Yamaha YBB632 Neo Series Bb Tuba

Full Description

Neo tuba series

The Neo story began with requests from pro players to Yamaha, asking for an instrument with a broader palette of sounds available - a tuba with better expressive capabilities than what was currently available on the market. Yamaha tasked brass instrument designer Yoshihiko Matsukuma with developing a new line of tubas to meet these needs. He designed and built a collection of prototypes in Japan before travelling with them to the UK for a series of road tests in British brass bands.

Matsukuma strived to balance tone and resistance, and carefully walked a tightrope of making blowing resistance comfortable in all registers whilst keeping the tone from becoming too harsh. He also prioritised improving the accuracy of intonation and the smooth connection of notes. By working with competitive tuba players at a variety of bands and standards, Yamaha has ensured that the Neo series suits the needs of real performers.

Guided by players

One of the main professional tuba players advising the design of the Neo tubas was Simon Gresswell. Mr. Gresswell was awarded the Arthur Atkinson Trophy for the most outstanding tuba player whilst playing with the National Youth Band of Great Britain, and since then has gone on to win 19 major titles playing in competitive brass bands. He has toured worldwide and played on over 30 CD recordings, many of which have received critical acclaim. Widely recognised as one of the finest tuba players of recent times, his feedback was invaluable in informing the development of the Neo line.

Yamaha also sought the advice and feedback of many amateur brass band players in the UK. This was to see the way normal brass band tubists responded to the instrument, so as to create a tuba which met the needs of ordinary players. By doing this, Yamaha have managed to create a tuba with great, easy intonation, and a tone that blends perfectly with brass ensembles.

New features

In order to increase comfort, the first through third valves have been repositioned - promoting a much more natural playing posture. The fourth valve position has also been ergonomically adjusted, improving playability, and making faster passages much more comfortable and fluid to play. The design of the hand-rest was also altered in order to improve player comfort.

A new leadpipe taper offers improved resistance. Re-evaluating the angle of the mouthpiece led to a design that offers a more natural playing position, and a large brace plate on the bell section increases durability and adds blowing resistance. The large-diameter bell improves dynamic range and projection, allowing for more expressive playing.

Included accessories

The YBB-632 comes included with a Yamaha BB-66D4 mouthpiece, and a tuba hard-shelled case. This professional standard mouthpiece offers excellent precision, with a smooth attack, great control, and a huge, crisp tone. The case is designed to keep your instrument safe from knocks and scrapes, and will ensure your tuba looks and plays like new for years to come.

Yamaha 5 Year Extended Warranty

As a premium brand, Yamaha are proud to offer a free five-year extended warranty when the purchase of your instrument is registered within six months of purchase. Please visit the Yamaha website for the full terms and conditions and to register your warranty.

3 Months Free Tomplay Premium Subscription

When you register your instrument you can get a three-month premium subscription to Tomplay where you can access over 40,000 scores with backing tracks. You are able to filter by musical style, composer, difficulty and accompaniment type and interact with the scores. The pieces are all recorded by professional musicians and you can control the tempo and even record yourself playing. If you wish, you can also print and annotate your score and create loops to focus on those more difficult passages. For more information, please see the Yamaha/Tomplay website.

Specifications

• Key: Bb
• Body: Yellow brass
• Bell diameter: 500mm (19 5/8")
• Bore size: 18.5 - 20.0mm (0.728-0.767")
• Height: 1048mm
• Valves: Three top + one side, compensating
• Finish: Clear lacquer
• Accessories: Yamaha BB-66D4 and instrument case