What is this? C-MElody Tenor?

[frasermanx]

<http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3734709158&indexURL=0& photoDisplayType=2#ebayphotohosting>
I would buy it but not sure.... A C-Melody can be high pitch of low pitch .. but does a low pitch make it a tenor? By the look of the straight neck .. must be an Alto?

...still looking for a project horn I can lovingly restore and play!!
thanks
Fz

[Bill Mecca]

high pitch and low pitch denote how it is tuned.

C-melody's came in both straight (altoish) and curved (tenorish) necks.

[Jerry K.]

A C-Melody can be high pitch of low pitch .. but does a low pitch make it a tenor? By the look of the straight neck .. must be an Alto?

Some C Melodies can be high pitch and some low pitch. Based on the serial number this is probably a low pitch horn. This relates to the tuning of the horn with low pitch being what is used today. This is a C-Melody which is played in C like a piano and not Bb - Tenor or Eb - Alto. Conn made both straight neck and curved neck C-Melodies and this is not an alto. As for the gold painted bit in the listing, this looks like a gold plated horn with some wear in the gold plating that exposes the sliver plating below. All gold plated horns are plated in silver prior to the gold plating, so as plating wears it is common for the silver to be exposed. Could be gold painted as the seller suggests but I doubt it.

[cmelodysax]

Hate to burst the bubble, but this looks like a Silver plated Conn C-Mel that has been SPRAYED with gold car paint.......... :D The seller is being honest, commendable on ebay. Gold just doesn't wear like that !

[frasermanx]

What is the difference? Ok the C-Mel is smaller but the tuning must be the same?! 440 is an A on the tenor as well. C is 512hz.?

Ok a piano at A is different than a SAX at A of course but 3 saxes Tenor, Alto and a C-Mel at 440 playing an A should sound basically the same as to tuning? Am I missing something?

..maybe I should trade my LaSAx tenor for a low pitch Beuscher???

thanks
Fraser in Toronto

[Dave Dolson]

Fraser: Saxophones have been made in a variety of pitches, mostly Eb, Bb, C, and F. The common pitches today are Bb and Eb. The C-saxophones were made in soprano and tenor, the C-tenor (aka C-Melody) being pitched a step above the Bb tenor. A fingered C on a C-Melody equals a piano's C. Fingered C on a Bb tenor equals a piano's Bb.

As far as high-pitch/low-pitch, that topic has been discussed and cussed over pretty good here on SOTW (and explained above). It has been my experience that vintage horns (C-Mels are vintage) are usually marked "HP" or "LP" depending upon how the horn was pitched (A=440, or A=456? - forgot the exact tuning for HP horns). It has to do with internationally adopted tuning standards in the early 1900's. DAVE