Cleveland Alto

[kingperkoff]

I've got a Cleveland alto serial number c-74919. It plays really nice. Anybody know when it was made or anything about this horn?

[mr00420]

This was King's student-level horn. I think they were being made during the era when King was being made in Eastlake. That would account for them being such exceptionally good student horns. They have a great sound and w/ the right set-up, can sound as good as most pro-level horns... now the action is a different story. The keys are nickle and pretty cheaply made. That said, these horns are basically bomb proof.

I played a Cleveland from elementary school all the way through college. The action sucked, but I had a great sound and eventually adjusted to the stiffness of the keys. I has absolutely no reasale value though.

[Honeyboy]

I bought a mid- 50's king Cleveland alto for my son when he was playing sax in school. I got mine for $80.00 from a guy who needed some quick money. I have an Otto Link( late Florida) mouthpiece that only plays in tune on this King, usually you have to push it in too far to get it to play un-flat. The tone is really nice and the fingering is okay. I keep it at school with me in case I want to play on my lunch break. If it ever gets stolen, no biggy!!!

[Mike Ruhl]

Ditto the above comments. As a kid back in the 1960s, I started out on what was probably a late-50s or early-60s Cleveland alto that my Dad bought for me. I played it for 3 or 4 years until my junior high band director switched me to tenor. I foolishly sold that alto while in college. Wish I had it back.

[sondraroberts]

I have a Cleveland Alto sax with serial #77523 that I got from an uncle.

If they are built so well and can sound like professional horns, why is the resale on Cleveland also saxs so bad? Jupiters have much higher resales.

What is the best set for this sax? I have a Yamaha mouth piece and a beginner reed. Doesn't sound right.

Thanks :cry:

[Helen]

If they are built so well and can sound like professional horns, why is the resale on Cleveland also saxs so bad? Jupiters have much higher resales.


Old student model saxes don't have much resale value, period.

I suspect one reason for this is because young players are not interested in having old looking instruments. I found a beautiful playing student model King for one of my students, but the kid wanted the almost new looking 3 year old Yamaha student model that was in the same store just because it looked new.

Jupiters are newer horns, so they will cost more just because they are still newer than the old King Clevlands and Selmer Bundys. I've not played a Jupiter, but the old Clevlands and Bundys I've played have, IMO, a fuller sound than the newer student models such as the Yamahas, Bundy IIs, Dixons, and Kreislers.

[Ramen Iyer]

Hi well I did not get my Cleveland for peanuts. I paid 500 bucks for it , i think thats a good price.
Its in the 200xxx serial. And it very clearly says
"King musiclal instruments, Eastlake Ohio."
Its a real good horn and the action is easier than the Buescher I had.
I use an SML hard rubber mpc and Im geting real good sound and the saxm itself is in very good condition.
Basically because its alto a real pro model isnt a necessity for me as i am basically a tenor man and have my Mark 7 Selmer.
But tis Cleveland alto will do.
The newer models cant hold a light to these lovely old horns !

[barisaxgirl22]

I think I've got the same alto. Mine looks pretty old.

"I suspect one reason for this is because young players are not interested in having old looking instruments. I found a beautiful playing student model King for one of my students, but the kid wanted the almost new looking 3 year old Yamaha student model that was in the same store just because it looked new."

That was the case when I was getting my sax! I wanted the expensive, new Yamaha, but my mom wanted the cheaper horn. Also, the seller insisted that mine was a better brand.
It sounds beautiful. Once, my director played on it, and he hit the high notes beautifully. For me, it's not the same. I think it may be my mouthpiece, it's a Premiere. Most of the letters on it have been rubbed off, but I see "Hite" which may have been from H.N. White. Is that supposed to be a mouthpiece made especially for that specific brand of alto?
But back to the sax - I got it about four years ago, and it's very beautiful still. It only has a few scratches in it. I don't like how the keys are so stiff, either. But other than that, I love it. I'll never sell it, either, since it's my first sax. ^_^

[Pinnman]

barisaxgirl22,

Your mouthpiece is, I suspect, a Hite Premiere made by David Hite. Plenty of info on him on SOTW.

[Swingtone]

I've got a Cleveland alto serial number c-74919. It plays really nice. Anybody know when it was made or anything about this horn?

Judging from that serial #, that's an earlier mid to late 50's H.N. White King Cleveland, you've got there, not an Eastlake. I recently acquired the tenor version in around that same serial, and it's got a huge sound--but still dark and vintage-like.

I don't think I will ever sell this sax, as I picked it up for $400 from Musiqueweb on ebay. I was just comparing it to photos of vintage Super 20's and Zephyrs on Sarge's site (worldwidesax.com), and was noticing how similar the keywork, bell brace, bell and pretty much everything else on this sax looks the same--all except the pretty engraving, which it does not have. All it has is a very crude representation of the Empire State Bldg on the bell, hence the reason these are sometimes called the "Empire" Clevelands.

When I first got back into playing sax again four years ago, my first acquisition was a 1968 King Cleveland (thanks to Jason DuMars excellent site, which really turned me onto vintage saxes btw), which I now know to be an Eastlake model. It had a similar sound to my current Cleveland, but there's something a little more special about the sound of my 1956 H.N. White model. The 68 Cleveland was a little weak on the palm keys if I recall, but the 56 model just sings up high--just as clear and bright as my old Super 20 (which I had to sell for financial reasons). In fact, the 56 has a smoother sound reminiscent of a 1953 Zephyr that I also sold a couple years back. However, the Cleveland is not stuffy like that Zephyr was, and amazingly, the intonation is better, too. All in all, I like to think of this as my 5-digit Cleveland ;).

Oh well, I'm probably driving up the resale value as we speak. Fine with me since I've already got a great one!

[barisaxgirl22]

barisaxgirl22,

Your mouthpiece is, I suspect, a Hite Premiere made by David Hite. Plenty of info on him on SOTW.

Thanks, Pinnman. :D


Also - I have trouble getting the notes higher than a high B on my alto. It's fine on my bari. I tried lipping down, but if I do, it just stops playing. And I can't hit those notes unless I work my way up the scale to them. When I DO get the notes out, they make a weird ringing-type sound.
My A is very flat, too. I can't keep the A well-controlled.
Any suggestions?

[esimpson252]

My friend has an old Clev. It's a pretty nice horn and he sounds pretty good. Good tone. That horn is built like a '69 Buick!

[thsmusician]

Ive only been playing for a little over 3 months and before i bought my cleveland alto everyone on here said they were usually crap and not worth but 100 bucks. it isnt the prettiest sax in my school but it is by far the easiest to play. Everyone else has selmers and whatnot that ive played around on and i cant even play the lower Bb or high F on them and neither can they and they are mostly WAY out of tune by almost a whole step...today was the first im ive ever taken mine to a tuner and it was almost dead on without ever having to adjust my embrosure and it plays extremely easy unlike the selmers and jupitars people have. the only downside to it is that it doesnt seem to play loud as easy...seems to be a bit quieter of a sax

[Martinman]

My friend has a Cleveland, but it needs a massive amount of work, and doesn't play. It lookes more like a Conn than a King though.

Do these sound like Kings, or do they have a different sound?

[freakazo1d]

i just got a cleveland alto as a replacement to my yani a900mu (which is now with my sax tech.) and the king is not bad at all..:D

i heard of the resale value of this horns is pretty low and i just want to know the "standard" price for a King Cleveland 613 alto that is fully adjusted and plays well with 700*** serial number (anyone knows when it was made??) 8-)

im just thinkin if its a good idea to grab this sax as a backup to my yani...:?

[Martinman]

Ive only been playing for a little over 3 months and before i bought my cleveland alto everyone on here said they were usually crap and not worth but 100 bucks. it isnt the prettiest sax in my school but it is by far the easiest to play. Everyone else has selmers and whatnot that ive played around on and i cant even play the lower Bb or high F on them and neither can they and they are mostly WAY out of tune by almost a whole step...today was the first im ive ever taken mine to a tuner and it was almost dead on without ever having to adjust my embrosure and it plays extremely easy unlike the selmers and jupitars people have. the only downside to it is that it doesnt seem to play loud as easy...seems to be a bit quieter of a sax

What type of band are you in that you have only been playing 3 months and everyone else has Selmers?. If it is a completely beginers band, that explains why you have the sax that is easiest to play, as the Cleaveland was/is a student model horn. The reason it does not play loud could be in the pads. If they are original, they have no resonaters at all, which would give you a very quiet sound, although, as you said, it could very well be the horn.

[Zoot Horn]

There is a serial number chart on Steve Goodson's web site that covers King Clevelands. I used to have one, and I though it had a great sound. I only sold it because my teacher wrinked his nose. I liked it. Of course, I like what I have now more, but I thought it was plenty good enough for me then. Probably now, too, if the true is told.