"The Martin" Alto's?

[Saxaholic]

Anyone have any experiences with these horns? Tone, intonation, keywork, value etc etc etc???

ANY info on the horns is appreciated. Thanks!

Saxaholic

[super20dan]

ihave been playing on one for a long time. this is the best martin ever made by far and out plays most if not all of the other older style vintage altos. you cannot go wrong with one of these and they can still be had at a resonable price .

[Saxaholic]

How's the intonation on the horn? Excellent....ok....or sketchy??

[Bootman]

Great horns, big sound but canbe a little delicate.

[Bootman]

I am chasing one these horns if anyone has a line on one, email me.

Intonation is good on these horns provided they have been set-up properly.

[super20dan]

bootman is correct -set up is critical .most people repad using too thick pads .orig martin pads are very thin. when set up well intonation is very good -as good as any other alto . also these saxes can handel any style music with ease . very fast light action on the keys -again if right pads used

[The Martin]

Just to be sure....
Are we talking "The Martin alto" (aka Committee) or "The Martin" alto (Aka Hancraft) :?:

I don't mind, but maybe for others reading this it is important to know...

[Honeyboy]

I've owned a The Martin alto #206XXX I believe- kind of a late 50's one. It had slight damage down near the key guard so I got it for $350.00 from a pawn shop. It was easily repaired . It has a darker tone than a King Zephyr (1937) and a '36 Selmer Balanced Action. It has a very light key feel and plays well with a Runyon metal Smoothbore. Tuning is as good as most other altos I've played. It looks real cool, especially on the key guards on the right side.

[Bootman]

The model with the tear drop neck screw is whatwe're talking about.

[super20dan]

boot-there is a nice one on ebay now

[Bootman]

Dan, been looking into this one but unfortunately the owner is a petty, rude and thinly veiled American only bigot. He has apparently had one bad OS shipping problem and gave up. When faced with the facts that there is more than one shipping and freight service provider he starts to get nasty.

I would avoid dealing with this character because I suspect that the top half of the horn is bent too.

[super20dan]

thats unfortinate bootman. keep searching ....they are well worth the chase.. i am fortinate to own a VERY low milage completly original (even pads) you would go bonkers over this horn.

[Saxaholic]

Theres a really nice "The Martin" alto at Saxquest.....near perfect condition.....$1500. They say the intonations great...with no problem notes....and it sounds excellent. Sounds like a good buy.

Saxaholic

[Bootman]

I have missed several of late, the eBay thing seems to be overpriced at the moment or too many people are on to it. The search continues.

[Martin]

Well worth chasing, great sound that you never get enough of.

[cmelodysax]

There seems recently to be a lot of '10 feedback or less' bidders on ebay diving onto potentially good older horns (amongst other things), and pushing the price up a bit by bidding against each other early on, whereas us cautious chaps would have watched and waited....

Maybe they'll get bored and go away when the holiday season gets into full swing. Regards, Alan.

[Bootman]

We can but hope for this on eBay but I somehow doubt that these bidders will do this. I am always cautious of eBay as a general rule, too many of the items listed aren't what they are reported to be condition wise.

[cmelodysax]

Agreed, that's why I only like to buy off ebay at as low a price as possible. That way I can either afford to fix problems, or maybe re-sell with an honest description.
I recently got caught with a nice 20's Martin alto (s/no 27xxx) from the USA with a missing Eb 'cage' and neck damage which didn't show on the pics (and wasn't described either !) - grrrr...

Almost as good as the Buescher which was only photograped from the front and had NO octage mechanism. only the solder pads where it had all been........... Some people just ain't nice ! Regards, Alan.

[Dave dix]

Shame about the 20's martin but i just bought a 1940 handcraft alto (standard special) and was well under described. I couldnt believe the quality, original lacquer and original pads.All i did was replace two corks and it plays superb with perfect intonation. Must have been a backup horn or a closet one.
Some times your lucky, the follies of auctions
Dave

[cmelodysax]

Agreed Dave, I've had some real goodies as well, price never reflects the quality..... Regards, Alan.

[Dave dix]

Test drove my new handcraft alto (new as in 1940,) at a jam last night to a sneering selmerite looking at it on its stand.He didnt say a word until i took the paint off the back wall then i helped him lift his jaw off the floor!!!!
Now i know another saxophonist hooked onto the martin trail. He had never heard of martin until last night and now his ears wont let him forget.

[paullanfermeijer]

Dave,

I like this stories!!!!!! Great!!!!
Give us some more!

Paul,
(proud owner of a The Martin tenor).

[Dave dix]

Hi Paul
I also own a The Martin tenor (1956).Superb horn that i use for r'n'r and r/b gigs with a dukoff 7* and lavoz hard reeds. You should hear Peter Gunn played with this set up!!!!! also Honky tonk. it makes your teeth rattle but not too good for my fillings!!
If i play in a section i have to stand well off the mike as my volume is a bit higher than the other horns,same with the alto. I use a metel berg
95/2 with lavoz hard again
Dave

[Bootman]

I'm still cahsing one.

[Sigmund451]

Value question...also may be for sale soon.

I have a 1925 Silver Handcraft. It has just been totally repaded with silver domed resonators and adjusted...of course it hasnt been played in yet so further minor adjustments will be necessary. Its one with a gold washed bell that is in nice shape...a couple of minor scratches. There is a ding in the bow (not a huge crushed dent, ...kind of a pinhole ding (does not penetrate tho). The rear lower key guard has taken a bang but it is still intact but left a small impression near the post. The two dings I mention would be easy to take out but I dont mess in that area...(Im not into ruining horns).

Over all the horn is quite pretty, it plays in tune, and has a really rich thick sould one would associate with such a player....whats a fair price for such an item :?: I would keep it but I dont see myself playing alto much. Im pretty stuck on my The Martin Tenor...that BTW I love more with each passing day.

[Sigmund451]

Dave,

My old teacher had never heard of a martin either. She played old conns and bueschers. She heard my Martin tenor and immediately offered to purchase it if I didnt get a better price elsewhere (I did get the better price). Its amazing how few players have been exposed to these horns and when someone plays or hears one for the first time they can often be rather taken aback by their sound. Lets just keep the converts to a minimum :wink:

[1saxman]

If you want to hear a 'The Martin Alto' played to it's top potential, check out some early Earl Bostic records. I picked up a 1951 alto, and it stunk on ice. Even after a good overhaul it stunk. My tenor and bari are great, but I would have to play a Martin alto before buying it. The horn was just dead, and a pro overhaul really didn't help much.

[super20dan]

i have played and owned lots of martins and never heard of a bad the martin alto. i had a com 2 that was a dud and still have a handcraft imperial thats a stinker but never a the martin

[1saxman]

It was pretty bad, and the only one I've ever played. I really had high hopes for it, too. My regular alto is an early Selmer USA 'Omega' model 162. Quite a horn. I just wanted a Martin to complete my set, but I gave up on that idea.