Just wondering. I really have an appreciation for 1920's saxophones as well as the music from that era. So, even with no auxiliary top F key, what are y'all playing on and more importantly, why?
Yeah, the old altos like your New Wonder seem to have some "charm" to 'em. I have a '22 or '23 Martin laying around. I need to get it playing or pass it along to someone who will.
My C mel is from the 20's, and a great, fast horn capable of the early sound, or a modern sound with appropriate setups. I'd like to have a 20's Buescher or a 30's 6M. My oldest and first pick alto is a 50's 613. Nice, dark but loud horn.
That is beautiful. I've always wondered whether there ever was a sax where all the key touches had pearls - yours is the first where I've seen pearl on the palm keys and LH pinky table. Perhaps some King Zephyrs did (since they had them on side keys) - I don't know.
Please tell me what it is - I have to plead total ignorance on the make (Conn?) and designation of your sax - I'm just learning about the pre-war models recently. It's very beautiful.
Mine is not the oldest here but my number horn is a 1946 King Super 20. I love the tone, it's lighter than any other alto I've played and I still get a thrill playing it. Beautiful horn, full pearls.
Not exactly my main horn but I regularly play it at gigs: Conn S# 3255 (1901). My main alto is a 1934 "The New Aristocrat". But mostly I play tenor (Buescher TT 1924 and Aristocrat Series III 1951).
Most of my horns are vintage from 1915 (Martin Handcraft sop) to 1941 (King Zephyr bari).
1935 Conn 6m transitional, underslung NY neck. Had it forever, close to needing an overhaul, with the right mouthpiece you can play anything. I have bought and sold many horns this is the standard for alto as far as I am concerned. My daughter made me promise never to sell it. And my tech is always trying to buy it off me. He is semi retired and been working on pro -horns for more than 50 years.
My main alto is a 1937 silver plated Conn 6M VIII. Overhauled fantastically well by Bret Gustafson (Adelaide) in 2017.
Best sounding, most in tune, alto I've owned, including 1950ish 6M, Selmer Mk VI '54 & '62, '67King S20, Yamaha 62 (early purple logo).
I had been playing a '26 Gold Plated Conn New Wonder II until a few weeks ago. Just moved to a '31 Silver Plated Conn Transitional. Don't anticipate turning back or looking forward!
I was given my King H.N. White Model by a teacher about 40 years ago. It's not the most awesome horn but I've traveled the world with it and it's like a faithful, old friend. A friend that sounds pretty good in my opinion.
Anyway, I just looked up serial number on saxophone.org and it states that it's from 1919. So happy centennial to my friend!
Don't play an alto, but I play a vintage C-melody. It's a 1923 Pan American. I inherited it from my mother. She played the horn in 1927, her senior year in high school. Speaking of 1920s music, the only piece I know for sure that she played was "I'm Looking Over a Four-Leaf Clover" -- a new song that year. Her father gave her the horn. It had belonged previously to a relative who died, who was probably the first owner. It still has two or three of the original kangaroo skin pads. One nice thing about owning a horn from the 1920s is that the techs seem to enjoy them.
I think it has a good sound. I play it in jams where nearly everybody else is playing a guitar. Works for me.
When I was first getting seriously interested in the saxophone (just last spring, although it feels much longer ago) I chanced upon this horn in a local auction. It looked like a barn find that had been rescued from a manure pile, maybe not really quite that bad, but definitely a cosmetically challenged horn with lots of verdigris and patina and a little lacquer. So I got it pretty cheap. Invested a little in getting it cleaned up and made playable (thanks to George Jacobs for doing some great work on it for me!). It cleaned up nicely, in fact I almost didn’t recognize it as the same horn when I got it back from George. It has a good sound, dates from before the Evette-Schaeffer became Buffet’s entry-level student instrument. I’ve enjoyed it a lot since I got it, although recently it’s started sharing playing time with a couple of more recent acquisitions, a Conn New Wonder II (circa 1926-27) and a Martin Imperial (1967), as I like their sound a lot too. I think I’m in danger of becoming a saxophone slut, with each new horn I hear seducing me away from the previous one. That just may be my cross to bear, but I’ll do my best to suffer through it.
1942 Conn 26M. Back-up: 1941 Conn 6M, 1950 Conn 28M. The 28M has slicker action, but I like the tone of the 26M a bit better. As far as I know, I am the 2nd owner of all of these horns.
I have older saxes, but my burnished gold 1933 Selmer Super is the alto I use unless the band is screaming loud. It has the most beautiful sound I have ever heard in an alto. It seems to play best with an old Brilhart Tonalin mouthpiece. I could even use it on loud rock & roll gigs, but I use a Mark VI with a louder mouthpiece in those situations.
I play on a Silver Buescher Alto - True Tone from the 1920's and I love the silkiness of its tone.
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