloing, classical ensemble and solo music. I think that it should become standard for all instruments. The only thing I would change would be to buy the matte bars instead of the gloss. If the Piper dampener could be added to this instrument, it would be the most incredible instrument anywhere. I recommend this instrument to jazz vibists who play solo/trio/quartet gigs where the low notes would be very useful. Classical players would also love it. I would NOT recommend it to jazz vibists who play with two mallets only--you'll never use the extra notes. Also, if you're space crunched, like in an orchestra or a pit, the extra length of the instrument can cause problems. It would be best as a private instrument where someone could really take care of it or a university where it was never disassembled. I would NOT recommend it for public school, and especially not for the marching field.