Trying to figure out about this saxaphone. "weltklang"
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None of the links lead to any images. Weltklang has been around for a long, long time. They existed for most of their life on the East German side of the border. They are now part of the morph which became B & S, and prior to the war and the division of Germany, there are indications that the people which eventually worked there had been part of other brasswind/woodwind studios of the '20's-'30's.
I think the brand suffers from a bit of stereotyping by the West; the sort of feeling that anything produced in an East Bloc country was sh#t (same for the low reputation of Czech horns).
This is a shame because, really...up until their last decade of production in the '80's, Weltklangs appear to have always been very solidly built, huge-sounding horns. Very German in tone a' la Keilwerth, Kohlert, etc.
I have had a dozen come through here and currently have 3 Tenors and a couple of Sopranos. The Sopranos, IMHO, never had quality issues...they are flat-out solid and a hecka under-radar sleeper of a small horn in all respects. I always stock 'em because people are looking for an inexpensive Soprano which isn't a piece of garbage and doesn't sound like nails across the blackboard....and these sound simply gorgeous and feel quite fine.
The Tenors and Altos tended to be better the older they get, with the final 80's round being only so-so; while some '60's/'70's ones we have had have been flat-out Monsters.
Fair to say that the knock against them is their keywork and ergos could be a bit clunky. Again, I feel you cannot generalize that. I (having had the luxury of several here at a time) say: not really on the older ones; once set up and dialed in by a good tech, they play and feel as well as any vintage player...but more so on the later ones; when construction quality and specs seems to have tailed off and there are construction inconsistencies in those late ones...it is said that the ergos of their Tenors aren't great for small handed-people. I cannot speak to that one way or the other; but there seems to be no such issue on the smaller horns.
You are a new member, so I cannot PM you yet, but if you like...I can send you a PDF of Weltklang serial #'s so you can figure out the era it is from...either that, or get those pic links working.
e-mail me [email protected] if you'd like that file.
You can post pics here on this very thread, too....and NOT have to post a link to another web location; by going to the reply window, clicking "advanced" below it, then under the next window scroll down and click "attachments" to upload them to the thread.
I think the brand suffers from a bit of stereotyping by the West; the sort of feeling that anything produced in an East Bloc country was sh#t (same for the low reputation of Czech horns).
This is a shame because, really...up until their last decade of production in the '80's, Weltklangs appear to have always been very solidly built, huge-sounding horns. Very German in tone a' la Keilwerth, Kohlert, etc.
I have had a dozen come through here and currently have 3 Tenors and a couple of Sopranos. The Sopranos, IMHO, never had quality issues...they are flat-out solid and a hecka under-radar sleeper of a small horn in all respects. I always stock 'em because people are looking for an inexpensive Soprano which isn't a piece of garbage and doesn't sound like nails across the blackboard....and these sound simply gorgeous and feel quite fine.
The Tenors and Altos tended to be better the older they get, with the final 80's round being only so-so; while some '60's/'70's ones we have had have been flat-out Monsters.
Fair to say that the knock against them is their keywork and ergos could be a bit clunky. Again, I feel you cannot generalize that. I (having had the luxury of several here at a time) say: not really on the older ones; once set up and dialed in by a good tech, they play and feel as well as any vintage player...but more so on the later ones; when construction quality and specs seems to have tailed off and there are construction inconsistencies in those late ones...it is said that the ergos of their Tenors aren't great for small handed-people. I cannot speak to that one way or the other; but there seems to be no such issue on the smaller horns.
You are a new member, so I cannot PM you yet, but if you like...I can send you a PDF of Weltklang serial #'s so you can figure out the era it is from...either that, or get those pic links working.
e-mail me [email protected] if you'd like that file.
You can post pics here on this very thread, too....and NOT have to post a link to another web location; by going to the reply window, clicking "advanced" below it, then under the next window scroll down and click "attachments" to upload them to the thread.
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well, Jaye said it already. This is a good horn but it is not particularly liked by the market, right or wrong, this is what the market is. Yours should be from the late '60 to the '70 (later on they acquired a different brace).
They can be good players (in all honesty quality varies and I have seen good and not so good). Their best market is probably Germany. Over here we see lots of them. They were imported by a shop in Amsterdam, Müller, which sold them by the tons. They normally sell cheap. Good luck.
They can be good players (in all honesty quality varies and I have seen good and not so good). Their best market is probably Germany. Over here we see lots of them. They were imported by a shop in Amsterdam, Müller, which sold them by the tons. They normally sell cheap. Good luck.
Thank you for the response. It also looks like this thing has 1 more key then most other saxophones that I have come across. This extra key has made it almost impossible for me to find a case that will house this thing comfortably. Do you know what I am talking about? And do you know where I can get a decent case for it that will accompany it?
Thank you
Ed
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Looks like a 'forked Eb' never seen one on a Weltlang before--a Hiscox case should fit-----------?
I take you at your word, but have not had that experience, at least on the good side. I have seen only a few, though, a couple of which I worked on, and I felt they did not play well at all when they were as right as I could make them (and I wanted to find out how good they could be). I would bet a lot of money that values for Weltklangs, probably right now about in the $350-$550 range if in pretty good mechanical condition and at "wholesale" (i.e. eBay pricing), are not going to experience any significant appreciation in real market value, ever. Any appreciation from where they are is likely to be limited to inflation, imo. That is really the test. Every "darkhorse" -- and like me I think you have probably witnessed this with some relatively recent popular discoveries (e.g. the Bundy Special, and other Keilwerth stencils) -- experiences a significant increase in market value not long after it's "discovered." Quality speaks for itself, eventually.
Nearly all of the the "darkhorses" as far as vintage instruments have been popularly discovered, now, thanks to the internet. There may be some left out there, but I can't say I have ever felt Weltklang is one of them, based on direct experience (not just with Weltklang, but with most of what is out there). I would not recommend a Weltlkang to an accomplished professional player in a million years, for example. I have never met one that played one as his main instrument, and there are a lot of very good players out there playing unexpected makes/models.
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As I said I saw (but I am not a tech as you are) the good , the bad and the ugly when it comes to Weltklangs.
The older solist are, in general, good, clunky perhaps but nice sounding, as they progressed in time the quality took a dip.
The older solist are, in general, good, clunky perhaps but nice sounding, as they progressed in time the quality took a dip.
Yeah...I won't claim to be familiar with the line's history, or changes over time. The one that comes to mind immediately and sticks out in my memory was gold lacquered with nickelplated keys, looked to be original finish, rolled toneholes (I believe), and the combination of features made me think it was probably from somewhere between the late 40s and early 60s; I didn't get curious enough to try and look into it more deeply (i.e. make/model/actual year of manufacture).
If anybody in the Bay Area or near Santa Cruz has a Weltklang they feel is a strong player, I'm open to having my mind changed.
I will say about Muller that one of my favorite people from New Orleans, and a very strong player, played a silverplated one once in Germany that impressed him, but I remember he was mainly impressed with the weight of the thing. He said it was like a tank. He had only played/held it once, but it did make an impression on him.
If anybody in the Bay Area or near Santa Cruz has a Weltklang they feel is a strong player, I'm open to having my mind changed.
I will say about Muller that one of my favorite people from New Orleans, and a very strong player, played a silverplated one once in Germany that impressed him, but I remember he was mainly impressed with the weight of the thing. He said it was like a tank. He had only played/held it once, but it did make an impression on him.
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