Well, to add a little twist to the thread, I'm pretty sure that some Yamaha models are made in China.
Though I know nothing personally or directly about manufacturing in China, the things that I've read lead me to believe that there are two related but separate issues regarding the quality of instrument manufacture there. One is that at least some Chinese factories are capable of producing better quality instruments, but will produce in accordance with whatever horrible specs they've been given by the western companies that order horns from them to sell at Wal-mart prices; the other issue is that real quality control issues do still exist even in places where efforts are made to build products truly usable as musical instruments. As a middle school band director, I do my best to educate my parents and steer them away from shiny new products on ebay or in value stores. I've seen a clarinet with keywork made of metal so soft that it would almost bend with the pressure of normal use. I've had trumpets come in with valves that couldn't and wouldn't work from the start. By the same token, I currently have a student on his second year with a "Merona" (there's another brand, just in case no one has mentioned it yet) trumpet. Aside from the cheesy black "lacquer" that's starting to peel off, it plays with acceptable tone quality and intonation, and the valves haven't yet seized or reverted back to their original, mined-from-the-earth state. I've been fortunate enough not to run across any horns. It seems that it could be a real job to get to know which makes were passable, which were to be avoided entirely, if there are some brands (as I suspect) where the potential exists to get lucky, or terribly unlucky, depending upon the individual instrument you get. If Ken is able to compile a large enough list/database as a result of his inquiry, it might be a real service to anyone who's teaching, privately or in a large group setting. Vin Duval _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
