[stomias]

Picked this up a couple weeks ago from a nice woman in Nebraska. 59 Cleveland. Well taken care of and playing great from the get-go.

 

[stomias]

Oh, it's the year I was born too \

 

[JayeLID]

Great horns, one of my faves....Those and Indianas....

 

[moesenl]

looks great.
i was just wondering how these clevelands compare to a zephyr soundwise. is this similar?
thanks luc

 

[stomias]

I have a Zeph, but it's a tenor. The Cleve alto is darker but the intonation is better than my Conn. Still getting used to it under my fingers as it feels different than the Conn. My Cleveland tenor gives the Zeph a run for its money that's for sure. The Cleve action is a little clunkier but the low B is way easier for me. All my horns have been tweeked and some overhauled by my outstanding tech and are playing wonderfully!!

 

[Stocker]

That depends on the era of Zephyr because they changed over the years.

I have a '56-ish Cleveland tenor and a '63 Zephyr tenor - the main body tubes appear identical, and the neck and much of the keywork are interchangeable between the two. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if H.N. White was forming the bodies on the same mandrels. I think the only differences are the bell key orientation and some keywork details.

I intend to get rid of the Zephyr if I can find a neck and the missing palm key for the Cleveland.

 

[stomias]

My Cleveland tenor is a '57 and the first sax purchase after a 40 year hiatus. From the first note I was impressed. The previous owner had it tweeked up before I bought it and after I got it I brought it to a tech recommended by a friend. In the last 3 years of playing it daily I continue to be glad that I bought it. I delved in to researching King horns for a year before finding the '54 Zeph on Craigslist for $800.00 from of all places....Cleveland. An old timer had bought it as a backup for his grandaughter and said she never played it. It showed up in fabulous playing condition. Brought it to my tech who said it was a fabulous horn. After playing it for 6 months, I thought it deserved a complete overhaul as it had some original pads. So glad I did because it came back playing like a dream and sounding even better. I had purchased a '64 Shooting Star alto after the Cleve tenor. Was also in great shape and playing nicely out of the case ($175.00 eBay) I had never touched an alto and was immediately enamored with it. Of course I immediately began looking at King alto's. Took a year and a half before finding the '59 Cleve alto ($275 eBay). It was in incredible shape for being exactly my age! It obviously had been taken care of for 601 years. Played like a new horn and original lacquer about 95%. The finish has the exact same deep golden glow of the Zeph.

 

[JayeLID]

I actually think Cleves are more focused and a tad brighter-toned than the sweet-spot Zephs, myself....a bit narrower in harmonics. Still really big-sounding but not quite as wide as the Zephs or S20's....

 

[stomias]

There was a, what I thought, great deal on a mid '50's Zeph alto at the time I bought the Cleve. I just couldn't justify the cost (a little over double what I paid for the Cleve) I kept looking at the Zeph after I pulled the trigger on the Cleve wondering if I'd made a mistake. The Zeph disappeared and when I saw the condition and playability of the Cleve I was happy with my decision.