Joined
·
4,364 Posts
I just completed an overhaul on a beautiful and well maintained King Super 20 for a customer who wanted Chocolate Roo Extreme pads installed (which could be the topic for another thread). As I worked on this beautiful instrument, the workmanship and ingenuity in design that went into this "American classic" really made me appreciate the craftsmen of that era. I am going to list the features that impressed me the most.
- soldered on toneholes so stable that they required almost no leveling to be perfectly flat
- brass keys with nickel silver* hinge tubes much less susceptible to bending and wear (but a real pain to swedge)
- headless pointed pivot screws each with its own lock nut for perfect key adjustment and screws that don't come loose
- the large number of keys mounted on pivot screws rather than hinge rods reduces problems with bent mechanisms
- high quality blued steel springs as strong and efficient as the day they were installed at the factory
- a small steel pin in the tracks for flat springs to ride upon so they do not wear into the brass
- the small flat spring on the underside of the palm F to remove lost motion in the front F mechanism---genius
- the silver neck and bell need a mention, not for practicality, but for the beautiful cosmetics they provide
- the evenness of the scale and the excellent intonation from top to bottom
- the bell keys, low C and Eb stopped at their open position by a "foot" with quieting material instead of a key felt above
- the low C key is equipped with a "double arm" for stability---possibly one of the first brands to have this feature
* Thanks to Stephen Howard for that correction.
There were just two elements that I wished were better. One is the softness of the brass in the keys and key cups in contrast to the hardness of the steel hinge tubes. The other is the "stuffiness" of the D even with the low C as open as possible. It is acceptable when pushed with enough air.
![Musical instrument Reed instrument Wind instrument Brass instrument Woodwind instrument]()
View attachment 257558
- soldered on toneholes so stable that they required almost no leveling to be perfectly flat
- brass keys with nickel silver* hinge tubes much less susceptible to bending and wear (but a real pain to swedge)
- headless pointed pivot screws each with its own lock nut for perfect key adjustment and screws that don't come loose
- the large number of keys mounted on pivot screws rather than hinge rods reduces problems with bent mechanisms
- high quality blued steel springs as strong and efficient as the day they were installed at the factory
- a small steel pin in the tracks for flat springs to ride upon so they do not wear into the brass
- the small flat spring on the underside of the palm F to remove lost motion in the front F mechanism---genius
- the silver neck and bell need a mention, not for practicality, but for the beautiful cosmetics they provide
- the evenness of the scale and the excellent intonation from top to bottom
- the bell keys, low C and Eb stopped at their open position by a "foot" with quieting material instead of a key felt above
- the low C key is equipped with a "double arm" for stability---possibly one of the first brands to have this feature
* Thanks to Stephen Howard for that correction.
There were just two elements that I wished were better. One is the softness of the brass in the keys and key cups in contrast to the hardness of the steel hinge tubes. The other is the "stuffiness" of the D even with the low C as open as possible. It is acceptable when pushed with enough air.
