Steve Freides wrote: I contacted Yamaha after searching their web site for information about the 661. They replied promptly but said it was too old for them to have any information about.
The child of friends of ours expressed interest in the French Horn, and after lending her one of my singles and giving her a few lessons, has been able to obtain a 661 from the middle school. It seems to me to be 667-like. I don't really _need_ to know more about it but if anyone has further info they'd like to share, please do, and thanks. ------ The Yamaha web site listed information about previous models up until some time last year. The 661 was not included, and catalogs for the repair trade that I have seen do not list double horn models prior to the 662. The 662 was first produced in 1974, and based on picture evidence, was pretty close to the 661. The 661 was available through the army PX system when I was stationed in Korea in 1970-71. Models 661-666 were all similar in design, using a proprietary wrap incorporating some elements of the Alexander 103 and of the Horner model Kruspe. Air flows through the valves in the same direction on both sides of the horn, but the exit to the bell is via a hook shaped branch similar to an Alexander or Conn 6D. I have yet to score a 661, but have worked on half a dozen 662's and they are fine horns, a bit heavy, solidly built, producing a full, resonant and focused sound. The 663 was the same horn as the 662 but with a detachable bell. Dale Clevenger is quoted on the horns-a-plenty site as saying he thought that the 664 was best model Yamaha ever made. Have never heard of a 665. The 666 apparently had a larger bell, because Yamaha stated the the successor model was the 668. I have a short extract from their web site from 2007 if you are interested. Regards, Richard Hirsh _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
