Kohlert 470 Soprano Sax

[arualnosam]

I am a high school student that would love to learn how to play soprano sax. I play the alto sax and the oboe already. I have a limited budget so I have been looking at the Kohlert 470 Soprano Sax. I was wondering if anybody has already bought this sax and if it works well and is worth the price.

If anybody has any advice, please help me out. Thanks!

[David Spiegelthal]

If it's new, then it is a Vietnamese-made instrument of pretty good quality, but expect a technician to have to make some repairs and adjustments right out of the box. I don't believe the real Kohlert company (Bohemian/Czech/German), which hasn't existed since the late 60's, made many soprano saxes and they certainly didn't have model numbers like 470.
I have one of the Vietnamese-made Kohlerts which I bought new about 5 years ago -- I paid $400 for it then and I wouldn't pay a penny more than that today for one, although mine has served me well for the very limited use it has gotten.

[gypsydancer]

Hi David,

I think that Kohlert Kraslitz did make sopranos (but not the 470). There is one on eBay right now that looks fabulous. The seller seems to think that it was made by Kielwerth for Kohlert, but from what I've read, I think it more likely that it was made by Kohlert while Keilwerth was an employee.

I am also collecting Kohlerts and I think they are as good as any sax i have seen or heard. IMHO, they range from really good (Kohlert Edgware made for Boosey & Hawkes) to pro quality ('55), to simply stupendous (VKS).

Also, I have read that the Edgeware (mentioned above) was a low quality student model, but I am doubtful on this. Mine is quite comparable to the other late '50s horn like the '57 0r Regent. All of them have great sound.

Also, I think the serial numbers of the Edgware (and possibly, Oxford, etc.) are actually Kohlert serials. The number on my Edgware fits right in the sequence of my others. Also style and location of engraving is identical. This would jive with the number of the Amati above, that is clearly not in the Kohlert sequence.

Also, I should mention that I think all Pre-WW II Kohlerts are junk and that any you see on eBay you should leave, so that I can get them cheaper!

[Saxland]

Here are pictures of a Boosey and Hawkes Oxford Kohlert stencil soprano saxophone.


http://s22.photobucket.com/albums/b313/Avalontide/Keilwerth%20Soprano/

[jsonova99]

Does anybody have any experience with the Kohlert 470? I know they're cheap and probably not the best, but do they play well enough to be a toy to play around the house? I'm just an at-home hobbyist, and dropping $1k or more is a little hard to justify. I do have a Kohlert 460 Tenor which I actually like, a little hard to hit the really low stuff with so I need to get it looked at but the tone is nice and it plays as well as the brand new Bundy 2 I played back in high school which probably cost atleast twice as much.

[jsonova99]

Well, I bought the Kohlert 470, so for anybody who's interested here's my take, ( a seasoned hobbyist). Quality is okay, except the octave mechanism is a little cheap. Intonation is not great, but it will play top to bottom. For the money it's not a bad sax to play around the house for fun, I wouldn't play out with it though. You'd probably do better picking up a used Antigua Winds 582 or something. I figured I'd take a chance because I also have the Kohlert 460 tenor, and it's not a bad sax at all for the money (~$450). A little hard to get the really low stuff out of, but that may be the operator to some extent. Hope this helps anybody thinking about buying.