[John Gilmore]

Does anyone have any pics of an SX90R from this serial number range?
I have a line on one but won't be able to get any pics for a little while. I was curious to know if this fell into the earlier model configuration with the bigger bell, smooth-round bell-to-body brace, original tone hole configuation,etc.

If I can get a chance to play it I most definitely will, I just wanted to get as much info as I could on it and some feedback on this particular period SX90R.
I know there have been posts that changes were made at 103,xxx and again at 110,xxx (?), but I can't seem to find out what exact changes were made at which point. I have read that the bell flare was decreased in size, the bell-to-body brace was changed, tone holes were moved and perhaps a lighter alloy was used.

Doc had some great info for me but he wasn't sure exactly at which points the changes were made. His horns are all of the sweet 5-digit variety.

Anybody have Keilwerths from the 104,xxx to 109,xxx range?

Thanks for your time & help,

Mark

 

[newking70]

iirc they went to soldered on tone hole rings after serial #100,000

 

[Ol' Mpc Doc]

iirc they went to soldered on tone hole rings after serial #100,000

Nope, one of my 93xxx SX90R tenors has soldered-on tone hole rings but I had a 96xxx that had "true" rolled tone holes. It's gonna be VERY difficult to establish an exact serial number for when several subtle - and not so subtle - design changes were made, especially after the Boosey & Hawkes buy-out in the early '90's. Notice I say "changes" - not necessarily actual "improvements"".

 

[John Gilmore]

Keilwerth SX90R changes

I read somewhere that there was a significant increase in the output of horns from the factory just after the big buy-out. Were "changes" made in order to better mass-produce the instruments? I guess this would be similar to what happened to the American horns of yesteryear, right?

Although, I'm guessing the Keilwerth folks feel the current horns are better than what they've done in the past. Who knows?

 

[Hurling Frootmig]

I've been of the opinion that Keilwerth probably made a bunch of tubes and stamped them when they actually got ready to put the horns together. I can't think of a better explanation for how true rolled tone holed horns show up after the introduction of the tone rings.