kohlert saxophone

[saxhead]

has anybody worked on kohlert saxophones? are they similar to any other horns, like selmer or any of the other makes? are their key and pad cup sizes similar to any other horns?

[Gordon (NZ)]

I have, along with 75 other makes, the details of most of which I have forgotten.

I know their flutes were not a particularly high standard of production.
Don't expect ANY standardization of key cup size between makes. It often does not exist even within a run of a given model of a top make.

[Gregg W. Jackson]

I ran into my first Kohlert a week ago. It looks to be a Martin stencil.

[JfW]

I know a guy who has a kohlert on display in his store. The keywork looks okay initially, no idea if it would stay as smooth after use (it's brand new) but the original laquer job looks very poor: big streaks, uneven application, I'd assume the workmanship of the rest of the horn to be of equal quality.

[Hurling Frootmig]

I have a Kohlert and it's not a Martin stencil. There's some JK influence but by all accounts they made their own horns.

[knighttrain]

JfW - The new Kohlerts are Asian horns and not to be confused with the vintage German Kohlerts, which have a small but dedicated following (and yes, I have a vintage Kohlert (Alto)).

[saxhead]

hurling,

i'm sorry i don't know this but what's JK mean?

[Hurling Frootmig]

Jules Keilwerth.

[Gregg W. Jackson]

Hurling Frootmig, I've only seen more modern Keilwerth saxophones. Did Keilwerths ever have the left side bell keys with the curved wire key guards like the old Martins? If so, it may have been a Keilwerth, or the owner may have been mistaken when he told me that it was a Kohlert.

[JfW]

JfW - The new Kohlerts are Asian horns and not to be confused with the vintage German Kohlerts, which have a small but dedicated following (and yes, I have a vintage Kohlert (Alto)).

thanks, that's what I suspected.

[David Spiegelthal]

I currently have Kohlert (Winnenden, Germany) clarinets from the 1950's, including a hard-rubber bass clarinet, wood full-Boehm Bb clarinet, and wood alto clarinet --- all are quite good, IMHO, though not quite up to the standards of the top-of-the-line Buffets and Selmers. I also have one of the new Taiwan (or possibly China)-made soprano saxes labelled "Kohlert", which of course has no relationship to the real Bohemian/Austrian/Czech/German Kohlert company which went out of business around 1974 after over a hundred years of instrument-making (the remnants of their abandoned factory in Kraslice was taken over by the currdnt Amati concern in the Czech Republic). I don't own any "authentic" Kohlert saxophones but if you read elsewhere on this forum you'll find they actually have quite a good reputation -- most of their owners love the horns. My Asian-made Kohlert soprano, which as I said has nothing to do with the real Kohlerts, is nonetheless a fine-playing instrument -- the most in-tune soprano I've ever played, although the materials, workmanship, and ergonomics are all suspect.

[Hurling Frootmig]

Kohlert seems to have made most of their saxophones (they made the one I have) but some people have mentioned that they show great influence from JK and sometimes even parts from them. Mine isn't in that number. My horn has bell keys on the right side of the bell and keyguards that show a major Selmer influence without the ability to adjust heights.

The one I have (low 6xk serial number) has a body that is built like a tank. It has rolled tone holes and my only complaint about it is that the rods are not has stiff as I would like them to be. Overall a very decent horn.

[rrex54]

Continuing the drift from the repair angle . . . while I do not own a Kohlert, I know several folks who swear by them. As I recall JK actually started his career with Kohlert, hence some of the similarity. I was surprised to learn recently that some of the later (post Haynes drawn tone hole) Kohlerts had soldered tone holes. Most, I believe are drawn.

Points of agreement I have seen on the authentic/non-Asian Kohlerts: 1) They are built like tanks. 2) The Kohlert 57 was perhaps their best horn, but the Winnenden and others are good.

Apparently Kohlert made top notch bassoons. For a brief overview of the company from that angle, see:

http://idrs.colorado.edu/Publications/DR/DR13.1/DR13.1.Lein.Kohlert.html

[soreliprick]

They also made decent oboes and alto clarinets, at least mine are.