This photo of a vintage sax in Lapland, Finland, caught my eye. The café setting that it is in reminds me of the Gourmet Gallery, where the blues band I play in, regularly performs at.
Sax and candy
Photography by Juska Wendland Source: Flickr
There is just something whimsical about this vintage alto hanging off a coat rack, among the other antiques and collectibles.
I know when we play at the Gourmet Gallery, and I am using my Martin Handcraft, I have had to tell more than 1 person during our set-ups, that this is actually my sax, and not an antique that is for sale. The nerve of some people… Mistaking my lovingly maintained pro horn, for an antique store buy. 😆
…this is just my blog. My “real” website is www.bassic-sax.info. If you’re looking for sax info, you should check it out too.There’s lots there!
Sometimes it goes the other way around — a wall ornament or antique store curio becomes someone’s killer horn. I paid $50 for my clarinet in a Flagstaff antique store. Others have reclaimed lamps and patched the holes. I probably would if given the opportunity, but I have yet to find a wall ornament or lamp instrument worth rescuing.
Some of my friends have rescued instruments only to find they were better off as lamps — usually things like metal clarinets, high pitch horns, etc.
Well that’s very true Mal-2. I bought my full pearl Hammerschmidt-stencilled Hüttl at an antique/collectible fair. I think it was around $150 Cdn.
Most of the time the stuff at antique stores and fairs are junky student model horns that would excellent raw material for lamps. 😈
However, every once in a while a diamond in the rough is just waiting to be discovered.
That alto looks sweet, and has to be worth quite a bit more than you paid for it. I can see the G# trill touch, and from the way the RH2 touch wraps around, I assume it also has a fork Eb. It also has a Holton-like extra RH palm key. On a Holton this is for C#-D# trills, but I do not see that extra tone hole on this horn — unless it is wrapped around back, above the left thumb rest. It also has a Front F, which dates it later than my Buescher True Tone of 1919 or 1923. Still, this is a feature set I associate with horns made prior to WWII. When was it made? I’m guessing late 1930s, in which case it’s in superb condition for its age.
Never, ever compare a German-made Hammerschmidt to a Holton! 😡 😉 Especially when talking to a German. 😮
Seriously though, they’re not in the same league.
Yes this little guy has a fork Eb, G#trill, and the high Eb triller as well.
I haven’t contacted the Hammerschmidt company yet to ask them about the date of manufacturing. However, I do know that the Hammerschmidt company, which still exists BTW & is renown for making high-end clarinets, only made saxophones between approximately 1950 and 1980. A sax player from Germany, who has a tenor very similar to this, but not a stencil horn, estimated mine to be made around ’59 or ’60, based on the ’58 vintage of his sax.
Although a year ago I had planned on selling this little gem, I have since come to my senses. After my silver-plated Hammerschmidt Klingsor tenor (that’s a non-stencil BTW) is restored next year by Sarge at WWS, this little alto is the next one waiting in the wings for its restoration.