YSL-354 vs YSL-354C

[JakeEverett]

Hi fellow trombone enthusiasts,

A friend of mine who manages a Music & Arts store came across a couple of starter yamahas that appear to be identical in every way other than the code describing them. What does the C mean in this case? Why might one have the C and one does not? I am able to find this horn listed on many different sites with both versions of the code. All the specs appear to be the same. Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance, and have a wonderful week!

[Finetales]

The very succinct Dillon Music description for the YSL-354C ends with "China", so perhaps Yamaha is now denoting their Chinese-made 354s with the C designation?

[AtomicClock]

Perhaps the cases are different? Or the included accessories?

[AtomicClock]

The very succinct Dillon Music description for the YSL-354C...

Their URL says 354c, but the website text and SKU say plain 354.
https://www.dillonmusic.com/yamaha-yama ... -354c.html

[Finetales]

The very succinct Dillon Music description for the YSL-354C...

Their URL says 354c, but the website text and SKU say plain 354.
https://www.dillonmusic.com/yamaha-yama ... -354c.html

Yes, and the search engine page name is also YSL-354C.

[hyperbolica]

The 350c is the shorter trombone in C with the normally engaged valve that sets it back to Bb. But the 354c doesn't appear to be the same situation.

[JakeEverett]

Interesting... I will be at the store tomorrow and will take a look with my own eyes lol... Thank you all very much for the insight!

[BGuttman]

Any horn made outside the USA has to be marked with country of origin. See if the "Made in Japan" mark of the 354 is replaced by "Made in China" on the 354C.

[NotSkilledHere]

I am aware of a variety of 354. Those being the 354, 354A, 354E, 354SE, 354S, 354V, 354VS, and 354VC.

the 354VC is the only one i am aware of having C suffix and it does indeed mean the horn is in the key of C.

id venture to say C could mean clear lacquer as the 354 was offered in clear lacquer, silver plate, and gold lacquer. but the clear lacquer variants and gold lacquer variants were not distinguished by letters. the 354E is in gold lacquer compared to the 354/354A which is clear lacquer. However, the 354E also had nickel outer slides and was mainly a European market model as far as I can tell

The S is the only suffix that clearly notates that the horn is silver plated. the 354V is offered in both clear and gold lacquer and does not exhibit any further suffix differentiating the 2 variants. So this lead me to believe C could not mean clear lacquer

it does appear that several websites notes the 354C mentioning China somewhere in the product descriptions so that very well could be the case. Do check to see if there is any visually or measurable differences between the 354C and the normal 354.

[JakeEverett]

I totally forgot to check out the horns yesterday. Was in a hurry and had to rush out after giving the lesson I had scheduled. I shot a message over to my buddy and he's going to see if they're made in Japan or China. Thanks again for the help!