Dolnet curved sopranino

[chitownjazz]

A SOTW searched turned up saxpics info on RJ Verdi's Dolnet curved sopranino. Any of you Dolnet experts happen to have any more information on this instrument?

[singlereed]

The only curved ninos I have encountered were Italian - Romeo Orsi for one but I think I have heard of one or two others. Would they have badged an Italian horn, maybe? Obviously tooling for a horn like that would be expensive for something with such a limited market. Just speculation on my part.....

[chitownjazz]

Pete's/Saxpic's article (http://www.saxontheweb.net/Resources/SideStreetStrutters.html) says the Dolnet version, made in the 1950s, was the first "real" curved sopranino. The Kalison came out in the 30s but was only a skeletal, crudely built instrument. Pete does say that the Dolnet is probably a stencil, he guesses of Malerne, Beaugnier or Pierret. Pete has nice words about their construction, tone and intonation. I was wondering about the number of these built, if anyone else has any firsthand experience with them, etc.

Pete has photos of a couple of Dolnet sopraninos on his saxpics website:

http://www.saxpics.com/the_gallery/dolnet/belair/sopranino/

and junkdude has photos of a Kalison he is selling - all 11 inches of it - on his website:

http://www.junkdude.com/saxes/saxophonesindex.htm