My SX90R Alto Arrives

[Morry]

Well, my SX90R alto arrived from Stephan today, and I'm almost speechless. What a wonderfully smooth horn. The intonation is dead on (Bb1, 2 and 3 exactly on pitch) and the transition from C#2 to D2 is unnoticeable. I've never heard low end like this come out of an alto. It's funny that the keywork that feels a little bit awkward on the tenor, feels perfect on the alto.

I also just received my Jody Jazz ESP piece and, if you have a JK alto, you have to try one of these. This mouthpiece won't be going back to Jody. Without the spoiler, the sound is huge, with a slight mellowness to it. With the spoiler in, you can peel paint.

I won't be shopping for an alto or mouthpiece anytime in the forseeable future.

[Joe Jazz]

Morry,

I just ordered a nickle-plated(clear lacquered with :lol: gold keys) SX90R that was on closeout. If I like it, I'll cancel my order for a silver Yamaha 82Z(been hearing so much about the neck problems and the wait is absurd). Glad to hear you like yours.

[Morry]

I don't know if it was Stephan's setup, or if it's just the horn, but this alto is super smooth from top to bottom. No awkward breaks where octave pips switch or anything. I'm very happy.

[Joe Jazz]

Morry, did your sax come with a mpc and key clamps? I got mine from WW&BW on closeout, and it didn't come with either. I thought Keilwerths came with both?

[Morry]

Mouthpiece yes, key clamps no. I wondered about that too.

[Joe Jazz]

Morry,

That's interesting. I already have key clamps and plenty of mpcs(using my gold-plated Link right now), but Keilwerth has advertised for years that their saxes came with the clamps. I've read people talking about their Keilwerth stock mpcs, but didn't get one. Guess since I only paid $2,199 I shouldn't complain......

[Morry]

That mouthpiece cost me an extra $800. :-)

Should have bought a Sugal instead. :lol:

[singlereed]

Joe Jazz, you should ask the dealer for your mouthpiece and key clamps. I have to say, though, my mouthpiece stays in the package, its absolute garbage.

[Joe Jazz]

Singlereed,

Like I said, I already have a set of clamps and enough mpcs to choke a horse. I don't really need another doorstop...........

[Se7en]

I love my Keilwerth alto....i have the SX90R in NS....it's just WOW...

The bottom end is so huge! It's incredible! I also have the jody jazz mouthpiece(7) for it and it just adds to the package. It's truly a sweet alto.

About the stock piece...

The keilwerth 7* "Keilwerth Jazz" mouthpiece is horrible, you're not missing anything if it doesnt come with the horn.

[colibri]

It plays like a Brilhart Personaline. It's edible for a beginner.

[CodyW]

Joe Jazz, where did you get your alto for 2,199?!

[Joe Jazz]

I bought the last one Woodwind & Brasswind had on closeout. Great price on a great horn, IMHO! I love the regular nickle-plate, better than the black nickle-plate!

[Joe Jazz]

Morry,

Have you had any problems playing G#? I just noticed today that the "lever arm" is not pushing the key all the way down, and none of the adjacent 3 other keys(L42-L43-L44)work either. I assume it needs some sort of an adjustment, but would've thought WW & BW would've caught that it the shopcheck before sending it out........What a pain in the butt!

[Joe Jazz]

Morry-

Nevermind,

After taking the time to look at what was happening more closely, it's back to the sticking key problem. It wasn't that a key wasn't going down, it was that one wasn't going up, which made more sense after taking the time to actually look at it more closely.......

[singlereed]

My tech has a sensible solution - put a long strip of paper under the G# key before you put your sax away. A long strip, so it is obvious you need to remove it before you play. And sorry I got the wrong end of the stick about your comment re key clamps earlier on.

[Joe Jazz]

Singlereed,

Thanks for the tip! I just picked up a bottle of rubbing alcohol and am going to put some on the pads today. I remember I once had a problem with a sticking pad on my Yamaha's and the alcohol took care of it permanently....

[singlereed]

Lighter fuel is another good substance for this purpose, on a paper or cloth placed under the pad and gently drawn out.

[Joe Jazz]

Singlereed-

I'd be afraid to use lighter fluid because my sax might catch on fire during a really smoking tune.........

[Tenor66]

Hey Morry,

Did you have to pay an import duty charge on your sax purchase?
If so, may I be so bold to ask what the Percentage was?

[Morry]

I did have to on a horn I bought from Holland a while back (4.? percent), but when I got the alto from Stephan, nobody ever came collecting. I've heard that it is hit-and-miss.

[Tenor66]

I am going to buy a modified Keilwerth SX90R Tenor Saxophone from Stephan Boesken next week, and I am torn between the Brushed Nickel Silver, and the Nickel w/Dark Lacquer finishes!

As I will have a modified saxophone this is a big decision to make.
Given that each saxohone/player has it's own voice (if I may put it that way) I still wish that there were some sound clips of the above finishes on the web where one could evaluate the sound.

If anyone knows of such a site or has a evaluation of the above finishes that are different from Keilwerth's factory descriptions I would apreciate you insite.

[Tenor66]

Made up my mind! :lol:

I am going to get the SX90R Brushed Nickel Silver Tenor Saxophone

[aneider]

Well, my SX90R alto arrived from Stephan today, and I'm almost speechless. What a wonderfully smooth horn.
I also just received my Jody Jazz ESP piece and, if you have a JK alto, you have to try one of these.

Dear Morry,

as a beginner let me ask you some questions. Which SX90R alto did you buy, the goldplated, silverplated or the newsilver Edition?
I play the ST90IV at the moment. In about half a year I can give back this one to change to a better sax. Would you recommend the SX90R for a beginner with half a year of practice? If yes, which mouthpiece would you recommend (no classical music)?
Thanks for advice
Andreas

[Morry]

I bought the vintage dark gold lacquer over nickel plate version of the SX90R. It is truly an outstanding horn.

As far as a horn for a beginner, I've always thought that, as soon as you're sure that you are sticking with the sax, move as quickly as possible to a pro level horn. My folks bought me a YAS-61 my sophomore year of HS, and it has served me well for nearly 30 years.

I haven't tried enough mouthpieces on the Keilwerth yet to recommend anything to you, other than the JJ ESP metal piece that I'm using. I wouldn't think that it's something a young student would play, mainly because of it's price.

[Joe Jazz]

Andreas-

Two mpcs that I like on my SX90R (plain nickel-plated) are the Meyer 5M(HR) and Otto Link Supertonemaster(gold-plated). These are both more reasonably priced than the JJ ESP, around $85-$100. But, you should check out a bunch and find one you like.

[Morry]

The best advice is to try as many as you can manage from someone like WW&BW who has a liberal trial policy. What works for one, might not work for you. A good case in point is that Joe Jazz likes the STM on his SX90, where I don't like the sound at all on mine. The variable, of course, is the one whose lips are connected.

[Randall]

Morry, or anyone dealing with Stephan Boesken...have you all heard from him lately...I have recieved no response in a long time...
Thanks.... :?:

[Tenor66]

Randall,
I just received an email from Stephan today concerning my order!

Yes he is still kicking.

I haven't seen any posts from Stephan lately but I am sure that he is a busy man and I know that his comments are missed.
I will have to pass a note for him to pay the Keilwerth site a visit.

[Morry]

The last time I corresponded with Stephan was just over a month ago.

[disgruntleddave]

hey morry

what facing of your esp are you using?

im still looking around for saxes. i currently play (alto) a 71 mark 6 with a jodyjazz esp 0.076 (#6). I am still looking for that good reed, cause i still dont have one i really like on it.

I am not happy with the sound im getting. not big enough. im looking into a black nickel plated sx90.

by any chance do you know if the sx90r and sx90 are any different in the least in terms of tone? think its worth going for the rolled tone holes?

and tonewise - darker than the mark 6 you think?

[Morry]

I bought the ESP with the .74 or .76 facing. I don't remember which it was. I'm still playing with ligatures on it. I don't really like the Rovner on it too much. I bought a Brancher gold wire single screw lig, but haven't had a chance to play much lately with my work schedule.

I'll guarantee you'll think the JK alto sound is big enough. I really like my gold vintage lacquer over nickel. The nickel under the lacquer gives it tons of projection. I was playing to some Abersold CDs with a trumpet player friend of mine, and he said "Man, that horn is loud!". I hadn't really noticed from behind the reed, but the same amount of air was giving me much more sound that my Yamaha did.

As far as the tone hole rings go, I'm not sure what to tell you. I know some guys that are great players that swear the rings make a big difference. That doesn't make sense to me logically, but what do I know? There are pros and cons. Pro: More contact area with the pad gives a better seal. Con: More contact area with the pad means more chance of sticking. Pick your poison.

Finally, I'm no expert on VIs, only having played a couple, and never extensively. The JK horns certainly have a dark quality, though I wouldn't describe it primarily as dark. It may be, but the sound is more spread than a VI, which I feel is more focused. I will say that, so far, both my tenor and alto respond well to mpc swaps, and you can tailor the sound just as easily as with any horn. Because the sound is more spread, I don't like metal Links and copies like my Barone Jazz that I previously like on my Yamahas. The big chambered mpc, along with the big, open bore of the SX90R, just lacks punch and character to me. Of course, I'm just an average schmoe player, and not the best judge. However, I do like dark mpcs, so the Ponzol II-V-I really does it for me on tenor.

Okay, enough rambling from me.

[shmuelyosef]

I'm one of those 'nuts' that think that RTH makes a difference. I would love to participate in a blind test, although much of it might be the distinctly different 'thud' that the pad makes hitting RTH vs. straight holes. It makes some sense, as most of the mid-range sound of the sax comes out of the toneholes and diffraction at the edge of the holes likely has a substantial effect on phasing vs. frequency (like a comb filter). This is sure to be less with rolled tone holes, particularly at higher frequencies (i.e. 'edge'). My perception is that RTH are 'warmer', straight are 'brighter'. Caveat is that this is all player's viewpoint (although I always practice in front of a large window, so I can 'hear' the horn from the other side. My only comparisons are different horns with different setups. Best comparison was two New Wonder Conn's, just before and after the transition to RTH. I happened to set both of them up so pads, key height, etc. had my personal religion imposed.