Schilke vs Yamaha: Should You Buy the Original or the Copy?

📘 Shopping for a horn? Get the Trumpet Buyer's Guide: https://payhip.com/b/hskQG A new Schilke B6 can take up to 13 months to ship. A new Yamaha Custom Z is in stock for about $775 less, and the Yamaha it replaced, the 6310Z, began life as a copy of the B6. Renold Schilke consulted for Yamaha from 1966 until his death in 1982, and according to EverythingTrumpet nearly all of Yamaha's early trumpets showed his influence. We put the originals next to the Yamahas they shaped: B6 vs Custom Z (8310ZII), B5 vs Xeno, the X3, Schilke vs Yamaha mouthpiece numbers (14A4a), and the tunable bell Schilke patented and assigned to Yamaha's parent company. Then the used-market traps (Yamalloy valve casings, the M series, serials as plating dates) and our verdict by player type. Prices are dealer listings seen October 30, 2026; check before you buy. Sources: Wikipedia, Renold Schilke: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renold_... EverythingTrumpet, Schilke history: https://everythingtrumpet.com/schilke... EverythingTrumpet, Schilke B-flat trumpets: https://everythingtrumpet.com/schilke... EverythingTrumpet, Yamalloy / M series / serials: https://everythingtrumpet.com/schilke... Schilke Custom Series: https://www.schilkemusic.com/?p=45 Yamaha wind instruments 50th anniversary timeline: https://mx.yamaha.com/es/musical-inst... Yamaha introduces the Z trumpet (2004): https://usa.yamaha.com/news_events/20... Yamaha YTR-8310ZII specs: https://usa.yamaha.com/products/music... Yamaha YTR-6310Z: https://dk.yamaha.com/en/musical-inst... Hickey's, Schilke B6: https://hickeys.com/music/brass/trump... Hickey's, Schilke X3: https://www.hickeys.com/music/brass/t... Brass and Winds, Yamaha YTR-8310ZII: https://www.brassandwinds.com/product... Chuck Levin's, Yamaha YTR-8335IIS: https://chucklevins.com/products/yama... Chuck Levin's, Schilke B5: https://chucklevins.com/products/schi... Chuck Levin's, Schilke B6LB: https://chucklevins.com/products/schi... Strait Music, Schilke mouthpiece labeling: https://www.straitmusic.com/t-Schilke... Mouthpiece Express, Yamaha mouthpiece specs: https://mouthpieceexpress.com/blogs/s... Image credits (Wikimedia Commons): Trumpet (AM 1972.103-6) (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0); Randy Brecker Kongsberg Jazzfestival 2018 (224735) (Tore Sætre, CC BY-SA 4.0); Randy Brecker, Jazz Alley, 2009-12-15 (cropped) (ArtBrom from Seattle, CC BY-SA 2.0); Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles (Ben, CC BY-SA 3.0); Orchestra Hall Chicago (Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0); Orchestra Hall, Chicago Symphony Center (I'm nonpartisan, CC BY-SA 3.0); Orchestra Hall Chicago from north (Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0); Jon Faddis (Yves Moch, CC BY-SA 3.0); Philip Farkas Trossingen 1980-19800808-RM-162233 (Ermell, CC BY-SA 4.0); Yamaha Corporation Buildings (Kenchan, CC BY-SA 4.0); Trumpet mouthpiece 2 (Zephyris at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0); Arturo Sandoval 1984 (Gampe, CC BY-SA 4.0); 2014 Monk Competition Finalists with Arturo Sandoval (Willdanieley, CC BY-SA 4.0); Schilke x3 trumpet (Didelu, CC BY-SA 3.0); CMB 7741 (8881402619) (The United States Army Band, CC BY 2.0); Rex Richardson playing piccolo trumpet - Army Blues Jazz Ens (The United States Army Band, CC BY 2.0); Wiki loves Music - Hamburg-5696 (Wuselig, CC BY-SA 4.0); Wiki loves Music - Hamburg-5695 (Wuselig, CC BY-SA 4.0); Yamaha Trumpet YTR-8335LA crop (Yamaha Corporation, CC BY-SA 4.0); Yamaha Trumpet YTR-8335LA (Yamaha Corporation, CC BY-SA 4.0); Yamaha YTR-8335LA YTR-4335GSII YTR-4335GII and Musical Instr (Solomon203, CC BY-SA 4.0). #trumpet #schilke #yamaha