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Oldroyd Walker Lineage horns by Amati

16K views 35 replies 16 participants last post by  BrianMitchellBrody 
#1 ·
I just saw an article from the Chicago Tribune about a recent Jerry Bergonzi performance. The subtle details reveal that Bergonzi was playing an Oldroyd Walker Lineage tenor.

Here's the line's page at the Amati website: http://www.amatiusa.com/blow-monkey/
 
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#4 ·
I knew Dave Walker from the time i was studying sax at Leeds college of music. He was our repairman.
A great technician and really fabulous guy, warm, friendly, caring, very generous and with great sense of humour.
I knew he was working on designing his own horns for some time now and i know lots and lots of time, effort and hard work has been invested on creating something truly unique.
I haven't had the time yet to try any of the horns but i really look forward to it.
 
#6 ·
So.... i did a quick search on instagram for Jerry Bergonzi and I found footage of the Amati in action. Surprise surprise! It sounds like Jerry, which is to say brilliant!

I'm very curious about this horn. It's always nice to see new things on the market!

 
#11 ·
Oldroyd, Amati and Blow Monkey are some of the brands of Geneva Instruments from England. Instruments are made in Czech Republic

I would contact

Weiner Music in Long Island https://shop.weinermusic.com/ as they are an Amati dealer.
or
Cascio-Interstate https://www.interstatemusic.com

either of these guys should be able to get you the horn you want.
 
#12 ·
Very cool, not just another copy of everything else! Nice wire guards and original look. Would like to see and play one in person!
 
#13 ·
Beautiful.

Everything.

It looks like and heavy restyling operation , not unlike what Theo Wanne did (or had done) with his saxophones. All the parts that could be restyled are restyled but, ant this is an important thing, is there anything that made the sound of this saxophone different from the Amati where it came from?
 
#14 ·
I just discovered these, but I can't find anyone who stocks them. As I'm unfamiliar with the brand I really would want to try before I buy. That said, the "Widowmaker" bari looks gorgeous! From the one picture available anyway.

http://www.amatiusa.com/blow-monkey
 
#15 ·
Well Amati is the company and they offspring Oldroyd Walker Lineage is an upmarket version of their horns.

They are well known but not in this fancy version .

" Oldroyd Walker Lineage is the creative brainchild of Dave Walker and Tim Oldroyd.

Combining over sixty years of instrument design, technnical excellence, live music performance and management expertise.

Utilising their decades long music and creative obsession to manufacture and distribute the very finest brass and woodwind musical instruments. As a creative division of the internationally renowned, UK based Geneva Group, with it's manufacturing headquarters in the Czech Republic, Oldroyd Walker Lineage produces a range of instruments that continues to set the industry bench mark for live performance.

Their philosophy is based on the partnership of cutting edge technology and traditional craftsmanship..."
 
#16 ·
Well Amati is the company and they offspring Oldroyd Walker Lineage is an upmarket version of their horns.

They are well known but not in this fancy version .
Are you suggesting that it's basically the same horn as the Amati ABS-64 with some upgraded keywork? Or is it the "Heritage" model? Not sure which is supposed to be the "better" horn but I can actually find shops that carry those two models. Are Amati horns more widely available in the EU? Because finding them here is not exactly easy.
 
#17 ·
I am suggesting that the basic geometry of this horn will be the same as at the very least one of the two models that you mention, if not both, and that the keywork has received important modifications ( like in the neck's mechanics) .

Amati are not easily found anywhere aside from where they are made because they are difficult horns to sell

This is the sales department

http://www.amati.cz/en/contacts/sales-department

This is the custom department and repairs

http://www.amati.cz/en/contacts/custom-production-overhauls

this is their current production

http://www.amati.cz/en/woodwind-instruments/saxophones/tenor-saxophones

The production of an entirely different saxophone for any company would be very expensive and labor intensive while the modification of their basic design is a relatively easy task, or otherwise, this horn would outprice itself
 
#18 ·
I've known Dave Walker for years, and have played a few of these.

-- The bore size and taper is copied from the Conn 10M, everything else -- from tonehole size and placement to keywork, neck taper, etc. -- is Dave's design.
-- Yes they're making it at the old Amati factory in Kraslice, but it's not a stencil, it's an original design.

The production of an entirely different saxophone for any company would be very expensive and labor intensive
Yes, it is. Just building the tooling took quite a while. Dave made the first few essentially by himself, I think production has only really ramped up this year.

As a horn, it's very much in the Conn - Keilwerth vein. Reminds me some of the Keilwerth I played in the 90s. More centered, though, nearer to a good 10M but a little lower 'center of gravity' if you know what I mean. Scale is good, response is good. Action is good, a lot of neat little mechanical innovations, like the new neck mechanism.
 
#20 ·
Hi my name is Dave Walker I would like to thank you all for the interest in my saxophone.
I have hand make six in total to date with all being played by endorsers Jerry Bergonzi, Shabaka Hutchins, Nubya Garcia, Ed Jones, Pete Wareham and I have one.
We have just finished the first production horns (which is the one Jerry is using) and have 30 coming through but there is a waiting list for these ones, I’m hoping to come over to the USA soon and bring some horns over.
I started a Facebook page Oldroyd Walker lineage there you can see what’s happening with more marketing coming very soon
 

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#22 ·
I have sen yesterday the Glanstonbury experience by the BBC and there was a player Nubya Garcia and she played on one of these incredibly looking ( and sounding) saxophones.



I would certainly be interested in knowing more on their prices although I doubt that it is more affordable than a Selmer.
 
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