[Njrobyn]

Hello-I have the chance to buy/barter a 1940 King Zephyre alto. Not being familiar with this brand (my son has a Yanigasawa alto) I’m unsure of prices. The asking price is $850.
Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[bruce bailey]

It all depends on the condition of the pads. I have over 30 altos, Conn, Buescher, King, Martin and a Selmer Mark VI I have owned for over 50 years. My 1938 Zephyr Special ( silver neck) may be the best of all of those altos.
The price at $850 is about middle range but playing condition is important.

 

[raindog]

Garbage. Just this one time I'm willing to handle the waste management in a safe manner for you, please send it to me immediately. I don't have $850 right now but I'll pay the postage

 

[JayeLID]

I am 90% sure the last photo is of a trumpet bell, not the sax....

but....1940 would put t RIGHT on the cusp of the sweet spot serial numbers. I can see, for example, the rectangular spat keys are gone, and the pinky table of the earlier Zeph/Voll True II's is now replaced with one 'sorta' like the cloverleaf table of the sweet spot horns. It is a fair bet this is one of the first Zephs to have the S20 body specs. Not a sure thing, but a pretty good roll of the dice to take IMHO.

Horn looks to be in great physical shape. IF seller states it plays pretty well, it is a GOOD price.

Is it for your son or for you ?

 

[Njrobyn]

This sax is for my son who will be majoring in music performance in college. He’s mainly a Bari player, but covers on Alto, Soprano, Tenor and Bass Clarinet as needed. His first love is Jazz music, but he has also played in a regular concert band. The alto sax he currently plays on Is a. Olds. He has a Yanigasawa that he doesn’t enjoy playing. I figured this might rv a step up from the Olds. He would be able to play this when we see it to tell the shape it’s in.. I appreciate your insight. Thanks

 

[turf3]

If he's going to major in performance, you need to consult with the saxophone professor in that institution. They can get real picky about what instruments their students play (generally, you need to play the same make as the professor or as the professor's teacher). While a 80 year old King is a very fine instrument, it's not a Selmer or Selmer copy (Yamaha, Yanagisawa) - as preferred by the French school, or a Buescher True Tone or Aristocrat as preferred by the Rascher school - so it's likely to be an ongoing sore point. I think it's highly unlikely any school has such a thing as a primarily baritone position, I think they all focus first on alto, then soprano or tenor.

What does he think is wrong with the Yanagisawa? By all accounts they're great horns.

Don't get me wrong, that King is probably a great horn, but it is NOT what I'd send a kid off to major in music performance on.

 

[Reet McVouty]

If it's in great condition and your son can try it out before purchase and he likes it, buy it. Sell the Olds and he can use the Yanagisawa at school if necessary. The Zephyr is a great horn and the price is more than reasonable considering what's available online these days.

 

[Zephyrwolf]

Yes more and more people waking up to a Zephyr!

 

[ehopper1]

I have had a 1945 Zephyr Alto in very, very good condition for about two months. It's a fantastic horn.

In my opinion, $ 850 for a 1940 Zephyr Alto is a good price if it's in good condition, even if it still needs an overhaul.

Mike

 

[milandro]

This sax is for my son who will be majoring in music performance in college. He's mainly a Bari player, but covers on Alto, Soprano, Tenor and Bass Clarinet as needed. His first love is Jazz music, but he has also played in a regular concert band. The alto sax he currently plays on Is a. Olds. He has a Yanigasawa that he doesn't enjoy playing. I figured this might rv a step up from the Olds. He would be able to play this when we see it to tell the shape it's in.. I appreciate your insight. Thanks

This is certainly a better horn than the Olds. If he doesn't enjoy the Yanagisawa that may be because he doesn't like the sound but it may also be be because it isn't being serviced well.

I'd say that under normal circumstances the Yanagisawa should be the ideal horn to play mainstream concert music. I cannot believe that an Olds would play better than any Yanagisawa but there you go, it takes all sorts!

Kings are a very good investment and at that price this would be considered , in Europe, extremely cheap, even after an entire and thorough overhaul, it will still cost less than the same horn bought from a shop. If you buy the horn and you don't like it, you will probably able to sell it at a profit too at that price level! Good luck!