When I was picking up my 10M at World Wide Sax last fall, I asked Steve if he could pull out a King Zephyr for me to try. I had always wanted to try one of these for myself, but I had never had the chance.
Steve had a number of them there, and naturally all of them needed a rebuild, but I gave them a try anyway. I did not expect to fall in love with one of these old timers, but I did.
This Zephyr was the least attractive of all of them. Steve had beautiful silver-plated models there, as well as fully lacquered, almost new looking 60 year-old horns. However, this naturally delacquered, bare brass sax had a sound like no other horn I had ever played. Together with my Dukoff, this sax would fill an auditorium with sound. The vibration I felt throughout the whole horn was incredible. From the neck right through to the bell, the entire horn just vibrated freely when I played it.
Since I was there picking up my newly refurbished 10M, I really wasn’t in the market for yet another tenor sax (that would have been number 4). So I just tried to forget about the horn… I wasn’t successful.
Fast forward 4 months…
Soon after getting the Dörfler & Jörka (the Keilwerth clone), I gave Steve a call to get his input on the brand, and to confirm the research I had done. I also asked if the Zephyr was still available, and he said yes. Well next thing you know, I’m telling him I’m buying it. So I’m now the proud owner of a Zephyr.
The Zephyr is awaiting its rebuild at World Wide Sax. The work is scheduled to begin on September 1, so in the fall, I will have yet another tenor (number 5). It will be a great blues/rock horn.
Once it has arrived, I will play all of my tenors, and then make a decision about what stays and what goes. I really don’t see the need for this many of them. I think 1 or 2 will be going, but I’m not sure which. I know the only one that is safe for sure is my Selmer.
