Yamaha 9335 Chicago - Trumpet
Disclaimer: Please note any reviews on this site are purely of my own opinion.
I recommend you check other sites or Google for additional information on products when trying to make a purchase decision.
Key: Bb
Bore: L 0.459
Bell Diameter: 4 7/8"
Leadpipe: Yellow Brass
Body Material: Yellow Brass
Bell Material: Yellow Brass, One Piece
Key Buttons: Mother of Pearl
Finish: Silver
Valves: Monel, 2-piece Valve Casings
For detailed feature descriptions and more information check out:
<http://www.yamaha.com/artistmodelseries/index2.html>
The main thing you have to understand with this horn is that it was primarily designed for Symphony work.
It’s months of collaboration between Yamaha’s top design chief - Bob Malone (Same guy that designed the Z horns with Bobby Shew) and John Hagstrom of the Chicago Symphony Fame.
The Chicago has however, starting to find a following in the Jazz world.
Trumpet Chase Sanborn writes and excellent review of the horn on his site that you should also check out if you’re considering buying one of these horns.
Personally the reason I bough this horn for myself was the sound.
This trumpet take quite a bit more air in comparison. Now that I have spent some months with the horn it’s seriously growing on me as a great all round player.
It’s especially good for solo or combo work.
Recently I have been using in a 7 piece band on some lead stuff and this horn is like a lazer if you are ‘up there’ and giving it the air it needs.
PROS:
Sound: Nice full sound that is full and rich. I can hear why people rate this horn so highly given it’s design concept to be played in symphony settings etc.
I would put this on the ‘dark’ end of the scale
Built Solid: I don’t know what they put in this horn - but I can tell you first gig I used I of course dropped the 3rd valve slide clean onto the concrete below - from a height of say 3 feet straight onto concrete it bounced and doesn’t have even the slightest visible mark.
I’m not saying it’s indestructible or anything - just that a drop like that would have crushed most in an instant. Whilst mentioning this it also should be noted that this horn feels quite weightly and solid too.
Tuning & Intonation: The tuning on this horn is unbelievable - and the intonation is rock solid - once you have a note locked in it’s pretty hard to move off of it.
So much so that you may have to relearn how to shake a note.
Blow: The blow is very nice. Bob Malone’s lead pipe ensures maximum efficiency and a good feel to producing the sound etc. Being a large bore instrument some may tire, get flat or struggle to get enough air through the horn - it will take some adjustment. (I came off a stepbore so it’s an adjustment for sure)
Long 3rd Valve Throw: If you ever needed that little bit extra to get the D’s and C#’s flatter this is the horn for you. The length ensures you can stretch your finger to maximum potential and still have room for more - there’s no way this is going to slip off the end. They also repositioned the stop nut a long way forward to ensure that it stays on.
Warning: There are 2 stop nut positions on the Chicago - one in the more traditional spot and one further forward - if you use the standard stop nut in the traditional spot it’s not long enough and your slide will fall off!!
The reason it’s still there as during design they tried it without and the player ‘John Hagstrom’ felt it was better left in - as an extra brace etc. They even tried without the hole and found that there was a difference.
If you want to use the traditional stop nut hole you can - but you are going to need a longer stop nut.
Valves: I’m happy to report that the valves seem to be greatly improved over any previous Yamaha horns that I have personally played.
The springs are a definite upgrade as are the valves.
No more stuck valves and they snap back fast.
CONS:
Price: It’s expensive - but it’s also Yamaha’s top of the line offering with plenty of R&D thrown at it.
Silver Finish Only: This is no doubt deliberate - they would have tried Gold Plate and Lacquer during testing for sure. Still if you are spending that much on a horn you should be able to decide the finish that you would like. I think this horn would look killer in Brushed Gold Plate for the Jazz guys. I’m sure if you could have someone call Yamaha they would do this for you for a few extra thousand dollars if you so wished.
Heavy: Yep - it’s certainly got some weight to it. If you playing a Yamaha Z or lightweight you will certainly notice the difference.
Sound Behind the Bell: I found that in switching from a Z horn there was certainly less feedback coming at you from behind the horn.
I think that this is part of the adjustment period and after some time you will develop an ear for the newer sound coming out the other end.
The heavier bell may also be responsible for some of this too.
HOW MUCH WOULD I EXPECT TO PAY?
In short - A Lot!
This is Yamaha’s top of the line - Xeno Artist Model.
The research and development costs are certainly reflected in the price - but the thing is that you can tell that the money has been spent and there is little more that could have been done.
In NZ$ I think you would be looking at close to $7,000 to pick up one of these instruments new from a dealer (paying full price). Also I would expect a waiting period as I doubt many people will keep these in stock.
If you want my advice wait and see if you can pick up a good second hand one.
I think people who make the switch and expect an immediate difference will be disappointed.
If you give it time and make the proper adjustment you will be rewarded with a great playing horn.
OVERALL RATING:
This is as good as it get’s in Yamaha right now and is bound to beat a lot of the competition.
Great design, superb sound and built like a modern tank.
Over all it’s a great horn.
(Price is up there - and you should have a few options for that kinda price - but you can’t argue with what they came up with it’s a superb horn)
If someone from Yamaha reads this please, please, please come up with a similar horn in brushed lacquer or Gold for the Jazz guys - some of us really don’t like the Silver horns!
Disclaimer: Please note any reviews on this site are purely of my own opinion.
I recommend you check other sites or Google for additional information on products when trying to make a purchase decision.
Key: Bb
Bore: L 0.459
Bell Diameter: 4 7/8"
Leadpipe: Yellow Brass
Body Material: Yellow Brass
Bell Material: Yellow Brass, One Piece
Key Buttons: Mother of Pearl
Finish: Silver
Valves: Monel, 2-piece Valve Casings
For detailed feature descriptions and more information check out:
<http://www.yamaha.com/artistmodelseries/index2.html>
The main thing you have to understand with this horn is that it was primarily designed for Symphony work.
It’s months of collaboration between Yamaha’s top design chief - Bob Malone (Same guy that designed the Z horns with Bobby Shew) and John Hagstrom of the Chicago Symphony Fame.
The Chicago has however, starting to find a following in the Jazz world.
Trumpet Chase Sanborn writes and excellent review of the horn on his site that you should also check out if you’re considering buying one of these horns.
Personally the reason I bough this horn for myself was the sound.
This trumpet take quite a bit more air in comparison. Now that I have spent some months with the horn it’s seriously growing on me as a great all round player.
It’s especially good for solo or combo work.
Recently I have been using in a 7 piece band on some lead stuff and this horn is like a lazer if you are ‘up there’ and giving it the air it needs.
PROS:
Sound: Nice full sound that is full and rich. I can hear why people rate this horn so highly given it’s design concept to be played in symphony settings etc.
I would put this on the ‘dark’ end of the scale
Built Solid: I don’t know what they put in this horn - but I can tell you first gig I used I of course dropped the 3rd valve slide clean onto the concrete below - from a height of say 3 feet straight onto concrete it bounced and doesn’t have even the slightest visible mark.
I’m not saying it’s indestructible or anything - just that a drop like that would have crushed most in an instant. Whilst mentioning this it also should be noted that this horn feels quite weightly and solid too.
Tuning & Intonation: The tuning on this horn is unbelievable - and the intonation is rock solid - once you have a note locked in it’s pretty hard to move off of it.
So much so that you may have to relearn how to shake a note.
Blow: The blow is very nice. Bob Malone’s lead pipe ensures maximum efficiency and a good feel to producing the sound etc. Being a large bore instrument some may tire, get flat or struggle to get enough air through the horn - it will take some adjustment. (I came off a stepbore so it’s an adjustment for sure)
Long 3rd Valve Throw: If you ever needed that little bit extra to get the D’s and C#’s flatter this is the horn for you. The length ensures you can stretch your finger to maximum potential and still have room for more - there’s no way this is going to slip off the end. They also repositioned the stop nut a long way forward to ensure that it stays on.
Warning: There are 2 stop nut positions on the Chicago - one in the more traditional spot and one further forward - if you use the standard stop nut in the traditional spot it’s not long enough and your slide will fall off!!
The reason it’s still there as during design they tried it without and the player ‘John Hagstrom’ felt it was better left in - as an extra brace etc. They even tried without the hole and found that there was a difference.
If you want to use the traditional stop nut hole you can - but you are going to need a longer stop nut.
Valves: I’m happy to report that the valves seem to be greatly improved over any previous Yamaha horns that I have personally played.
The springs are a definite upgrade as are the valves.
No more stuck valves and they snap back fast.
CONS:
Price: It’s expensive - but it’s also Yamaha’s top of the line offering with plenty of R&D thrown at it.
Silver Finish Only: This is no doubt deliberate - they would have tried Gold Plate and Lacquer during testing for sure. Still if you are spending that much on a horn you should be able to decide the finish that you would like. I think this horn would look killer in Brushed Gold Plate for the Jazz guys. I’m sure if you could have someone call Yamaha they would do this for you for a few extra thousand dollars if you so wished.
Heavy: Yep - it’s certainly got some weight to it. If you playing a Yamaha Z or lightweight you will certainly notice the difference.
Sound Behind the Bell: I found that in switching from a Z horn there was certainly less feedback coming at you from behind the horn.
I think that this is part of the adjustment period and after some time you will develop an ear for the newer sound coming out the other end.
The heavier bell may also be responsible for some of this too.
HOW MUCH WOULD I EXPECT TO PAY?
In short - A Lot!
This is Yamaha’s top of the line - Xeno Artist Model.
The research and development costs are certainly reflected in the price - but the thing is that you can tell that the money has been spent and there is little more that could have been done.
In NZ$ I think you would be looking at close to $7,000 to pick up one of these instruments new from a dealer (paying full price). Also I would expect a waiting period as I doubt many people will keep these in stock.
If you want my advice wait and see if you can pick up a good second hand one.
I think people who make the switch and expect an immediate difference will be disappointed.
If you give it time and make the proper adjustment you will be rewarded with a great playing horn.
OVERALL RATING:
This is as good as it get’s in Yamaha right now and is bound to beat a lot of the competition.
Great design, superb sound and built like a modern tank.
Over all it’s a great horn.
(Price is up there - and you should have a few options for that kinda price - but you can’t argue with what they came up with it’s a superb horn)
If someone from Yamaha reads this please, please, please come up with a similar horn in brushed lacquer or Gold for the Jazz guys - some of us really don’t like the Silver horns!
