International Woodwind & Their Flagship IW 661 Bass Saxophone

When I started the Bassic Sax Blog just over 3 years ago, I had no idea that this small section of my website would become an entity so large, that people would think it was a stand-alone project. However, this originally small section has morphed into something that ain’t so small after all, and has allowed me to connect with some wonderful and interesting people.

One of those people I recently had the pleasure of connecting with, is Laksar Reese. If you haven’t heard this man’s name before, I have to ask: When exactly did you wake up from your coma? 😉 

Laksar Reese founded International Woodwind in 2000, but before then, he had established an impressive musical resume. Reese is a Los Angeles-based saxophonist and flautist, band leader, composer, and arranger, who did his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Music Performance at the Cornish College of the Arts, in Seattle. Besides being the President of International Woodwind, Laksar tours throughout the U.S. with the Chuchito Valdes Afro-Cuban ensemble.

Laksar also leads his own straight-ahead jazz ensembles on tenor/soprano saxophones and flute. He has performed worldwide touring throughout the United States, Taiwan, Europe, Australia, Mexico, Cuba and the Caribbean. He performs frequently around Los Angeles, Chicago, and throughout the Midwest leading his jazz quintet, and as a sideman with the Chuchito Valdes Afro-Cuban ensemble.

Besides being a professional musician, Laksar is also a repair technician. This combination of skills provided Laksar with the ability to draft designs of musical instruments: modern horns with a vintage sound. Enter the International Woodwind series of pro and student level saxophones.

     IW 601 Professional Model Alto Source: International Woodwind

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of speaking to Laksar about a topic that he and I are both passionate about: bass saxophones. It turns out he is a man after my own heart.

Laksar loves bass saxophones, and he has put his heart and soul into the IW 661. The special attention that he has paid to details like the triple bell to body bracing, and the unique neck that allows for the horn to play in tune over its full range, comes from Laksar’s love of these large, somewhat-rather-unwieldy, members of the saxophone family.

     IW 661 Bass Source: International Woodwind

Laksar and I discussed vintage, American bass saxophones, and their special sound. Then we discussed the short wrap bass saxes, and what they are like. Unfortunately I have not had the opportunity to play one of these, I only have other experienced players’ descriptions to go on.

He suggested that I try one of IW 661 bass saxophones to see if I liked it. He believed that once I played it, I would be in love with the horn. It is a very tempting offer. I’m still mulling it over. Perhaps there will a bass addition to my horn stable in the future. 😯  Laksar is a bad, bad man… Setting of my G.A.S. again…  😈

A word to the wise: You can’t always believe everything you read on the ‘Net. Rumours spread like wildfire. However, over the years Laksar’s name has been associated with good and kind things. Those things are in fact true. Remember in January this year when I wrote about my blog reader John (not his real name) who had gotten ripped off by an unscrupulous eBay dealer in Beijing, China, who pretended to be selling bass saxophones?

The unscrupulous dealer passed himself off has an International Woodwind representative in China. John got his money back from PayPal, but he was lucky. How many others weren’t so lucky? During the investigation that John undertook himself, he had spoken with Laksar, and Laksar stepped up and sold John a real IW 661 at a good price.

Speaking to Laksar about John, Laksar told me that this isn’t the first time this had happened. He has received numerous phone calls from people that have thought they were buying horns from an International Woodwind rep in China. This is a real problem, because eBay is full of scammers who will stop at nothing to make a quick buck.

So another word to the wise: If you would like to buy an International Woodwind horn, buy it directly from the company itself. Don’t buy from a guy in China, China, or Beijing, China, who sells jewelry and a bunch of other horns at cheap, cheap prices. Practice due diligence. No, you can’t get an IW 661 bass for under $2,000, and anyone who tells you can, is lying to you.

Speaking with Laksar on the phone was like talking to a friend. He struck me like a nice guy, who shares many of my passions, and also tries to do some good. Coincidentally, he grew up not far from here, and I suspect that we played at many of the same festivals when we were growing up, since Canadian bands travelled down to the States a lot at that time.