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R&C Saxello? Anyone have or had one?

6K views 42 replies 14 participants last post by  Taras 
#1 ·
So I just got an R1 tenor a few weeks ago and because of how in love with it I am, I am considering buying one of their Saxellos. I've heard that their sopranos are pretty well-regarded, but wondering what your personal experiences have been. I'd be buying one new, if that matters.

I sold a Borgani tenor to help finance this, so the money is ready to go, I just need to know if I should pull the trigger...
 
#2 ·
I've got an R&C Saxello in gold plate and it's the soprano I choose to play, over my Yani SC991, Selmer Serie III, Buffet S1, 1928 Conn. The gold plate is beautiful and it seems to be lasting very well.

It is very comfortable, the tuning is good and the tone is lovely. It plays well with a variety of mouthpieces and I have recently settled on a Drake Son of Slant (large chamber). On a couple of small chamber mouthpieces, I like the tone but found that there is a "gurgle" around G1 and G#1 - it seems to be a bit unstable, at least with me playing it.

Good luck if you do find an R&C. I would like to try other R&Cs, including the half-curved sopranino which looks extremely cute.

Rhys
 
#3 · (Edited)
I’ve had one since 2004. It’s a great soprano indeed. Very comfortable under the fingers and it has a real mellow tone, sometimes sounding almost like an alto. Mine is brushed gold plated. I’ve owned Yamaha, Conn and Martin sopranos. The R&C beats all from a complete experience perspective IMO. I’m a big fan.

I don’t care much about the semi bent bell. I think that’s makes it a piece of conversation but really doesn’t add much to the playing experience. I chose the saxello over the straight model because of the bent neck.

Often there are debates about stands for them. I use the basic Hercules peg and it works perfectly fine.

For mouthpiece my fav is a Super Session “H” I bought in the early 2000’s. But I also like the Drake SoS as well as the Soprano Planet large chamber on it.
 
#10 ·
For mouthpiece my fav is a Super Session H from the ‘90s. But I also like the Drake SoS as well as the Soprano Planet large chamber on it.
Often there are debates about stands for them. I use the basic Hercules peg and it works perfectly fine.
Me too - the Hercules peg works perfectly with the semi-curved bell. I also have a SaxRax peg (just a padded and zigg-zagged rod) for semi-curved saxes and that works equally well but I don't know whether they still sell that.

Rhys
 
#8 ·
Years ago I bought an R&C so-called Saxello when Woodwind & Brasswind advertised them in their periodic catalogue for $1795. It was a gorgeous looking instrument (in gold-plate) and generated a lot of buzz where ever I played it - jazz festivals, gigs, etc. Except for the old Buescher tipped-bell sops, the R&C was unique - then. But at the time, there were no known workable stands for the thing - this may have been before SOTW.

I tired of dealing with the horn when trying to play my other horns during a set. And in the end, it sounded just like all of the other sopranos I played. I say that based on some recordings I heard of our band. So, I moved it down the road and never looked back. DAVE
 
#14 ·
I had one. Sold it because it wasn’t what I was used too (mark vi). I missed it for a long time until I got my g mezzo. Similar sound and, if I ever needed a Bb soprano again, I’d get the solid silver or Two Voices version. I’ve tried these and the copper version all different and distinct. Good luck!
 
#16 ·
Mmmmm, shiny!

R1 Silver/gold

I don’t see any of the Two Voices in my usual places, but oh my…
 
#15 ·
Oh, one thing I regret. I've got mine with extra high G key. I wish I hadn't. I never use it, and it's just another pad to worry about, that can throw the whole sax off if it has any leaks. I recommend against choosing that option.
 
#17 ·
I really want to get a rampone saxello - tipped bell . This thread makes me hungry for one. Now if I could only find a home for my Barone and Mauriat one first…


let us know if you end up getting it
 
#21 ·
I fully endorse the Rampone sopranos. I have 4; two gold plated fully curved, and two half curved (saxellos), one gold plated, the other a mixture of gold and silver. These have replaced my Buescher curved, as tone of the Rampones is closest to the vintage instruments but with superior ergonomics and intonation. I also have a Rampone semi-curved sopranino. A superb instrument. It is not my darkest sopranino (my Selmer MK VI and SBA sopranino are darker, as well as any of my vintage sopraninos) but outstanding in every respect.
Paul Cohen
 
#22 ·
I just bought this! Ahh!


Fingers crossed
 
#23 ·
Funny, so I ordered the above Saxello on Monday, sent the money. As of this morning hadn't heard anything, so I called to make sure all was ok.

"Ah you ordered the Rampone Saxello. Whenever we sell an R&C we have it completely take apart and put back together again by our tech to make sure everything is ok. They arrive from the factory in not so great playing condition."

LOL which is pretty much what I've heard from everyone across the board. Good to know this shop does the right thing, plus they probably don't want to have a return every time they sell something.
 
#26 ·
I visited Matthews Muziek a few years ago while on a river-cruise from Amsterdam. Great shop, great owner and staff. I have purchased horns from them before and since.

Anyway, they had some nice instruments in stock and I played several. Among them was a new R&C soprano (a straight one maybe in copper, if I recall it correctly). Your story about what Matthews told you about new R&C's is exactly what I was told when I was there. DAVE
 
#24 ·
Am I just that lazy? I mean when I look at the saxello all I can think is what am I going to do with it when I'm not playing it? I mean the tilted bell sort of rules out the typical soprano stand. So what do you do? Do you just lay it down or put it back in the case? I bet it does sound lovely though.
 
#29 ·
All the J-K horns coming to the U.S. used to go through a single point for setup before distribution. I think it’s a great idea if you know that a little extra effort can take a horn over the top in performance. Kudos to Matthews.
 
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#33 ·
Yep, I always tell myself that if I wanted it sooner, I should have ordered it earlier.

I am happy that you were able to find such a cool horn from such a great dealer at such a good price.

Be well.
 
#34 ·
Well, I wish I could pretend to be sorry right now for causing any GAS that I may cause with this comment, but...

The saxello arrived today and I played it for around 10 minutes. My wife who is not a musician but who is someone I play things for because she's honest said, "First of all that is really loud. Secondly, why does that sound better than any other soprano you've played?"

Of course it goes without saying that it's also quite stunning in the bare copper with silver keywork. I look forward to playing it some more, getting comfortable with it, and hopefully trying to record something soon.

If you have the means, are in the market for a soprano, and don't mind buying from Europe, I can't recommend getting an R&C from Matthew's in the Netherlands enough.
 
#37 · (Edited)
Is Hailey (aka Mae.Sun) playing an R&C saxello here?



Edit: I see that SotW member “adjustotone“ identified Hailey’s saxello a few months back.


Looks like your new horn has some potential, @buddy lee. 😎
 
#40 ·
Hailey Niswanger is also playing a LeBayle brass mouthpiece, either the studio or jazz model, not sure of tip. I chose the LeBayle studio 7* for soprano well before I saw this, and I happen to like this same sound concept. Total concidence. It's a great piece, but bare brass, and that's a problem in my view. Still planning to get mine plated before I play it again. But let's not go off on that tangent here...
 
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