[klookmop]

I just picked up an older Linton Elkhart alto. I know Linton didn't make their own horns, and have seen pics of quite a few made by Malerne.
This one, however, doesn't have the usual Malerne traits, the bell brace is different, the right hand low C is not elongated etc.

I took some pics. The bell brace doesn't look familiar to me. The engraving seems more French than Italian. The serial # is vertical, I've seen this on French & Italian horns, in fact I just had a Malerne made tenor with a vertical serial #....

Any thoughts on this one? The keywork is nickel and the horn screams student grade but will probably be a decent player once I finish servicing it.

thanks for any thoughts on this!

Mk

 

[ZootTheSim]

Maybe Orsi? See:

https://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?203785-Linton-made-in-Elkhart-alto-sax

 

[klookmop]

Maybe Orsi? See:

https://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?203785-Linton-made-in-Elkhart-alto-sax

Yes I think you're right. After making my initial post I did some more digging and came to the same conclusion, Orsi. Unfortunately after looking it over it appears the upper register key is broken, the part with the pin that would actuate the neck key is missing/broken. Looks like I'll have to fab a part or find a parts horn!
Mk

 

[JayeLID]

Yes, it's Orsi. They went to a teardrop bellbrace later in their runs...this one is a mid-70's or so....

 

[sdpeters]

What Jaye said. It's a teardrop Orsi. I have two (both stenciled as Martin Busines). One plays pretty good. The other I recently got from Great Lakes Winds and that one is a phenomenal sounding horn IMHO.
Of course I then got me an Oxford alto (R&C stencil) from Jaye that's got a hair more soul to it (but with a slightly hard to get used to Grassi style left pinky table). For my money, these late 60s to mid-70s Italian saxes can be real sleepers, and worked up right they offer a lot of bang for the buck.
And you aren't alone with the broken octave lever. Right now my tech, Ermel Arroyo, is reattaching the octave levers on my Desidera alto and a Schenkelaars tenor. The octave lever is probably the only real Achilles heel on the Italian (and some Bohemian) saxes of this era. Ignore a shove-it or neck plug at your peril. It's really easy for the octave lever to get bent in the case without one and even easier to snap off if you try to bend it back into shape.