Rampone & Cazzani

[JaRcKoToPp]

http://213.130.37.107/acatalog/Rampone___Cazzani.html

from saxophones.co.uk.

Anybody tried them yet? Really cheap horns, and gold plated too. But how do they sound? Are they fragile? Are they a great deal or a big ripoff? etc..etc..etc..

[Gaijin-san]

If I rememeber correctly, Dave Dolson played a Rampone...

Maybe he still has it, I don't know.

[Dr G]

Dave swapped it for a Buescher. His ex-Rampone is now with a friend of mine. She is enjoying it very much. I've not (yet) tried it.

[Dave Dolson]

True - I swapped my tipped-bell Rampone for a Buescher TT. The Rampone was a very nice horn - gorgeous to look at and even better to the ears. However, I had difficulty with racking the thing when playing alto or clarinet. Other than that, it was a beautiful instrument.

Dr. G - I'm happy to hear that your friend likes it.

I still have my Rampone sopranino. It too is gold-plated, beautifully made, and very playable (but as you know, playing a sopranino in a public place is a misdemeanor). DAVE

[singlereed]

I live quite near saxophones.co.uk and plan to get down there and give them a test-drive and will report here.

[MMM]

Allegedly, James Carter uses an R&C saxello, it must be good!

MMM

[ving]

If anyone is planning to attend the Sax Congress next month in Minneapolis, Rampone and Cazzani will be there with representative samples of their horns. (I believe James Carter will also be there). I had a chance to speak with the son of the owner of the company recently...

[zan]

I own a Rampone saxello and love it , very playable and a terrific sound with a super session mpc . I resolved the racking problem with a trumpet stand .

[MMM]

From a post on an Italian thread, someone had a good look at what Jan Garbarek was playing and it turns out it was a R&C curved R1 soprano!
These saxes (at least the sops) seem to have a v. good rep!

[Santee>]

Hi ving, I went to the World Sax Congress & tried out the Rampone sopranos, sopranino and tenor. I tried their mouthpieces too. I was very impressed with their straight soprano and also liked the saxello, but I like a bit more edge, so I'm goin' with one of their straight sopranos in the regular silver plated finish. Jerry Bergonzi bought Rampone & Cazzani's sandblasted silver plated saxello from their display. Their tenor was sooooo full sounding, but sounded more like a vintage sax, not as much buzz in the higher end like a good VI would give you. But the tenor I tried was their new R1 Jazz series that has a red brass body, so it was a bit on the heavy side (sound wise). They're working on a model w/a sterling body and neck and various thicknesses for the necks. As soon as that comes out, my Mark VI will be a nice decoration on the wall :lol: Their mouthpieces are similar to Links, but have a built-on ligature like Lawton. I guess Bergonzi really liked 'em. The curved soprano was amazing, my fingers had no problems hitting the bell, even though the bell keys are on the right side. I was so impressed with the regular straight soprano though, it had the buzz and resistance of a good VI but the keywork was modern. :!: We worked out an endorsement and I'll be having my soprano made in September (they're closed in August). I have some photos & a link to their site on my website - www.AaronSantee.com. I'm hoping that Jerry Bergonzi decides to drop his Selmer endorsement and go with R&C ...I like to see the underdog win, and this company makes all their pro saxes 100% by hand!!!!! They make 10 saxes a week! Oh, and I think that Manny's Music in NY is going to distribute their saxes in the U.S.

[tonyg]

Aaron, what would you say makes the new R&C J1 Tenor you played at NAMM different or unique from other new saxes.

[Santee>]

Well, the Rampone & Cazzani R1 Jazz in gold plate was the only tenor they had at the Convention. The neck seemed to be low and long, which would only mean having to get used to the style. It's got a HUGE sound, so much bottom end, and not enough high end (buzz) for my taste. But, the R1 Jazz model has a red brass body, so that had a little something to do with the lack of buzz. The resistance was about right...similar to a good early VI. Claudio said that they'll be coming out with a sterling silver model maybe in less than a year, with different thicknesses of metal for the necks available. I can only imagine that a regular R1 in bright silver plate would give more edge and easily rank up there with a Keilwerth. It's by far the most solid sax I've ever seen. Like if Hummer made saxes!!! :P The cases are leather covered and formed in the shape of a sax, the "classiest" sax cases I've ever seen! (and I endorse Berkeley of London cases...lol). Also, they're working on a new mouthpiece line that has high baffles and large bores with a built-on ligature. So their tenors in general have a HUGE sound, perfect for a Bergonzi, Lovano, Coltrane sound... but it will be about a year 'till they've got the buzz thing happenin' w/the sterling model.

On a side note, as soon as they come back from their August vacation, I'm having a straight soprano made. I'll have photos posted on my website and they'll be making a poster with it in the near future.

Take care,

Aaron ><>
www.aaronsantee.com

[Dr G]

Hey Aaron,

I went to your site but found only the link to your band projects and the page to the lessons working.

Please let us know when it's all kicking. It looks like a site with a lot of promise.

[Santee>]

Hmmm, I was just there and all's well. E-mail me if U keep experiencing problems and I'll have it looked at :)

Take care,

Aaron ><>
www.aaronsantee.com

[Dr G]

Bummer. :cry: If, for instance, I click on "Sax Rig", I can see that there is a background with a link to Rampone & Cazzani saxes but the foreground has a frame that links to "About the Fish" page. Below that and to the right is an empty picture frame that looks like it was meant to go around the frame I mentioned in the previous sentence.

"Photos", "EWI Rig", "Sound Clips" - all act the same. In fact, they all still have the same background as "Sax Rig" page.

Hmmm, I'll reboot and see if the problem is local.

[Dr G]

Nope, that didn't work. :cry:

[Santee>]

Nope, that didn't work. :cry:

I'm sorry you're having problems viewing my website, but please E-mail me rather than use the message board.

My E-mail off my website is aaron@aaronsantee.com ...I've tried my website again today and it's working fine.

[tonyg]

The Rampone & Cazzani website does have audio clips of their instruments. They do seem to have a vintage sound to them, and they make their own mouthpieces as well.

saxophone.co.uk does have a review of the R&C R1 alto, and the price for the goldplated R1 tenor seems reasonable. I wonder if they are similar to the Borgani horns.

[jmd23]

Santee,

Can you expand on what you mean by "buzz"? I'm looking for a new Tenor and am very much leaning towards a Keilwerth Nickel Silver but the Rampone's can be had for a little less money and from the descriptions it sounds like something I'd be interested in.

I'm looking for something that has a lush, dark, complex tone but with good projection. For an example, I really like Grover Washington's tone if that helps define what I'm looking for. From looking around I'm thinking about the R1 Jazz gold plate hand polished option for a slightly different look.

Thanks,
Josh

[Santee>]

Well, by "buzz" I'm talking about a clearly defined edge, similar to if you boosted up the treble on an EQ, but not the high-mid or mid with it. You get more cut. A good example is Michael Brecker's sound, you hear the lows very well, not too mid-heavy, and a really nice defined "cut" in the sound on top (buzz). For reeds, a good example of buzz would be comparing say LaVoz reeds with Alexaner Superial reeds, the Superials will have more higher end 'buzz' or cut to the sound. If you really want a drastic comparison on buzz, think of Hemke reeds vs. Rico Plasticover or Bari plastic reeds :) Basically messin' with the EQ of the sax's sound, which we all are doing.

Comparing the R1 Jazz in vintage gold plate vs Joe Lovano's silver plated Borgani, after whatever work he had done to his, etc., the sound on both saxes are very big and full. The Borgani didn't seem to be very even volume-wise, in that some notes were much louder than other notes. And neither the Borgani or the Rampone R1 Jazz gold had a defined "treble" or "buzz" to the sound. The sound was just very, very full and lush. And I was using a high baffle mouthpiece when I tried out these saxes with the "buzziest sounding" Superial reed I had :D lol None of the saxes had the ability to cut through enough no matter how hard I pushed 'em. Just gave me a louder big and full sound. If you played on say a Runyon plastic Quantum w/or without the spoiler, (that's a high baffle mouthpiece with a large bore), on either sax, you'll be able to adjust your sound via reed selection to get that Grover tenor sound. If you're looking for more of a Brecker sound, but with the large bore of the Keilwerth, then I would get the Keilwerth. It's gonna be about a year 'till the sterling Rampone R1 w/the various neck thicknesses is on the market. Now the Rampone mouthpieces are very similar to metal Links. I tried a metal soprano and tenor and a hard rubber sopranino @ the Congress. And they're working on a high baffle/large bore mouthpiece now. As far as the hand-polished finish, that's done to the brass, there's no plating, just a rough polishing of the brass and then it's lacquered to stay looking "rough". Since Rampone & Cazzani makes every sax by hand, I'm sure they could do an R1 Jazz in a hand polished finish...the body would look cool with a redder color w/that red brass finish :lol: But remember, w/the red brass, you'll have less of an edge to your sound, and it's a really heavy and dark sax to begin with...and it costs more for the R1 Jazz! I would go with an R1 in Silver Plate if you're looking for the best sound. (I got a sax chat on my website on Mondays if U wanna talk about their saxes more).

Take care,

Aaron ><>

[Santee>]

Well, the bright silver plated R1 Soprano arrived today!!! :D I love it!!! Tossed on some Marca Jazz reeds and it's PERFECT!

I'll have some photos up on my website soon.

Peace,

Aaron ><>
www.AaronSantee.com

[Santee>]

Well, I'm havig a tenor made based off of the R1 Jazz (calling it "R1 Fusion"). It will have a different neck design (a slower curve to give more edge and punch, and a bar brace rather than the typical soldered neck brace), and will be bright silver plated w/black nickel plated keys. Also, they've got a new high baffle tenor mouthpiece design, that will come w/my new sax. I'm having the neck worked on first, then the sax a bit closer to December or January probably. The sax will have the red brass body design, a very big & full sound (and the large bore size will help there too!), and the neck design will give the "buzz" I was talking about.

There are some more pics of my R1 Straight soprano on my website... www.AaronSantee.com

Peace,

Aaron ><>

[Joe Jazz]

Well, I received my R & C curved R1 soprano today, and so far I'm very impressed. Quality seems very good. I like the intonation much better than any of the three Yani SC901's I'd previously owned(silver-plated, clear lacquer, black lacquer). I'd say I also like the sound a little better than my silver plated Yamaha 675 using the curved neck. It came with a Selmer S-80 mpc, and a nice shaped case. I'll be trying out several other mpc's over the holiday. The fun never stops! :lol:

[Joe Jazz]

Rampone & Cazzini on the rocks......say yeeesssss! 8)

[Joe Jazz]

Ramponi & Cazzini on ice, Rampone & Cazzini sooooo nice......
I know, I know, but it's the holiday season and all my favorite adult beverage commercials will be on soon! :oops:

[Joe Jazz]

The more I plays it, the more I likes it.....my precious....Gollum... :wink: Gollum...

[Santee>]

The more time I've had to get used to the R1 soprano in bright silver plate, the more alive this sax feels. It just feels like it's become a part of me. I know exactly what U mean about your curved...they sound 'alive'. Gonna have that R1 "fusion" tenor made pretty soon...bright silver plate w/black nickle keys 8) Like Branford's CD title "The Black Keys" :wink: ...'cause tenor playin' seems to favor more of a chromatic approach for me. A side note, I've seen SaxForte selling the R1 Jazz on E-Bay. So I guess they're going for around 3k (usd)...worth every penny!

Merry Christmas fellow Ramp&Cazz owners! :lol:

Aaron ><>

[Joe Jazz]

I'd like to try something in the polished silver plate.... :D

[Brice B.]

Shhh.... Here's a little secret....


I have an R1 alto in heavy sliver plate coming to me in a week! :shock: :wink:

I'll post on it once it gets here. But I will say, the prices on these horns are absolutely amazing if they play anywhere close to good.

[Goose]

Hi Santee,

do you already play your R 1 Jazz Tenor with the modified neck?
Where did you purchase the neck?

[MB-913]

Where is Rampone & Cazzani made in ? Italy ? Taiwan ?

[Captain Beeflat]

Quarna Sotto in North West Italy.

[David Spiegelthal]

http://www.ramponecazzani.it/en/index.htm

[Captain Beeflat]

Aaron. I see, from your website, that you have taken delivery of the customised Rampone e Cazzani R1 tenor about which you "spoke" earlier. Well, please tell us about it, are you pleased, does it do what you expected? Your views would be appreciated.....Bb.

[Santee>]

Hi, the tenor should be done and shipped this month. It's got the standard neck design but in silver plate. I'm gonna give the standard neck design a try to see how it goes. No new neck designs have worked. I just need to get used to the different feel the R1 necks have. Never know what good can come if it unless U try it for a while :)

I'll have info posted on my website as soon as it arrives as well as photos. So keep swingin' by! :)

[DougR]

Has anyone seen one of these?
http://www.ramponecazzani.it/en/alessofono.html

[pepesax]

Hi there!
I've been reading your posts on this forum for a while and I must say your comments on Rampone & Cazzani were very helpful. I wanted to buy a new tenor and was very uncertain if it had to be a Selmer or not. Then I had the chance to read about Rampone & Cazzani and also had a long telephone conversation with Claudio Zolla. After some research and some more requests for information I took my final decision. I'm Italian, so what a better chance to try and buy a new Italian handmade tenor saxophone? Actually I didn't have the chance to play test it, but what I got as a general feedback from direct information, reviews, posts on this forum and other ones, was enough to make me fall in love with the R1 Jazz tenor and decide I wanted to buy it.
Well, after one month of long wait, I received the sax few days ago.
You should see it and play it! I'm so happy that I felt I should share my feelings with you all here asking and telling about Rampone & Cazzani.
I took some pictures too and now I'm ready to take part in the discussion as a new happy R1 Jazz owner.
I suppose I'll be writing again,
pepesax

[Captain Beeflat]

Pepesax. I too took delivery of a customised heavily gold plated R1 tenor earlier in the year & I smile everytime I see it or play it.
It is a delight- a new vintage horn to one's own specification. Claudio was almost offended when I asked if individual customising could be carried out, his actual reply was "of course, we are craftsmen" Consequently I have a matte gold plated tenor with polished gold keywork, a polished gold bellwash & a "flying buttress" neck brace. It looks vintage & has a huge, thick sound. An awesome saxophone.
Despite Aaron Santee's dislike of the exaggerated vintage looking swan neck curve of the neck & his conviction that a shallower curve would result in a brighter top end, I was rather pleased with his own admission that this did not work. Surely a case of Daddy knows best. If you have been making wind instruments since 1832 the chances are that you have learned a lesson or two on the way...kind regards...Bb

[pepesax]

Captain Beeflat,
glad to know that we are both fully satisfied with our customized horns.
I perfectly agree with you when you say it's an awesome sax with a thick and huge sound. And so in tune and smooth to blow.
We also asked for similar finish. Of course Claudio is a very helpful and skilful craftsman so that he accomplished all the requests on the most suitable finish. Mine is a R1 Jazz tenor in sandblasted gold finish with heavy gold plated keywork and bellwash, and contrasting gold plated logo on sandblasted body. I have a pic on http://web.tiscali.it/pepesax/
I'll be pleased to share some more opinions on these beautiful horns, but now it's time to enjoy some sax playing...
All the best,
pepesax

[Sigmund451]

Pepesax, thats a beautiful horn indeed. The R&Cs and the Borgs, neither of which Ive played, have me thinking and saving my spare change for the time I can justify spending that much on a horn. Ive typically focused upon the vintage horn market because new horns Ive played just havent done it for me. Perhaps these are a different story altogether. I look forward to following threads of those who play these horns. Again, thats one sultry sax!

[Santee>]

It's not a matter of the look of the tenor neck, they look great. It's just that I've played on the standard neck curve for 14 + years (played alto for 4 yrs. before that) and it feels a good 1" longer than a standard VI style neck. I can boost the highs w/mouthpiece and reed choice. The tone the neck gives the sax isn't my biggest concern. The R1 jazz I played in Minneapolis last summer @ the World Sax Congress had great intonation and a great sound. It's just a comfort thing for the most part for me. They tried a more gradual curve and it just didn't sound right to them, so that's why I'm currently sticking w/their standard R1 Jazz neck. Only time will tell how the neck will work for my playing... it will either be an advantage or a disadvantage (for me anyway)... It could go either way, or possibly cancel itself out... because the tenor will be angled more forward due to the extra length of the neck compared to what I'm used to. That should make the baffle more efficent because my airstream will be aimed up more. And it might let the reed vibrate a little more because my lip will be pressed less on the thinner areas of the reed. It's all a matter of how I get used to the difference. 1" is a huge difference to me. I'm guessing I'll adapt fine to the different neck shape.

[Santee>]

My R1 Jazz is still being built. I got photos of the neck's engraving last week & it's very cool! The neck will be silver plated, the body, bow/bell in black nickel, and keys flash rose gold plated then clear lacquered. I bought a temporary tenor a month or 2 ago & got rid of my VI in anticipation of the R1 Jazz. This tenor will be very special to me, so we're taking out time with it, which is fine by me. I don't have as much time to check out this forum as I used to, so E-mail me w/any questions that need quick responses. I'll still swing by here from time to time though.

God Bless,

Aaron ><>

www.aaronsantee.com
www.shammah-fusion.com

[Santee>]

BTW Sigmund, I wouldn't put Borgani's in the same class as Rampone & Cazzani. They're great horns, but Rampone & Cazzani seems to have more even volume from the low to high registers than the Borgani Joe Lovano was playing a few years ago. The might have changed things a bit since then, but the R&C's just seem to have more life in 'em and play more even. :) Also, there are ribs on the sopranos, but not on R&C's altos and tenors. I think Joe's Borgani tenor did have ribs. I really suggest that sax players who need a new horn just try out everything and get what works best for them :) My favorite is Rampone & Cazzani though :)

[pepesax]

Aaron Santee,
I'll be delighted to see how your new customized R1 Jazz tenor will be.
When discussing how my tenor would be, Claudio told me you were asking for a customized neck design but also admitted what they produce is the best they can actually get to keep their standard and be respectful with their tradition of saxophone making. So he didn't want to risk and change what experience taught him on the sound and tone deriving from their standard neck. I think his reluctancy in changing its shape is quite understandable. Moreover, the typical tone that the neck gives to the saxophone is remarkably good. Great sound and great intonation. What else should one ask for? I agree there will be some adjustments with lips touching the reed and also with lifting the sax a little higher (at least this is what I'm experiencing to get used to the slight differences from my previous sax). But all is working fine and smoothly.
Looking forward to seeing a picture of your new R1 Jazz tenor.
pepesax

[Sigmund451]

So does anyone have R1 tenor sound bites posted? Links? For those of us no where near a dealer it would be great to hear different setups with the different finishes.

[MMM]

I'm hearing a lot about how cheap these saxes are, maybe it's me but at £2400 (around 3700 euros or USD) for an R1 Jazz tenor the price is very similar to Selmer. OK I know handmade and they're meant to sound good, but are really that cheap?
I'd be interested to know how much they sell for in US and more importantly in Italy...

Thanks,
MM

[Morry]

Well, they would probably be cheaper if you could get them from more than 1 dealer in the U.S. I hate that kind of supply chain price manipulation.

[DanY]

Warning: The old Rampone & Cazzani horns are completely different animals!

I have an old silver-plated tenor that is average at best. Some of their old horns are good early Conn copies, but most are not.

[jacco]

Two days ago i tried the curved R1 Jazz soprano in old silver. Very nice sound. Easy to play. Does anybody compared the curved soprano against Yani and borgani?
Next month i will try the R1 Jazz tenor.

All my best!

[Captain Beeflat]

:D Jacco.
Please report back on your opinions of the R1 tenor; I do not think that you will be disappointed.
I played mine at a gig this weekend & shared the stage with a chap playing a Selmer Mk. V1. People, who had no reason to be polite, commented favourably afterwards on the power & sound of the R&C compared to the Selmer....kindest regards...Bb.