Good Horn?

[BrassaxMan5]

I am scouting for a new saxophone, and my private teacher
:idea:

recommended a saxophone called The Martin. I have no idea what that is like, but he said a friend of his absolutely loves his The Martin saxophone( it's an alto). I'd just like some background info on this type of martin.

[Morry]

After you've done some research, let me know if you're looking for one. I have a friend who has one for sale. It has about 80-85% original lacquer, and plays extremely well. Not sure what he wants for it, but I'll ask.

[Jerry K.]

Great Horn! Big dark sound, very good ergonomics for a vintage horn, very gutsy core tone for an alto. These horns are solid and have a unique tone that is all their own to my ear. Some say they have a spread rather than focused sound. If you look at a tone hole you will realize that the wall is very thick and I believe this contributes to the big sound of the these horns.

One thing to watch out for is that the tone holes are in good shape where they are soldered to the body. If a horn is abused or worked on by a less than competent tech, you can have leaks at the base of the tone hole due to damage to the solder joint. None of the Martins I have owned have had this problem however so I don't think it's all that common.

I would recommend a Martin if you want a big dark tone on alto!

[paullanfermeijer]

Brassax,

Great horn, good sound and plays smooth and fast if regulated well! The best Martin made!
Take care because of the inscription isn't always correct>
A real The Martin (aka Committee) has "The Martin ........ " where's alto,tenor at the dots.
Some old Handcraft Martin's have also the inscription The Martin.....so very confusion.
Take a look at http://www.xs4all.nl/~adasof09/ for some good info about the diferent types.

Last remark: the serial on the sax must match the serial on the neck !
For pictures of my The Martin tenor take a look at:
http://home.hccnet.nl/p.lanfermeyer/Tenor-The%20Martin/

paul

[Sigmund451]

Definitely know what your buying. The very old 1920 or before also said the martin. An entirely different horn. I they are great horns. So are the committee 1 and 2. Some say that The Martin Tenor has a little more edge than the other two but I have not compared.