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Grassi history

22434 Views 37 Replies 15 Participants Last post by  jthole, 
Captain Beeflat
As the factory ceased production in the year 2000 it would be helpful if someone with specific knowledge could write a brief history before memories fade & all records are destroyed.
I seems that Grassi targeted the student & intermediate market with their products, with the possible exception of their final offering, the "Professional 2000".
The "Leader" & "Prestige" apear to be intermediate quality horns; but, as others have stated, the "professional 2000" lived up to it's name......a final gesture of defiance perhaps from Ida Maria Grassi & manufactured for fewer than twelve months.
My "Professional 2000" is as good as anything that I have ever owned (the best products of messrs. Selmer, Conn, Buescher, R&C etc.)....however, another subscriber to this site has an apparently identical horn which is less than good.......stamped "Model 2000".
Any ideas anyone? He & I live too far apart (England & America) to enable us to conduct a back to back comparison.
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M
reply to FRB

From what I can see in your pic, this was the Grassi "Standard" model, ie student model, before they started producing the 2000/prestige models. They are MK6 copies, not terribly well built, particularly the left hand pinky is very heavy and not articulated. I have a tenor of the same model and it's ok. Not sure where you're based, but unless you try it and are happy with it, I wouldn't pay very much for it. You would probably do better with a newish Jupiter alto or some other Taiwanese student sax, they have improved greatly, have all the facilities and good feel.
Hope this helps,
MMM
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M
Grassi History

Guys,

I have started to make contact with various sax addicts in Italy (I'm Italian)and I'm trying to find out more on these saxes. I have also a contact at Lewington's (one of the nephews) who will try to find out as much as he can about these saxes. Unfortunately Selmer fever has always reigned in Italy, so not many people payed attention to Grassi (only in recent years Borgani since the new Jubilee models, has started to make inroads in the Italian pro market). Grassi was always known as a maker of student line instruments, by the time Grassi got interesting, most pros weren't listening!

My next step will be emailing Rampone & Cazzani: I have just been told that the Grassi factory was across the road from Rampone's, so chances are some of Grassi's layed off workforce may be working at R&C!!!

I may have mentioned this in another reply, the main differences between the 2000 and the Prestige were (according to Lewington's catalogue 1990) the latter had a top F# and articulated left pinky table (for easy fingering between low C#/B/Bb). Also the sops were straight and (I'm guessing now) one piece.

Give you an update as soon as I find out more,
Manlio
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