[raghav]

I wanted to let those who are not aware know, that expert NYC repairman John Leadbetter has been making SBA-inspired horns. John told me he is offering a very wide set of options of customizing the horns, from finish to material. They look incredible and sound incredible from all the clips I have heard. I understand that he is having the body and keys made per his specifications overseas and using the best quality springs, pads etc. that are available. He's an amazing repairman, and sets up each of his saxophones personally.

John posted this instagram link of Lucas Pino playing one of his tenors.

http://instagr.am/p/BfJ_ZMhAEyX/
I have no business affiliation to John. Just wanted to let people know there is another option for a modern horn out there, made by a great guy who really knows his horns. From what I been hearing, many of John's clients are starting to play these saxophones (Joel Frahm, Lucas Pino and Ralph Lalama are a few of them). I believe these are also priced very competitively - though you should contact John directly to hear more. His website is http://www.jlwoodwindrepair.com/

 

[HeavyWeather77]

I've known John for a long time and he's a really fantastic player and repairman. I haven't played his horns yet but they look beautiful, and any horn with a setup of his is gonna play really nicely anyway. I have no doubt they're awesome.

 

[LostConn]

I wanted to let those who are not aware know, that expert NYC repairman John Leadbetter has been making SBA-inspired horns. John told me he is offering a very wide set of options of customizing the horns, from finish to material. They look incredible and sound incredible from all the clips I have heard. I understand that he is having the body and keys made per his specifications overseas and using the best quality springs, pads etc. that are available. He's an amazing repairman, and sets up each of his saxophones personally.

That sounds a lot like what Viking was trying to do. The tenors look similar as well.

 

[GT]

What a pretty horn...that bell to body brace is sweeeet!

 

[chknbon]

SBA style seems to exclude high f#.

 

[raghav]

SBA style seems to exclude high f#.

Why do you say this? My SBA has a high F#, but even if he based it off a saxophone that did not have a high F#, he is getting the bodies custom made per his own specifications. The SBA is just the inspiration for the geometry of this horn (and a sound he is going for). John tells me it has modernized keywork, and can customize it a number of ways based on the player's preferences.

 

[andre251]

I visited John’s shop last year while touring so he could do some work on my horn. So first off, he seems to be a brilliant repair person.

He told me about his horns, and I had some time and interest so I play tested them. He had a SBA inspired as well as a Mark vi inspired JL woodwind alto. In about an hour and a half I played the SBA inspired against two SBAs in the shop as well as the MARK vi inspired against two Mark VIs in the shop. It is very interesting because in most places that offer horns made to emulate a Mark VI, you usually don’t have a bunch to compare to.
You also don’t see too many places that have an SBA inspired horn either.
Long story short, they faired EXTREMELY well, especially the JL SBA because it has better keywork than SBA which I personally really dislike.
I chatted with him about the instruments, and about my concerns with Asian made horns and getting them repaired. If I remember, he had 2-3 more on the wall that he would not let me play test because he didn’t go through them himself yet. It definitely seemed like a viable option for anyone living in the NYC area and could go back to him if anything happened to the instrument.
The instruments really FELT like an SBA and a Mark VI in terms of response. I like vintage instruments for how they feel when you blow down the tube of the instrument. Something about it felt right compared to many other instruments I had tried.
It does seem like a good option for anyone searching for something like those particular vintage horns. I would just say, buyer beware, because a lot of shops around the country won’t work on an instrument unless they know the brand personally. I really hope these instruments get some recognition. I think they were fairly new when I play tested them last year.

 

[Tryptykon]

,, he is getting the bodies custom made per his own specifications. The SBA is just the inspiration for the geometry of this horn (and a sound he is going for)

I wonder which period of SBA he's going with ? Any idea ??

 

[raghav]

I can ask him - can you provide me context on the question so that I can get a good answer? What were the differences between early and late SBAs that are particularly of interest to you, and do you have a preference? It may be that he can customize it either way. If it is the sound, I know he uses a variety of materials and finishes, and also will set up the key heights, actions etc. specifically for the player, so he may be able to dial in the sound that the player wants.

 

[Guest]

Is he making the whole horn or importing parts or horns from Taiwan or China? The parts on the horns, including the bell to body brace look like parts I've seen on Tiawanese and Chinese horns.

 

[chknbon]

My comment reflects the missing high f# on all the pics.

 

[saxcop]

All the Taiwan horns are remarkably similar. I think the idea that you are getting something like an SBA or MKVI more than any other horn is pure marketing hype. However isn't that what most modern horns take there inspiration from.Sure the dealer may specify this feature or that feature, but its mostly the same horn being labeled by many other companies. The guy could be a brilliant repair dude. I frankly don't believe any of these people reselling Taiwan horns are designing anything themselves. All hype. That being said, I am a fan of the Taiwan made horns. I have several.

 

[LostConn]

Is he making the whole horn or importing parts or horns from Taiwan or China?

His website says that everything (tube and keywork) is made in Taiwan. He assembles the horns.
http://www.jlwoodwindrepair.com/sto...o_with_hand_engraving_and_backpack_case..html

 

[raghav]

I got some more information from John today. He said he sourced parts from about 10 different factories in China and Taiwan, before he picked a particular factory in Taiwan with whose quality he felt satisfied. The tube and keys are made in Taiwan. For pads he offers a choice between Pisoni Professional and Precision USA. He levels the tone holes, assembles the horns and sets them up personally at his shop on West 36th Street.

On the SBA which was the basis for his design: he's based the tube geometry off the late SBAs/transitional mark VI horns. He personally prefers not having the high F# key, but will build it in if a player wants it. The materials offered are H80 Brass, 70/30 yellow Brass, Rose Brass, Cupronickel, or German Copper. He also offers custom engraving.

I'm attaching a link to more pictures as he sent too many to post here. Take a look - most of the materials and finishes are represented, as are a variety of different engravings, and also various stages of completion of the horns (so you can see what the tone holes, tubes etc. look like before the keys are put on).

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1a1uXcZAODNvO5mRCaU4OcMEe6YjYQT9M?usp=sharing

Also check out the following YouTube video where he explains a bit more about the saxophones and plays a bit on one of them as well. The particular saxophone he is playing on the video is made of cupronickel.

If there are more questions I would be happy to get the answers from John.

 

[Guest]

I think there are several horns from Taiwan that are put together here: Cannonball and TM come to mind. I think the TM horns are great. My problem with all those horns is that: 1. My Mark VI is better and b. they are just too heavy. The brass and the thickness of the keys all add up to a couple of pounds in weight more than a vintage horn. That gets old fast. I had a pal with a Mauriat and we weighed it against my 6 a few years ago. It was about 40% heavier on a bathroom scale! It gives me a pain in the neck just to think about it. The workmanship on many of them appears crude when compared to a vintage horn. The thickness of the posts, the keys and all the smaller parts is rougher. The tone holes are really sharp feeling on all but the TM and a few other rolled tone hole horns. The interesting thing that is happening with the market for saxophones is that the Asian horns that are made in the US and the Paris Selmer are going up in price , around 4k plus for the Taiwan horns and 8-9k for the Selmer. In the mean time, a decent re-lacquered MarkVI can be had with an overhaul for around 5k. A late model 6 can be had for under 5k. A great 10m can be gotten for under 3k! Buescher Big B can be had for a song. Those horns all allow the player to mold the sound to his/her preference. Especially the American classics. The Taiwan and Asia horns might be a metaphor for the copyist movement in Jazz music education. By the way, the model for almost every Taiwan horn is the SA 80. The necks may be kinda different, but the tubes and bells are mostly the same.

 

[Tryptykon]

I can ask him - can you provide me context on the question so that I can get a good answer? What were the differences between early and late SBAs that are particularly of interest to you, and do you have a preference? .

The ones in the 38,xxx-40,xxx zone .

 

[Guest]

A very typical saxophone factory in Taiwan and /or China:

 

[Guest]

The Buescher Factory back in the day:

 

[JayeLID]

The subsequent video to the one in post #17 was sorta interesting, too...keeping in mind it was an industry-produced piece, likely...

 

[raghav]

The ones in the 38,xxx-40,xxx zone .

He has modeled his horns after the late SBAs (in the 50,XXX+ range), for which he has a preference over the early SBAs.