[Randall]

In the early 90's there were 3 basses made at Keilwerth as apprentice graduation projects.
They were all made with keywork up to high F# and low A. About 6 or more years ago one came up for sale in Australia and now the best of three has just gone up for sale, by, I believe, the very apprentice who made it. The address is the same town as the Keilwerth factory.

If I had the scratch I would risk divorce and get this one. It is simply incredible (and it is not made of stainless steel as was erroneously reported a long time ago) and silver plated with gold laq keys.

Take a look and drool,:shock: fellow GAS sufferers:

http://cgi.ebay.de/Bass-Saxophon-Ma...ryZ84591QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Why do I do this to myself?

 

[TMadness1013]

And I thought my new issue of Maxim was visually stimulating...

 

[Randall]

I think Pete could make a whole calendar out of this one horn....don't think I would get tired of looking at it, much less shaking the earth with it!

 

[paulwl]

If I understand the listing (which I mostly don't), he is not willing to sell the horn outside of Germany.

 

[SAXISMYAXE]

Wunderbar!
Now where is the phone number of that wealthy cousin of mine in Berlin?

 

[cornific]

oh ya baby!!!

i think it would be worth immigrating to germany to own this monster.

i am so in love with my couf bass ... a couple of days ago, we (my bass and i) were having a moment of mutual admiration and i thought silently to my couf ... "i have yet to see another bass that would evoke even a tad of covetousness in me" ... now, two days later this! ... well this comes close ... luckily i am able to transform covetousness, such an ugly emotion, into a deeper respect for my horn. to be part of a lineage that would ultimately produce such a trophy ... well that is magnificent in its self.

a truly beautiful effort!

now ... i'd better get my shopping cart oiled up and get out there in the back alleys collecting cans from the trash to bolster the GAS fund. this way when the rarest of basses hits the auction block again ... i'll be ready to pounce :evil:.

 

[martysax]

Wunderbar!
Now where is the phone number of that wealthy cousin of mine in Berlin?

Gary's your cousin?

 

[Fred]

I need a bass sax like I need a freakin' hole in the head.

But that thing appeals to the core nature of a man . . . don't it?

 

[csax]

Paul - I think he'd happily sell the sax outside Germany, but it's the weight and dimensions that are a problem. European shippers always charge a lot more than their US counterparts, and now use 'volumetrics', which means if it's big but lightweight, then they charge extra by size (but very quickly they say "too big!"). Small and heavy they charge by weight. Heads or tails - we lose........

So over here, big AND heavy means the share prices of the shipping company go up......... But for something like that, I'd hire a van and drive to Germany, what a beautiful beast ! Just the thing to give your local tech a heart attack

 

[Randall]

I shipped my Couf bass (and yes, it is the best sounding bass that I have ever played) from the US to Japan and it cost over $800.00.
You can only imagine what it would cost from Europe.:shock:

I would say if you purchased it, you might as well fly to Frankfurt and get a local train in to pick it up and airfreight it back with you.

 

[Rackety Sax]

Is it just me or does that horn look like it is to a bass saxophone as a tubax is to a contrabass saxophone? The bell doesn't have enough of a flair to it.

 

[Gandalfe]

i think it would be worth immigrating to germany to own this monster.

i am so in love with my couf bass ... a couple of days ago, we (my bass and i) were having a moment of mutual admiration and i thought silently to my couf ... "i have yet to see another bass that would evoke even a tad of covetousness in me" ... now, two days later this! ... well this comes close ... luckily i am able to transform covetousness, such an ugly emotion, into a deeper respect for my horn. to be part of a lineage that would ultimately produce such a trophy ... well that is magnificent in its self.

a truly beautiful effort!

now ... i'd better get my shopping cart oiled up and get out there in the back alleys collecting cans from the trash to bolster the GAS fund. this way when the rarest of basses hits the auction block again ... i'll be ready to pounce :evil:.

Dude, you owe us pics big time!

 

[cornific]

my adopted family

ok ... ok ... i think this is my first image post. this is the best i can do today, it is the only image of my bass that i have at hand.

as you can see, my bass has 2 necks. the custom neck is made from a heavier gauge brass than the keilwerth neck.

bari and bass are both superba 1's with matching engraving. i believe the bass was made in 78 and the bari was made in 76.

as for the other horns the sml tenor is a standard two tone from 67. the other three are la saxes 650, 750 & 850, my busking horns. BTW the soprano is the top money earner on busking duty. my flute is an iwao silver w plated nickle silver keywork.

perhaps this pic would be more appropriate in the "arsenal" thread that has been kicking around here the last couple a days.

 

[MTKilpatrick]

In the early 90's there were 3 basses made at Keilwerth as apprentice graduation projects.
They were all made with keywork up to high F# and low A. About 6 or more years ago one came up for sale in Australia and now the best of three has just gone up for sale, by, I believe, the very apprentice who made it. The address is the same town as the Keilwerth factory.

If I had the scratch I would risk divorce and get this one. It is simply incredible (and it is not made of stainless steel as was erroneously reported a long time ago) and silver plated with gold laq keys.

I have seen and played the Australian instrument in question, I believe. I don't know if we're talking about the same instruments, but I saw a Keilworth prototype low-A bass saxophone. I believe he wasn't actually the owner of it but was looking after it, unless I'm misremembering.

Firstly, the prototype bass I saw (and played briefly) was definitely made in stainless steel and was obviously a prototype as there were a couple of patches where two tone holes had been repositioned. I don't recall if there was a high F# key or not, but I'm not mistaken about the steel.

Looking at that German Ebay auction, it seems that there is little in common between these instruments, but it has been a long time since I saw the other. If they were part of a series of three instruments I can only presume that they were developed from quite different origins. The bore of the German instrument seems much narrower than that of the instrument I saw in Australia, which was massive. I think the bore was almost as big as the Conn gold-plated high-F bass which was also present in the same room, and therefore the bell, with the extra semitone, was simply enormous!y on the Keilworth. That German thing looks weedy in comparison, but it's not always easy to judge from photos taken at different angles.

I wasn't aware that the instrument in Australia had been sold, but if it was in late 2001, that would make sense, as I think he sold most of his Conn collection as well after he sold me the Conn bass and its matching satin gold baritone. That was sometime in 2001.

Michael

 

[Randall]

but I'm not mistaken about the steel

Michael sorry, but you are.

The stainless steel just can't be, if we are talking about these 3 JK basses. I was at the factory in Nauheim, met with Mr. Keilwerth, and talked to both he and Stephan Boesken (former JK apprentice and master craftsman) about these 3 basses.
When I mentioned the stainless steel, they both laughed, and said "impossible".

These were three different horns, yes. They were graduation projects for apprenticeship, and thus represent 3 different peoples efforts to meet the graduation requirement, which was to make a Low A, High F# bass sax.

No horns were ever made there in stainless steel.

 

[MTKilpatrick]

Michael sorry, but you are.

The stainless steel just can't be, if we are talking about these 3 JK basses.

Either we are talking about a different manufacturer or a different group of apprentices entirely, but I saw and played a bass sax with a low-A, made in what looked like steel. I can't think what name I could have mistakenly substituted Keilworth for if I have misremembered.

I was also under the impression that there was more than one of them made. I could ask my friend in Australia to see if he can fill me in.

Michael

 

[Bootman]

The Keilwerth bass was sold a couple of months ago. I know who has it now but as yet haven't seen it. I almost bought it but decided on a Conn instead. It was supposedly stainless steel from all accounts by the former owner. Low A to high F#.

 

[MTKilpatrick]

The Keilwerth bass was sold a couple of months ago. I know who has it now but as yet haven't seen it. I almost bought it but decided on a Conn instead. It was supposedly stainless steel from all accounts by the former owner. Low A to high F#.

Can't think what else it could have been. I somehow doubt it was titanium or tungsten...

Michael

 

[dshook]

...and the only way to destroy it and prevent its awesome power from falling into the wrong hands is to cast it back into the hellfire that spawned it...

 

[Bootman]

It is still in the Perth area of Australia to my knowledge.