Yamaha YTR-8335LA  Trumpet Review – My Experience With The Wayne Bergeron Model

 The Yamaha YTR-8335LA Trumpet

The Yamaha YTR-8335LA trumpet is made by Yamaha together with the phenomenal, world known lead trumpeter, Wayne Bergeron.

A while back I got to take this horn for a real test drive so in this post I’m going to share my experience with the Yamaha YTR-8335 LA trumpet and write a detailed review about it.

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Ok, let’s get to the YTR-8335 LA  Trumpet review…

Yamaha YTR-8335LA Trumpet Review

Specs

• Z series
• Wayne Bergeron model
• Ø 11.65 mm ML bore (.459″)
• Ø 127 mm brass bell
• Large tuning slide
• Monel valves
• Z-modified gold brass mouthpipe
• Modified 8310Z bell
• Lacquered
• Includes suitcase

First Impression And The Quality

Ah, the Yamaha quality. This is probably the first thought that hit me when I lift the 8335 LA out of the case. It’s funny how one pretty much can tell right away if a trumpet is well made.

After some quick inspections I can not see anything wrong with the outside of the trumpet. Compression is good, horn looks good, valves run smoothly, soldering is good…

…I put my mouthpiece in the receiver and begin blowing…

Valves

The valves on the 8335 LA trumpet are flawless. At least on the trumpet I’m holding. I like how they feel when I press them down as the spring is giving the exact right amount of resistance for my taste.

Appearance

The Yamaha YTR-8335LA is available as silver-plated or gold lacquer. There’s really not much to add here other than that the horn looks good. It’s a professional, over 2000 dollar horn made by Yamaha, I would be surprised if it didn’t look good…

…let’s move on…

Balance / Hold

Nothing to complain about here. The 8335 LA trumpet feels well balanced. It’s not a heavy horn and not a really light one either. In fact it is marketed and sold as a medium weight trumpet. I did not get a chance to weigh it but in my hands it felt a bit more on the lighter side though…

Sound

If I could only use one word when trying to describe the sound it would be the word “rich”. The core is definitely there and the sound is rich in overtones. This is what sets the professional trumpets apart from the cheap beginner horns, the core and the sound…

…I was expecting the sound to be bright but to my surprise it is not. In fact to me the sound on the 8335 LA trumpet is warm and pretty dark. Especially the low register. The low notes sounds amazingly rich.

The 8335LA trumpet has such a rich sound that there would be no problem whatsoever using this horn in a classical setting. As I already said the sound is darker than I expected but don’t get me wrong, there is no problem making it bright and full of energy when stepping on the gas. In my opinion it gets brighter in the high register…

…speaking of the high register the high notes on the YTR-8335 LA trumpet is great. The sound is “meaty” and full of resonance even in the upper register and the high notes is easy to play. The high register slot better than on my Bobby Shew 8310Z horn but the Bergeron trumpet is also heavier and is more open.

Pretty good feedback: The feedback is pretty good but not as good as on my 8310z. I feel that the Bergeron model projects a bit better though and “shoots” out into the room a bit more.

Intonation

The intonation in the YTR-8335 LA trumpet is very good. In all registers. I play a few scales and arpeggios and I feel that every note is in the right place. However, again, just as with so many other trumpets the fourth space “E” is a tiny bit flat. Not bad but so much so that I would use the 1.2 fingering if using it in a symphony orchestra, just to be on the safe side. The intonation in the high register is good. It’s very good. I can see why high note players like this horn so much.

Responsiveness

This trumpet responds easily. The response is almost as good as on my 8310z, which is known for its superior responsiveness. This would make it very easy to play soft melodies on the 8335LA but the free-blowing feel and openness of the horn makes it just a tiny bit more difficult than on the Yamaha 8310Z. However it’s still better than on most horns!

Slotting

The slotting is phenomenal. It’s better than on the 8310Z and perhaps a bit better than on my Bach 43. The notes “lock” in nicely yet the horn still leaves room for the player to do bends if he so desire. Just blow and relax and the notes “lock in”, spot on… but use the oral cavity and you still can bend and move around. What more could we ask for?

Upper Register

Well well well, the high notes. Love em or hate em but they are still something many trumpet players want to explore, listen to and talk about so here goes…

…the high register on the 8335LA is very good. They have a richer sound than on my 8310z but I can’t play higher on the Bergeron horn. My high register is pretty much the same here as on my 8310z and that’s good because on most horns I can not use the high register as well as on my Shew horn.

The 8335LA takes more air though and I think I would run out of steem quicker on the 8335. For guys like Wayne that’s not a problem though. That guy is a phenomenal trumpet player with chops of steel. Not to say that you need chops of steel to play this horn but I’m just saying it’s a bit too open for my taste.

Maneuvering And Moving Around

You can move around with the 8335 as much as your own skill let’s you. The horn won’t hold you back and it’s easy to maneuver. I like how the notes pops and lock in even when playing faster phrases. Agility? …it all feels very good, so thumbs up here.

Feel And Resistance

If you read through the YTR-8335 LA review this far you probably already picked up that the feel of the 8335 is pretty open. It’s a free-blowing trumpet and I promise it can take all the air you give it. Even if you are a power player. It’s also more open than my Bach 43 and for me the horn is a bit too open. However, keep in mind that I mostly play smaller trumpets, like the Eb- trumpet and I am very used to playing with little air because of that. I might get used to the Bergeron model if I kept playing it for a few months instead of just a few days.

Trumpet Casing

The 83335LA comes in a hard case that is protective. If you need, or want, a gig bag to throw over your shoulder then you have to buy one because this is just a normal hard case. If so you can take a look at my article best trumpet cases and gig bags.

 Pricing

The price on the Yamaha 8335LA is fair. It’s a very high quality professional trumpet and even if the price is a bit higher than on the 8310z I think we can not complain about it. At the time of writing the article it was just under 3000 dollars but you can…

Click here to check today’s pricing on Amazon

Click here to check today’s pricing at music house Thomann

Summary

The Yamaha 8335LA is a great trumpet with phenomenal slotting and a very “meaty” and rich sound, full of overtones. However, if you are used to playing with small amounts of air you might find that this horn is too free-blowing for you. One thing is for sure though, it is very well made and you get a lot of trumpet for the money.

This trumpet can be used in any musical setting but if you like high register playing and you want a horn that is easy to play and sounds great in the upper register and you are not shy about using a lot of air then you should definitely give this trumpet a try…

… a big thumbs up for quality!

Score: 8,3/10

Of course I’m rating the trumpet in it’s class as a professional trumpet. You might think that 8,3 sound a bit low but it really isn’t. It’s a very good score and I would rate it even higher if it was just a tiny bit less open. But then again, we are all different and a lot of trumpeters like very free-blowing horns. But…since it’s my personal review and I’m sharing my experience with the YTR-8335 then I’m also rating it accordingly 🙂

Thank you for reading, keep practicing and remember to have fun while doing it!

-Robert Slotte-

P.S. If you have played this horn then what is your experience with the YTR-8335LA trumpet? Please feel free to let me know in the comment section under this article as I would love to hear your opinion. It would also add to the review and help my readers with additional info.

Related posts:

My experience and review of the Jean Paul TR-430 trumpet
My experince and review of the Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet

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