If you love the sound of vintage American saxophones, but hate their ergos, (and have an extra $14,000 laying around) then Schmitt Music might just have the horn of your dreams: a BLASHAUS Converted Conn Chu Berry “Black Pearl II” Tenor Saxophone.
Source: Schmitt Music Online on eBay.com
Now you might be asking yourself: What’s a BLASHAUS Converted Conn Chu Berry “Black Pearl II”? That’s a fair question, because these are pretty uncommon birds, and obviously not the same old same old, New Wonder horns we see on eBay day in and day out.
The prequel to the BLASHAUS Converted Conn Chu Berry “Black Pearl II”
BLASHAUS is a Swiss workshop for woodwind and brass instruments, located in the German-speaking city of Zug. For 25 years BLASHAUS has been taking these great sounding American horns and as been fitting them with modern keywork.
According to BLASHAUS’ website, (The website is in German, I have translated the next 4 paragraphs—this is not my opinion, but what is on the site.) this all started back in the company’s early days. BLASHAUS has always been fascinated with the vintage sound, but back in the 1980s and 1990s when saxophone sounds were a vital element in pop and jazz, many players sought to sound like Rollins, Becker, and Coltrane. During that time, the Selmer Mark VI dominated the saxophone market, and other than J. Keilwerth, there were really no other viable professional alternatives.
In order to get that professional, vintage sound, BLASHAUS bought vintage American saxophones in the US; overhauled them; and offered them up for sale in their fledgling business. They were always amazed at great how these vintage saxes sounded, but always disappointed with how clunky their mechanics were.
To remedy these clunky mechanics, BLASHAUS came up with the bold idea to eliminate them at their root—regardless of the cost. BLASHAUS took a Conn Chu Berry tenor and changed the keywork to a modern system. The left pinkie cluster was like that of a Mark VI.
The goal of rebuilding the Chu was to remove the tactile stumbling blocks of switching between a Mark VI and a Conn New Wonder. This would allow a player to easily switch between the two instruments according to his/her need and/or choice in tonal pallets (timbre)—without being limited by poor mechanics—yet being inspired though the different tonal characteristics. The result of this bold rebuild was the BLASHAUS Converted Conn Chu Berry “Black Pearl”.
2010 and The BLASHAUS Converted Conn Chu Berry “Black Pearl II” is born
Nearly 20 years after making its first “Black Pearl”, BLASHAUS came out with the “Black Pearl II”, because according to owner, Martin Suter:
Die Idee hat mich nie wirklich losgelassen und ich wollte alle meine Erfahrung der letzten zwanzig Jahre in ein neues Modell einfliessen lassen.
Source: blashaus.ch
Which translated means:
The idea never really left me, and I wanted to incorporate my experience over the 20 years into a new model.
And enter the BLASHAUS Converted Conn Chu Berry “Black Pearl II” tenor that is currently on eBay. You will notice that the serial # of the horn on eBay (203555), is the same as the one shown on BLASHAUS’ “Black Pearl II” page.
Here is how Schmitt Music describes the tenor they currently have up for sale:
Serial # 203555
Conn Converted Chu Berry (Black Pearl II)
The BLASHAUS Converted Conn Chu Berry “Black Pearl II” Tenor Saxophone is the dream instrument, combining the legendary Conn sound from the 30‘s with modern handling requirements.
The 203555 serial number was made in 1927 and is a true Conn Chu Berry. The voice of this horn is slightly more spread than serial number 252372, with a great lush bottom end. This saxophone has tons of flexibility – think Ben Webster on a Chu.
The Black Pearl II is a sensational tenor saxophone with excellent playability. The instrument was developed based on the legendary Vintage Conn Chu Berry, and thanks to its balanced mechanics the Black Pearl II has comparable handling to a modern saxophone.
The new Black Pearl II is convincing in every respect:
Original Vintage Conn Chu Berry Body
Balanced tonehole arrangement
Selmer Reference mechanics copy
Detachable bell with plug and locking ring
Removable key guards with adjustment screws
Black satin silver surface on body mechanics
Vintage sound and perfect handling. It‘s the best of both worlds
Source: Schmitt Music Online on eBay.com
Source: Schmitt Music Online on eBay.com
Note the serial # shown in the photo below is not the same as the sax they are selling. It is in fact though, the one they are referencing in their eBay ad as being less spread than the one currently for sale (203555).
Source: Schmitt Music Online on eBay.com
Schmitt Music’s eBay ad text is totally consistent with how the BLASHAUS Converted Conn Chu Berry “Black Pearl II” Tenor Saxophone is described on the company’s own website. If you want to see more photos of the horn, check out the previous link, since BLASHAUS has about 20 photos of the tenor on its site.
BLASHAUS doesn’t mention how many “Black Pearl II” conversions it has done since 2010, but we know there were at least two tenors, and this baritone.
In conclusion then…
In case you’re wondering if any pros use BLASHAUS Converted Conn Chu Berry saxophones, the answer is yes. James Carter has one of the original “Black Pearl” tenors, which he used both in the soundtrack and in the movie of Kansas City. In Switzerland, Peter Landis and Bertil Lambert play this model as well. Furthermore, a number of other brand-name players have also tested the instrument and were impressed by it.
It seems that Das BLASHAUS is working on a Conn Black Pearl III tenor (serial 167218), but the web page doesn’t give any information as to what features it is going to have that will make it different from its Black Pearl II.
If all this information about the BLASHAUS Converted Conn Chu Berry “Black Pearl II” makes you want to find out more, or triggers your G.A.S., then you have 6 more days to get your credit card limit increased. 
The price of the this BLASHAUS Converted Conn Chu Berry “Black Pearl II” tenor is $13,999.00. ATM there are 21 people watching the auction. Who knows how many of them are potentially serious buyers. I can tell you I am one of watchers, but I won’t be buying the sax. So there is one less potentially serious watcher for you to worry about. 
Update June 2024: The links to the Black Pearl pages on the BLASHAUS website bring up 404 errors. There is also no longer any reference on their site to these custom-built horns. At this point I am leaving this post here only as a reference.
i’ve played berti’s, however only briefly… its absolutely brilliant. he is a wonderful person and a dear friend.
that being said, the right horn has to be in the right hands… no matter the price tag.
Update: Well it took a while, but on July 23, 2015 yet another auction for this instrument was ended by the seller “…because the item is no longer available.”
Wonder what happened to it? I wonder if they sold it in their brick ‘n mortar store?
I wonder if they sold it in their brick ‘n mortar store?
That is, no doubt what happened. No sane person would make such a purchase online without an extended approval period, and very elaborate shipping and insurance provisions.
Hi Helen,
Hope the New Year is treating you well.
If I understand correctly, getting the toneholes and keywork balanced involved cutting the body tube into two pieces (apparently just below the G# hole) and making a band to patch it together again. Yikes. I’d be tempted to call that the Eisenkugeln Series! :saxplayer:
:devil2: +1
Very Nice, but WOW !!!!
Update: Wow is right. It’s still for sale.
I suspect one of the biggest things that’s keeping this bad boy from finding a new home is its price. If I was going to drop that kind of coin on a horn, it would likely be on a new bass sax. Or, if it was going to be on a tenor, it would have to be on one HELL of tenor… One that I’d play-tested and fallen in love with, and could justify that kind of outlay of cash on. (If I had that kind of outlay of cash for a horn.)