Compare Keilwerth alto to tenor

[Brice B.]

I just recently picked up a new Keilwerth SX90 tenor at Chuck Levins and I'm really enjoying it. They gave me a price I couldn't refuse, so I bought it. I never, I repeat, never thought I would like Keilwerths, but it really played the best out of all I tried. I didn't get a chance to try the altos, and so I'm curious if they play the same as the tenors. Does anyone know if they share similar characterisitcs as the tenors?

Also, my tenor was new, but it had a serial number in the 113XXX's. Can anyone tell me if it is a few years old or not? Thanks!!

[Morry]

Yes, my new alto is very similar to my tenor. Both have great intonation, super response, a huge low end, and palm keys that are very similar in sound to the rest of the horn (something my Yamahas lacked). Overall, I've got to say I really love them both. Hmmm, now how to pay for a bari....

[Geezer]

I also tried lots of horns (altos and tenors) at Chuck Levin's a couple of years ago. Tonewise, the JK SX90R tenor was by far my favorite, but the keywork was very uncomfortable and awkward for me (my hands are slightly smaller than average). Both the left-hand pinky cluster and the right hand second and third finger stretch were just more that I thought I could adapt to. So my current tenor is a Buescher Big B (which not only sounds great, but the keywork fits my hands "like a glove" so to speak).

My alto, however, is a dream . . . a JK SX90R (lacquer) that I got at Chuck's. What a horn! . . . Fantastic tone, volume, intonation, and downright personality! With a Meyer 7M and Rico Jazz Selects, it's a perfect setup. While the left hand pinky cluster seems to have been designed for larger than average hands, I've gotten used to it and it's not a problem. (If Keilwerth would just do something about these chronic STICKY PADS!!!)

[Morry]

I've got to agree that the SX90R alto is quite a spectacular horn. Mine is a dark gold lacquer over nickel. I've been so busy at work that I haven't had a chance to play any over the last month or so, and was surprised all over again after getting my alto out and playing it all day. I'm currently using a JJ ESP metal mpc on it, and this is one powerful combination. I urge anyone with a JK alto to try one on it. My Link STM and all the rubber pieces I tried with this horn just sound too spread. This setup with RSJ reeds is very, very focused.

[singlereed]

I like the JK altos much more than the tenors which I have found to have an uneven response around the break - in my hands anyway! The alto has a characterful sound that can be dark and warm, but it has plenty of raucous power too. I suppose it does live in the same kind of spectrum s the tenor. Do try one out, though, the layout around the RH fingers is such that you may catch your fingers on the key arms above, and I also find I tend to catch my little finger on one of the key cups when using the Eb key. The palm key notes can be hard to nail, I suspect as the bore design is rather different from what you might have been used to so it might take a bit of familiarity to get the best from it up there.

What I would also say is that the factory set up is often dreadful with stiff springs, lots of leaks, very sticky pads and mechanisms sticky due to bad adjustment. My most recent one came from a respected US dealer who had set it up, but I still had to spend a lot of time on it and then give it to my technician to get it playing right. It is undoubtedly a beautifully made horn with much more indivduality than most other current production horns, but those on the dealers shelves are often selling themselves short because of a bad setup.

[Morry]

I've never played a horn that was so smooth over the C2 to D2 break as my JK alto. It is absolutely unnoticeable. One think I like about my SX90R tenor is that the palm D is perfectly in tune when played without the octace key for D2. Unfortunately, it's not the same on the alto. I hate that, because I had gotten used to using it alot on the tenor.

[singlereed]

It is the tenors that I found have had an uneven response over the break, the alto is fine. It must be partly down to the player (operator error :lol: )as there are so many happy JK tenor players on here.