Just when I think there can’t possibly be any more cheap, American-designed, Asian-made bass saxophone brands, yet another pops up on eBay. Rheuben Allen Music is currently selling a Hawk bass saxophone through its eBay store.
Source: eBay
This is how the people at Rheuben Allen describe this bass:
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The “Hawk” features a bore designed after the vintage great bass saxophones. Articulated G# – Added closing bar from the F to the F1 keys to help keep the lower register stable.
The Low C and E-flat keys have two springs. The extra spring helps keep the keys from blowing open when the instrument is filled with air and makes the key response better.
Double bell to body brace
Double brace on the low C key.
Low C and E-Flat keys have two springs each
The “Hawk” has 2 bell to body braces to help prevent the bell from moving side to side.
The ‘Hawk” Bass Saxophone note range is from Low B-Flat to High F.
There are 3 strap hooks to allow the bass saxophonist to adjust the position of the way the instrument hangs around the neck.
List: $6,995
Sell: $4,995
I’m impressed with the information that the seller provides on the sax. That’s very rare, even for a music store. Most don’t have a clue, or if they do, don’t bother to write about it in their eBay ad copy.
It’s just too bad that the photos that they provided are for the most part quite small. It’s hard to make out many of the horn’s details.
This shot of the left side shows the 2 bell to body support braces.
Source: eBay.com
Source: eBay.com
This picture shows the double arms on the Low C key.
Source: eBay.com
Here you can see some of the details of the left pinkie cluster, the triple strap ring, and the upper bell to body support brace.
Source: eBay.com
The case has wheels built into it, which is also a nice feature. It’s nice to be able to pull a horn of this weight when you’re on a smooth surface.
Source: eBay.com
The Buy It Now price for this Hawk bass saxophone is $4,995.00. The auction is scheduled to end on September 8.
BTW, if you’ve been following along with my posts on the American-designed, Asian-made bass saxophones, you might notice that this Hawk bears a striking resemblance to the latest incarnation of the Orpheo bass. Even some of the photos are the same.
That goes along with what Steve Goodson said here a few weeks ago. He noted that there were only 2 factories in China making all the variations of bass saxophones that we’re currently seeing.
Hi have a Hawk Alto Saxophone and the hole to attach the lyre is round…..ALL lyres are square! I’ve gone crazy trying to find the correct lyre to fit the round hole. Granted I can file down the square one to be round, but I was VERY interested in finding the company that provides them as meant for this Hawk Sax. Is there any help you can provide ???? please?? asap ?? thank you in advance!!! I can be reached at christographer@msn.com
I did the mod myself, and it is a significant improvement — more because I flattened out the angle and stretched the C# key as much as I practically could (I’d have to chop and solder to accomplish more).
The pearl is still there, the G# bar is just bolted right on top of it. I used a Dremel to grind out a cavity on the back of the bar the same size as the pearl, and drilled through the back of the key so I could put a screw through it. I meant to screw straight through the G# bar then cut the screw flush, but as you can see, it never totally broke through, only producing the little bump. I was content to live with the little bump, so that’s how it stays.
Also that’s not QUITE a before-and-after photo, as they are two different horns (as can be discerned from the different felt and pad colors, and the location of the bell brace). I just happen to be crazy enough to own TWO of them, one of which I have hacked and one which is untouched.
Tell me that pinky cluster doesn’t remind you of this one:
http://mal-2.com/sax/cmel-pinkymod.jpg
😯
Oh ya, it definitely looks like a pinkie cluster from a True Tone bass (identical to the one you photographed BTW.) Since I’m used to one, it wouldn’t be a deal breaker for me on this horn. (Lots of other things would be, but not that.)
BTW, did you do the mods on that cluster yourself? Or did someone else do it for you? It looks good.
I hope you kept the pearl for sentimental reasons, or were able to incorporate in some other mod.
That pinky table looks an awful lot like the one on my Buescher True Tone — and that’s not a good thing. It’s bad enough on a C-melody, but it’s unforgiveable on a bass, where you would be expected to be hitting those bell notes frequently. I also noticed the split bell keys — nothing wrong with that per se, but it makes me think they copied a vintage bass down to the last little mechanical detail. Again, that is not a good thing.