What opinions do you have of the blessing b88, b78 and yamaha ysl648

[John]

hello.

I'm curious what opinion you have about the conn 88h clones

I'm talking about blessing b78, b88, and Yamaha ysl 648

and how close they are to the sensation of playing a conn 88h

John

[Posaunus]

Which version of 88H - Elkhart, early Abilene, late Abilene, Eastlake? [There is a difference!]

Which version of 88H - closed-wrap, open-wrap, nickel-silver bell, CL valve, ... ?

Any of these you ask about could be decent players. But they are all different!

[greenbean]

The Blessing B88 will play pretty much like an 88H. The B78 is a .525-bore horn and the Yamaha is a large-bore but is nothing like an 88H.

[BGuttman]

Blessing trombones are Conn wannabies. Generally they look alike but in a head to head test the Conn will usually win. I certainly wouldn't sell a Conn 88H to buy a Blessing B88 unless there was something wrong with the Conn.

[John]

Which version of 88H - Elkhart, early Abilene, late Abilene, Eastlake? [There is a difference!]

Which version of 88H - closed-wrap, open-wrap, nickel-silver bell, CL valve, ... ?

Any of these you ask about could be decent players. But they are all different!

I'm talking about the standard 88h from the Elkhart era

[Posaunus]

I'm talking about the standard 88h from the Elkhart era

None of your so-called "clones" will play as nicely as a well-maintained "Elkie!"

[OneTon]

If you search the site for YSL-648 trombones, some people commented that they were good horns in their own right but not the same as an 88H. (Likewise, a YSL-697Z is a good horn but not quite the same as a King 2B.) I don’t always get to try horns out in Wichita either. It is getting into the area that led Clark Trrry to say, “It is not the horn.”

I had an 88H in college. Loved it. Had spine tingling moments with it. It got stolen and I went to Bach. We have a guy playing a B88 on bass in our jazz band. He sounds good on it. Would he sound better on an 88H? Probably not. The B88 was much better than what he had and he got a good, brand new slide and rotor. It works for him.

The YSL-640 that you have is a very good horn. That horn won’t hold anyone back. It will most probably do anything you need to do until you are ready to start auditioning for paid positions at symphony orchestras in metropolitan areas greater than 500,000 people. I have been on enough Holy Grail Quests to know that I have been there and got the tee shirt. It is a waste of money. And I have wasted enough.

[John]

If you search the site for YSL-648 trombones, some people commented that they were good horns in their own right but not the same as an 88H. (Likewise, a YSL-697Z is a good horn but not quite the same as a King 2B.) I don’t always get to try horns out in Wichita either. It is getting into the area that led Clark Trrry to say, “It is not the horn.”

I had an 88H in college. Loved it. Had spine tingling moments with it. It got stolen and I went to Bach. We have a guy playing a B88 on bass in our jazz band. He sounds good on it. Would he sound better on an 88H? Probably not. The B88 was much better than what he had and he got a good, brand new slide and rotor. It works for him.

The YSL-640 that you have is a very good horn. That horn won’t hold anyone back. It will most probably do anything you need to do until you are ready to start auditioning for paid positions at symphony orchestras in metropolitan areas greater than 500,000 people. I have been on enough Holy Grail Quests to know that I have been there and got the tee shirt. It is a waste of money. And I have wasted enough.

ok there is only one problem..

the yamaha as such is not mine... the director of the symphony lends it to me to play the role of leading trombone and this happens to many colleagues and all of them, including the director, have the habit of saying that they are theirs even though they know that it is not So...

[BGuttman]

Are you looking to buy an instrument for yourself? I would think a good used Yamaha 648 would be an excellent choice. Or the "down graded" 448 or even the 548GOAL. All very nice instruments (and nobody's going to be able to tell the difference by sight).

Of the two Blessings, the B88 will look more like a Conn 88H, but in the long run it won't sound as nice. I would take a Yamaha over it every time.

What other instruments are available where you are? Maybe you could find a nice Benge 190F or Holton 165?

[OneTon]

ok there is only one problem..

the yamaha as such is not mine... the director of the symphony lends it to me to play the role of leading trombone and this happens to many colleagues and all of them, including the director, have the habit of saying that they are theirs even though they know that it is not So...

That is a different problem. I apologize if the previous post sounded condescending. The Yamaha 648 is the best choice.

[Matt K]

2nd that the 548GOAL is a pretty nice instrument. I prefer it to some of the more contemporary 800 series large bores. Although tbh I've not tried the... Zalkind? model

[lupusargentus]

The ysl 643 and 641 with their red brass bells might be a closer comparison to the 88h and 8h respectively. The 648 is a generation or two after the 643 and has a yellow bell if I remember correctly.
The 548 is a nice horn but the bell is so lightweight it edges out at moderate volume. I also had some intonation problems. I've pushed my 643 to my absolute limit and it still played in tune and sounded great.

[JRmusic]

I have a YSL 648 and an Elkhart 88H. Unless I look at the bell while I’m playing, I can scarcely tell the difference. Both are great horns, and the Yamaha doesn’t require a Remington shank. I picked the Yamaha up for $200 on Marketplace this Spring. That was the asking price, and I didn’t argue! I’m presently playing the Yamaha, because the Conn is a little loose at the slide/bell joint. It’s headed to the shop, and then I expect to be back on the 88H regularly. The 648 will be my backup horn.