| There's also the matter of the amount of time to put together a trumpet and how much is done by hand. In the Yamaha world, trumpets with model numbers that start with 1, 2, and 4, are student models and are done mostly by assemply line and machine. Those that start with 6 and 8 are the professional models and more time is taken to put them together by less people. Ones that start with 9 are considered custom and are put together and adjusted by one guy sitting at bench until that one trumpet is complete. I hear new Malone C's will likely have the model number 9445CS or 9445NS(for Chicago or New York). They take forever to make, will cost doule what a Xeno costs, and they'll likely be of the highest quality.
I have heard similar stories about Olds horns. Although all their horns are excellent you might have one guy making Ambassadors who is expected to make 30 trumpets in a week and the guy who makes Recordings only has to make 5. I'm making up these numbers but it gives you an idea. This is also the reason for the cost and reputation of horns like Eclipses, Blackburns, and Monettes. They take a friggin' long time to build and much more care is in the manufacturing process than a student model and even most pro horns. |