There is an interesting Hammerschmidt Klingsor alto for sale on eBay at the moment. What makes it interesting, you ask? True, it doesn’t have the fancy acrylic key guards that we associate with the brand. Nor does it have the full pearl treatment that we see on their Model A horns and stencils.
Source: The Little Sax Shop
Nope, this little alto has none of those things going for it. This Klingsor alto is just your run-of-the-mill Hammerschmidt with sheet metal key guards. As a matter of fact, if the repaired bow is any indication, this poor thing seems to have had a difficult life.
Source: The Little Sax Shop
And to further compound this horn’s difficulties, it is only a Model C, which means that it was Hammerschmidt’s most basic model. It lacked not only the typical G# and D trill keys, fork E flat, and a high F#, but it lacked even a front F key. This model came with only 8 pearl key touches. (The 8th was on the G# key, which is photo 15 in the slide show below.)
Source: The Little Sax Shop
Source: The Little Sax Shop
By now you might be asking yourself why I’m writing about this sax at all. What makes it so special that I would give it space on my website?
The simple answer is that it sounds really nice, and actually plays in tune. Given the inconsistencies of these late-model Klingsors, this particular horn is not a risk to buy online. It is being sold by one of the most reputable sax dealers on eBay. Mark Wiseman not only deals in vintage saxophones, but is also a pro player, so he can properly demonstrate what this little Klingsor alto can do.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwMiWVdQqN4
Here is how Mark describes this lovely sounding, vintage German horn:
1960s made Klingsor alto, quite a rarity: Hammerschmidts have quite a following amongst those who know about them. Very high quality, rolled tone holes, wonderful action and a stunning tone. It reminded me of a Martin, and then a Keilwerth, if that makes sense. Huge power of a Keilwerth but the warmth and depth of a Martin. It is a joy to play. I am a tone freak and I would not be this excited about something mediocre, would I? (A = No) It possesses one of the nicest tones I have ever come across.
The alto has just returned from Ray Colomb where it received a full (£145) service, new corks, felts. Pads were new when the alto came to us.
At some stage it has been badly damaged on the bottom, and has been repaired. I have taken lots of pictures of the end result, and you can’t see it when it is being played. I don’t believe the crash damage has any noticeable effect on the tone. The rest of the horn is in excellent shape, very pretty, bare brass, real pearls and a nice G# key touch. For some history of Hammerschmidt horns have a look at http://bassic-sax.info/version5/vintage-saxes/european-made-saxes/hammerschmidt
Intonation (tuning) is spot on, and the sax has a double octave mechanism. This is purported to make the upper register clearer and more stable, which I think it does. The alto has no front F key, but altissimos are very accessible just by using the top B key.
This is quite a special alto in my view, with a quality and tone that is pushing at the professional level. If you can get over the, er, organic look of the bottom, then this is a real bargain! Oh yes, almost brand new and rather decent SKB case. (I can supply a mouthpiece and strap if you need one, free).
Source: The Little Sax Shop
Mark adds the following further information to all of his listings:
I only sell saxophones that I myself would wish to play. I only sell saxophones that are working perfectly. The price might be higher, but this just reflects the fact that I have invested money in the saxophone that, er, needs to be recouped! Bear in mind that when you buy a vintage saxophone that hasn’t just had a complete overhaul/repad BY A PROFESSIONALLY QUALIFIED REPAIRER, you might be up for a £3-400 bill: DO THE MATHS and take a risk on something else if you like, or relax in the knowledge that you will playing one of my horns for many years until money needs spending on it. I am scrupulously honest in my appraisals, OK so I go on a bit, but you really are getting excellent instruments when you buy from me. Check out my feedback! Just bear in mind that for your money, vintage saxophones provide a quality of tone that is only obtainable in new saxophones many times the price. (Like 4 or five times…) And I would argue that vintage horns are always going to have better tones than ANY modern one produced today. Its all in the hardening of the metal over time – honest! I am always willing to help any player with advice on mouthpieces, or any other issue.
If you’ve been looking for nice-sounding, vintage alto, and looks aren’t important to you, then this Klingsor alto by Hammerschmidt might just be the horn for you.
The auction for this Hammerschmidt Model C Klingsor alto runs until June 2. Bids are to start at £425.00, which eBay estimates to be $643.41 US. At the time of writing there were no bids on this vintage German sax yet.
Update: I can’t believe how long it took for this sax to sell, but sell it finally did. On August 10, this little Klingsor alto found a new home. The seller paid £350.00 for this vintage Klingsor alto. eBay estimated that amount to be $545.79 US.
Adding a Front F is a relatively minor modification that can be handled in several different ways, so if you really like the horn otherwise, don’t let that put you off. I’ve made a front F for a 1919 C-mel out of a palm key from a Yamaha tenor. It’s not the prettiest one ever but it works just fine.
Yup, or as Mark said, you can play the sax without it as well. Me, I’d likely add it. I had one added to my Martin Handcraft. It works great, and took Layne about 2 minutes to put on. (Mine happens to be from a YTS-23 as well.)