$5,500 vs $400 Trombone Comparison 

Love the look of that Stevens....

To me, the Yamaha sounds tighter and less resonant than the Stevens. However, I have found the Yamahas respond a bit better with a deeper cup, something like a 5G with a 4G cup. Beautiful sounds across the board.

Ce que je considérerai c'est surtout le facilité a jouer, car il n'y a pas vraiment de différence sonore entre les deux. Pour moi le poids, la faciliter de produire un son avec la valve sont des caractéristiques que je prendrais en considération. Mais la sonorité d'un tromboniste est unique tout comme la voix humaine, nous avons tous un timbre de voix particulier, donc tu peux jouer dans n'importe quel trombone tu auras toujours le meme son.

An interesting observation regarding your remark about how with the Yamaha, you feel your throat closing up. I've experienced a similar phenomenon with my Bach 36, even in comparison to smaller bore horns like my Olds Super. So far, I haven't found an explanation. I've considered factors such as how I hold the horn-I have long arms, etc.-and if I'm getting too stiff. Sometimes, this even leads to my voice sounding very hoarse.

Yammy sounds good. Screaming good deal.

Thanks for the comparison. As a student it might be tempting to think that you need an expensive “latest model” trombone to sound great and be able to compete. Me, as an ex trombone player, who has taken up trombone playing again have been experimenting with some older horns as alternatives to the latest models. This includes some Holton models (158 and 159), Yamaha models (like the 648R - the model which Christian Lindberg actually recorded some of his early albums on) and my current favorite - a Benge 195F. They all have their strengths and I still haven’t found the horn that has it all, though the Benge beats my old 1956 Elkhart 88 and my Bach 42 Thayer in some aspects.

The difference is mainly in the play feeling. Still the Shires has a bigger and more rich sound, but from other hand that Yamaha is more versatile. It can be used in all kind of orchestras including Big Bands and combo sections. Everything is just my personal opinion of course

Intonation is different

I think this really attests to the idea that the player is far more important than the instrument. Both horns sound great, but the Stephens does sound like easier to play/more comfortable.

Is this a website where you purchases from I'm really interested in getting a budget trombone on a budget

The closed wrap is a little stuffy on the yamaha.... I agree yamahas are undervalued tho

whats your thouths on a first time ever beginner with a yamaha tenor 354 trombone.. i have 22 months playing alto an tenor saxophone