Martin "The Martin" bari versus Keilwerth New King bari

6413 Views 14 Replies 7 Participants Last post by milandro, Dec 8, 2007

jthole

Discussion Starter · Oct 20, 2007

Please help me decide

Today I played two bari saxophones side by side; a Martin "The Martin" bari (my current rental instrument) and a Keilwerth New King, with the plastic key guards.

The advantages of the Martin (1956):

- the Martin sound; full and dark
- the keywork; I think the Martin keywork is very comfortable, even if it's old fashioned

The advantages of the Keilwerth (1960):

- a low A
- far better lacquer condition (not relacquered)
- a bit more even intonation

Both instruments are in the same price range, and both feel and sound very good. The Keilwerth is a bit brighter, where the Martin has a very impressive low end. Intonation of the Keilwerth is a bit more even than the Martin (but not perfect). Both instruments are overhauled, and come with a 1 year warrantee.

I have the Keilwerth reserved for one week. Since the time I play that Martin, I have tested 7 other baris (vintage and new), and this Keilwerth is the only one which is really comparable. The Keilwerth sounds very different from the Martin, but it has a comparable power and richness of tone.

I'm very interested in hearing your opinions

Btw, I also played a modern Cannonball and a Jupiter Artist, but I wasn't really impressed with both of them. The Cannonball has a nice sound, but not better than the Keilwerth (definitely not worth the price difference for me), and the Jupiter was disappointing. It lacked bottom power and had a very thin upper range.

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jthole

Discussion Starter · #4 · Oct 20, 2007

milandro said:
Marktplaats has, at the moment, several interesting and cheaper baritone saxophones. One is a Martin and there is also a Buescher with low A (this, says the advert, has been worked upon by the legend of the Dutch technicians Nico Bodewes )......good luck!

Hi, thanks for your advice!

I saw that Martin, and it is about the same price as the Martin I am playing right now (200 euros cheaper). I sent an email to both the seller of that Martin and the Buescher, and I'll try to call them tomorrow

I use the bari in a bigband mainly indeed. The Martin is great there, I think, even if I need to work around the lack of a low A in some pieces.

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jthole

Discussion Starter · #5 · Oct 21, 2007

milandro said:
Marktplaats has, at the moment, several interesting and cheaper baritone saxophones. One is a Martin and there is also a Buescher with low A (this, says the advert, has been worked upon by the legend of the Dutch technicians Nico Bodewes )......good luck!

Thanks

That Buescher would cost just a bit more than the Martin that I play now. I tested it today.

The Buescher has P O W E R! It is the loudest bari that I have played so far. Mechanically it is very sound, and I had no problems with the intonation. As I said, it is much louder than the Martin, but I love the dark Martin sound very much. The Buescher is brighter and less subtle, in my opinion.

Coming weekend I am going to play a King Zephyr (unless they sell it this week). And I guess then it's about time to make up my mind

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jthole

Discussion Starter · #8 · Nov 6, 2007

Martin Williams said:
Man, the zephyr is gonna be amazing, but its not gonna have that gorgeous, dark, powerful tone the Martin has

Man, my Martin bari has tone out the wazoo, and when its all said and done its got some left over to spare!

I have no desire to ever lose the Martin. Its just that great!

Easy choice after all

I played that King Zephyr, and the Keilwerth again, and none of them matches the full tone quality at the low end that my Martin has. The same was true for a modern Yanagisawa; great ergonomics and very even sound, but missing the "Martin low end".

So the only thing that bothers me a bit is the E2/F2 inconsistency of the Martin bari (both very sharp), but I need to work out a solution for that. I moved to a more open and flexible mouthpiece for a start

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jthole

Discussion Starter · #13 · Nov 24, 2007

MPL said:
Someone on the Forum has suggested that Erik Greiffenhagen's double-chambered mouthpiece for baritone cures the D2-F2 sharpness on The Martin baritones. You might check here for more information.

Today I tried a number of different mouthpieces, and I settled on a hard rubber Link Tone Edge. It made the sound much warmer (less neutral), and also did a lot for the intonation. The D2 - F2 sharpness is mostly gone, and easier to control anyway.

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jthole

Discussion Starter · #14 · Dec 7, 2007

Reedsplinter said:
Every time you mention the Martin, you praise its tone. That, as far as I am concerned, is the holy grail. Look no farther.

I actually bought it this week

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