cornific
11-18-2005, 07:34 AM
wow
this old ebay alto sn 14xx A in excellent condition with the Leblanc system key work. the pads look iffy and the horn is dripping in oil. the case is excellent as well, warranty cardand manual/fingering chart, original neck strap (swanky gold flash), twenty five reeds most of them still sealed (at 5.00 a box of twelve) so ... early seventies? it is missing two or three corks, LH thumb rest (screw mount). there is one guard post that needs a re-solder, one post has been knocked slightly out of align ment but it is on a big rib so it is good for now but will need to be sorted out soon, a few tiny pings, very minor spotting in a 98 % lac ... hmmm, looking closely, the top of the vito logo, the oval that frames it really, suggests a relac. though the engraving for the most part seems clear, just on the wimpy or light side... original vito piece that looks interesting but has minute chips on the tip and a nice Vandoren maked A 101 (the 1's look a little odd but i think they are 1's)
i soaked up a vintage medium reed, and... a great sounding fun horn to play out of the box within a box ... am i a happy guy:) :D yep.
any one out there play one of these??? or used to play one, or cursed adjusting them.
considering how iffy the pads look, this thing rips.
i used to think i was a little nuts (i know i am now). the first saxophone i learned on may have been a Leblanc system horn and i never knew its uniqueness. it was by reputation, the second best alto in our school, so as soon as i got my hands on the mark VI i never touched it again. as i check this out, the alternate fingerings seemed awfully familiar. i was really a trombone student at the time i took up the sax. i came into school early and taught myself sax before class as the teacher frowned on doubling, i had to fess up when i asked to take the mark VI home for the summer. i had my own bone by that time so i asked for the selmer. he never forgave me for that move, but in the end i was more enthusiastic than his sax section so he let me sign it out ... i wonder... to this day it seems that the first thing i look for on a new horn are fingering peculiarities based on some vague recollection of well... was that really a model thirty five i started on :? if so, i have to ramp up my respect for the program for providing good instruments upon which to learn8-) .
but now for the best part, aside from the tone and how fun and weird it is to play the leblanc system, when i first revved the horn up, the low c wouldn't close. i gave it a close look and there, wedged in the back of the guard was an old LH palm pad, dried and cracked. i popped it out and then noticed an old adjustment or feature :? there, glued onto the :line0: low C's domed resonator is a small styrofoam nub :shock:. almost the size of my thumb tip about 7/8 " long. centered in the tonehole so that it projects into the bow when the key is closed and :? buffering? when the key is open, it is very light weight so it shouldn't affect the keys movement or speed noticably 8-), the key seems a bit more open than the E flat key but the tables line up perfectly, it looks as though this was :? made for this purpose or designed into the horn 8-) or is it a slick mod that i've never seen before :? the glue looks a bit sloppy but it could have been re-fastened at some point.
this little horn keeps on giving and it has only been here for a couple of hours. any ideas or comments will only augment my :D glee:D which is considerable at this moment.
this old ebay alto sn 14xx A in excellent condition with the Leblanc system key work. the pads look iffy and the horn is dripping in oil. the case is excellent as well, warranty cardand manual/fingering chart, original neck strap (swanky gold flash), twenty five reeds most of them still sealed (at 5.00 a box of twelve) so ... early seventies? it is missing two or three corks, LH thumb rest (screw mount). there is one guard post that needs a re-solder, one post has been knocked slightly out of align ment but it is on a big rib so it is good for now but will need to be sorted out soon, a few tiny pings, very minor spotting in a 98 % lac ... hmmm, looking closely, the top of the vito logo, the oval that frames it really, suggests a relac. though the engraving for the most part seems clear, just on the wimpy or light side... original vito piece that looks interesting but has minute chips on the tip and a nice Vandoren maked A 101 (the 1's look a little odd but i think they are 1's)
i soaked up a vintage medium reed, and... a great sounding fun horn to play out of the box within a box ... am i a happy guy:) :D yep.
any one out there play one of these??? or used to play one, or cursed adjusting them.
considering how iffy the pads look, this thing rips.
i used to think i was a little nuts (i know i am now). the first saxophone i learned on may have been a Leblanc system horn and i never knew its uniqueness. it was by reputation, the second best alto in our school, so as soon as i got my hands on the mark VI i never touched it again. as i check this out, the alternate fingerings seemed awfully familiar. i was really a trombone student at the time i took up the sax. i came into school early and taught myself sax before class as the teacher frowned on doubling, i had to fess up when i asked to take the mark VI home for the summer. i had my own bone by that time so i asked for the selmer. he never forgave me for that move, but in the end i was more enthusiastic than his sax section so he let me sign it out ... i wonder... to this day it seems that the first thing i look for on a new horn are fingering peculiarities based on some vague recollection of well... was that really a model thirty five i started on :? if so, i have to ramp up my respect for the program for providing good instruments upon which to learn8-) .
but now for the best part, aside from the tone and how fun and weird it is to play the leblanc system, when i first revved the horn up, the low c wouldn't close. i gave it a close look and there, wedged in the back of the guard was an old LH palm pad, dried and cracked. i popped it out and then noticed an old adjustment or feature :? there, glued onto the :line0: low C's domed resonator is a small styrofoam nub :shock:. almost the size of my thumb tip about 7/8 " long. centered in the tonehole so that it projects into the bow when the key is closed and :? buffering? when the key is open, it is very light weight so it shouldn't affect the keys movement or speed noticably 8-), the key seems a bit more open than the E flat key but the tables line up perfectly, it looks as though this was :? made for this purpose or designed into the horn 8-) or is it a slick mod that i've never seen before :? the glue looks a bit sloppy but it could have been re-fastened at some point.
this little horn keeps on giving and it has only been here for a couple of hours. any ideas or comments will only augment my :D glee:D which is considerable at this moment.