TromboneChat

Hi folks,

I have a Yamaha YSL-356G which is a .500/.525 dual-bore. It came with a Yamaha 45C2-12C mouthpiece.

I've been on cornet for 10 years but am looking to 're-learn' the trombone and have been cajoled into playing 1st parts in a small wind ensemble. I managed to play for a whole rehearsal last night and had a really good time. The biggest obstacle seems to be building up strength in my left arm.

However, I'm not too convinced by the 45C2-12C. My understanding is that this is a pretty small and tight mouthpiece even for a tenor trombone. It plays, it sounds okay, but I think I would prefer something else.

When I last played trombone I was on a .547 with a Bach 5G. I remember this working well on the bigger horn. I ended up selling that trombone as it sat in my house not being played.

In short, I'm looking for something bigger with a more rounded sound that vibes well with the dual-bore configuration. I've checked a few threads and have seen the Yamaha 48 and 51 come up, along with the Schilke 51B and Bach 5GS.

Any insight would be very much appreciated.

Thanks for reading.

A yamaha 48 or 6.5AL would be pretty spot on.

Burgerbob wrote: ↑Thu Nov 07, 2024 11:10 am A yamaha 48 or 6.5AL would be pretty spot on.

Yamaha 48D or 48 plain is what I use with great success on my YSL 356 G.

Bach 6.5 AL is fine too, or a Schilke 50 if you like it better. I prefer the yamahas. Cheap and work fine.

Very nice horn, congrats

And you could also zero in with a Doug Elliott setup. I'd get Doug Elliott's advice, but perhaps he'll suggest starting with:
Cup: LT D (or LT D+)
Shank: D3 (or D4 or D4+)
Rim: of your choice (e.g., LT 100) that fits your chops

P.S. - I'm NOT a fan of the Schilke 51B!

Bach 5GS is another common option.

I have a Yamaha 456G (which is, very similar with 356 except the material of outer slide I think) and after some experiments I settled on Doug Elliott's C+ or D cup with D4 shank. C cup feels small. The bell section is basically the same with large bore bell except it has 8 inch bell(like Bach 36), so it plays big and shallow mouthpiece feels somewhat off with this horn(at least for me). I think E cup will work too.
I like D4 more than D3, and D2 is defenitely too tight. despite it has 0.500" initial bore. I wonder what D3.5 feels like in this horn.

My recommendation would be D cup with D3.5 shank. That should be the best possible balance for that dual bore size. Probably LT series, choice of rim sizes but 100 would be a good start.

Thanks all for your input & insight; was particularly nice to hear from someone else who owns one too!

I'm going to give the Yamaha 48 a try. It seems like a balanced choice and that's really what I'm after.

The Yamaha Nils Landgren is in that 48-sized range, but was designed for a .500/.525 dual bore. I played one on a 356G for a while and it was a very very nice combo.

brtnats wrote: ↑Sat Nov 09, 2024 8:00 am The Yamaha Nils Landgren is in that 48-sized range, but was designed for a .500/.525 dual bore. I played one on a 356G for a while and it was a very very nice combo.

I ended up ordering one of these after reading your post. It sounds pretty much ideal for what I want. Thank you.