Beware: Fake Keilwerths made in China

Definitions	Consequences	Fake Keilwerths	Fake Shadow Tenor	Compare & Contrast
Necks	Front Views	Left Hand & Palm Keys	G# Lever Mechanism	Right Hand & Palm Keys
Rolled Tone Holes	Bell	Left Side	Cases	Extra Real Shadow Pics
More Counterfeit /Knockoff Keilwerths	Counterfeit SX90R Alto	Counterfeit SX90R Shadow Alto	Counterfeit SX90R Shadow Tenor	Knockoff SX90R Tenor
Not Just Pro Model Horns Are Copied	Counterfeit EX90 Series III Alto	Knockoff ST90 alto	Concluding Thoughts

By now most educated saxophone shoppers are aware of fake Selmers, Yamahas, and Yanis being sold all over the Net. This is why it shouldn’t come as a surprise that fake Keilwerths are also being made—in likely many of the same factories.

Admittedly, I was somewhat surprised to see these fake Keilwerths when I first heard about one on Sax on the Web a few weeks ago. Why? Because quite frankly I didn’t think that JK horns would have enough of a draw to be worth the effort to counterfeit them. However, upon sober second thought, I guess it was inevitable that someone would try to make an illegal buck from JK’s hard work over the past century, and their high price tags today.

Definitions

I thought it would be helpful here to get some definitions cleared up. So let’s look at the terms commonly used in the world of fake goods. 

According to online brand protection company Red Points, here are some definitions to keep in mind. 

Knockoffs, AKA replicas

These are goods that are close copies of the original. However, they are NOT passed off the the real deal, and don’t bear the trademark of the original. Most often replicas carry a different stamp or logo, which is sadly often very similar to the original. Since they make no claim to be the authentic item, they are not straight up illegal—at least not at first.

Counterfeits

These are goods produced to deceive the buyer into thinking that they are buying the real thing. These goods are cheap, substandard items sold under the trademark or brand name, without the brand owner’s authorization. Selling counterfeit items is illegal in many countries including the the US and Canada. 

A core feature of counterfeit goods is that there is always the malicious intent to deceive and mislead buyers into believing that the product is authentic when it is actually the exact opposite. They are passed off as the genuine product. Therefore, counterfeit goods violate the trademark and other intellectual property rights of the owner of the authentic brand.

Source: Red Points

A victimless crime? No, no it is not.

I can’t think of the number of times I have seen discussions in saxophone discussion boards in which players argue that it’s OK to buy these cheap horns—either knockoffs or counterfeits—because [insert excuse of choice here]. Quite frankly, it makes me question the ethics of a great many of people out there. 

Both knockoffs and counterfeits have serious consequences for individuals, companies, and even the environment. 

Counterfeits are manufactured illegally, and therefore those producing them are not required to comply with safety and production standards. Since knockoffs and counterfeits are produced with inferior materials to reduce costs as much as possible, trademark owners can suffer both financial and reputation damage by having these cheap goods passed off as the real thing. This can trickle down to the workers in the authentic factories suffering financial hardships as well. 

Then of course there are the secondary victims if you will: People who inadvertently buy counterfeit goods thinking they are buying the authentic, high-end item. When they find out that they indeed have a fake, what do they do? Do they hang the fake sax on the wall and call it art? Or do they then pass the horn to yet another unsuspecting buyer?

So as you can see, in the end there is nothing victimless about these cheap knockoff or counterfeit items.

Getting back to the fake Keilwerth saxes

Now that we are clear on the definitions, let’s take a look at some of these knockoff and counterfeit Keilwerth horns that are for sale and compare them to the originals. If you know what you are looking for, the fakes are usually quite easy to spot. 

Keilwerth has made life very easy by providing an online catalogue of their saxophones that can even be downloaded for reference. Additionally, larger photos of their saxophones can be found on their website as well.

Fake Keilwerth SX90R tenor

Just over a month ago I noticed discussion about this counterfeit Keilwerth Shadow on Sax on the Web. A member had bought it at his local brick and mortar store, but then began to wonder if the horn wasn’t a fake. A few photos posted to the forum later, and he got the answer he was really didn’t want to hear: It wasn’t a real JK horn at all.

Compare & contrast a counterfeit JK Shadow tenor to a real one

Fake

Real

What’s different?

• The upper octave key is shaped differently on the two horns.
• The way the octave key attaches to the neck is different as well. 
• The stamping on the front of the upper key is quite different. 
• The engraving on the neck is very different.
• Easiest to spot: The Shadow is made of German nickel silver, which is why the engraving shows silver underneath where the black nickel plate has been removed through the engraving process.
• The counterfeit horn shows yellow brass under the engraving. This is a dead giveaway that we are NOT dealing with an authentic Keilwerth SX90R Shadow horn.

Fake

Real

What’s different?

• The neck and lyre fastening screws are black nickel plated on the real Shadow, but not on the counterfeit horn.
• The high F# key is shaped differently.
• The chromatic F# key is shaped differently.
• The right pinkie keys are shaped differently.
• The right palm keys are shaped differently.
• The JK logo on the right side of the bell on the counterfeit, looks nothing like the real one.

Fake

Real

What’s different?

• Post shapes are vastly different. JK has a rather unique post shape that is a carryover from their vintage days. This Chinese horn has conventionally shaped posts. 
• The front F key is shaped differently.
• The left palm keys on the counterfeit horn are not adjustable. On the real Shadow they are shaped differently because they come with an Allan key for adjustment.
• The key touches are the most obvious difference. Real JK horns have oversized, thick, black, mother of pearl buttons on the keys. The counterfeit’s buttons are much thinner, and don’t appear to be made of mother of pearl. 
• The real JK has MOP on the G# key. The counterfeit’s appears to be black glass or plastic, and appears to match those on the key touches.

Fake

Real

What’s different?

• The SX90R Shadow has the G# lever mechanism to prevent sticking keys.

Fake

Real

What’s different?

• As mentioned above, the right palm & pinkie keys are different. As are the chromatic and high F# key shapes.
• The key guards are also different. Not only are they different in shape, but the real Keilwerth guards have felts that are adjustable on the bell and bow keys. On the counterfeit it appears that there is some red glass or plastic glued into the center of the adjustment area, making adjustment of the felts impossible.

Fake

Why is this super obvious?

• The SX90R Shadow is just that: an R.
• R stands for rolled tone holes.
• No rolled tones on this counterfeit.

Fake

Real

What’s the difference?

• I hardly know where to begin, so let’s start with what was already stated at the top: Real Shadow models are made from German nickel silver. Therefore, when the black nickel plate is engraved, what is exposed is silver. The counterfeit’s engraving exposes brass underneath. 
• The real Shadow has an inner bell that is silver plated. The counterfeit does not have its inner bell plated silver.
• The floral engraving on the counterfeit is NOTHING like that on the real Shadow. It’s like they didn’t even try. Maybe they thought people wouldn’t notice the difference?
• Then there is the script. On the counterfeit is looks like it was engraved by someone who isn’t good at their job… Wait… They’re not. The real Keilwerth Shadow’s engraved script is flawless. 
• Even the placement of the script is very different on the two horns. 
• And again the lack of rolled tone holes is very obvious on the fake Shadow. You can see the rings on the real JK Shadow.

Fake

Real

What’s the difference?

• The engraving on the bow and body tube is very different from horn to horn.
• The clothes guard is different on the counterfeit above, to what we see on real Keilwerth horns. 
• The bell to body support rings vary greatly. The one on the counterfeit horn does not even look like a JK support. Instead, it, like many of the key shapes, appear to be the same as those found on Selmer saxophones. Me thinks that the companies that counterfeit these Keilwerth horns also produce fake Selmers. Just a guess… 😉 
• The counterfeit is stamped with: Made in Germany, as well as Unique Code, where the serial number should be. 😆

Fake

Real

What’s the difference?

• One last area to look at is the case the horn comes in. The counterfeit Keilwerth does not come in a case that in any way resembles the original. It’s like they couldn’t be bothered to copy the cases. How strange.

A few extra shots of the REAL Keilwerth Shadow tenor

So is this fake Keilwerth from SOTW a knockoff or a counterfeit?

That’s a good question isn’t it? Was it sold as a “copy” or “95% copy” of a SX90R Shadow? In other words was it sold as a knockoff? Or was it perhaps sold as the real thing, thus making it a counterfeit. 

That’s part of the downstream problem of these fake horns. When they change hands, no one knows anything about them anymore. They are often, either knowingly or unknowingly, sold as the real thing.

More knockoff and counterfeit Keilwerth saxophones

As I was doing research for this article, I came across a fairly wide variety of fake Keilwerth saxophones. These fakes varied in their sophistication from fair, to 100% accurate because sellers used real JK images that they stole from the Net. Below are some of the many fake horns I saw. 

Now that I pointed out a great many of the differences between a fake and real Keilwerth, I won’t go through all of the details again. I will just point out what makes these hard to distinguish from the real deal. 

All of these were for sale on aliexpress.com And no, I will under no circumstances link to their page.

Counterfeit SX90R alto – stolen photos from authorized Keilwerth dealer

This horn had me scratching my head because it looked so much like a real SX90R, that I took a look at my colleague, Dave Kessler’s, website to see the photos he took. Sure enough, the photos in the aliexpress ad were stolen from the Kessler & Sons Music website.

Here are the originals that Dave took of the horn in his shop’s inventory: 

Who knows what you are going to get if you order a horn from the shyster on aliexpress. Whatever it is, it sure as hell isn’t going to look like the horn in these photos. 

The seller wrote the following in their online description about the supposed SX90R they were offering for sale:

JK Keilwerth SX 90R High Quality Alto Saxophone Brass Gold Lacquer Eb Flat Sax Musical Instruments with Mouthpiece Accessories

But a simple click on the Specifications tab brought up the following:

Type: Falling Tune E (F)
Tone: Eb
Origin: CN(Origin)
Head Material: Bakelite
Model Number: JK Keilwerth SX 90R
Surface Material: Gold Lacquer
Body Material: Brass

Place of origin is China. 

Overall impression

This is an obvious case of fraud, and anything bought from this seller is going to likely be a counterfeit. Whatever you get when buy one of these certainly is. 

Pro tip

Any SX90R sax is going to cost more the $450.26 Cdn. Really, it will. From Kessler & Sons it will set you back between $6,041.00 – $6,408.00 US.

You get what you pay for. In this case you are buying illegal goods since this is a counterfeit. It is made from substandard materials by people who are not nearly as well trained, compensated, or protected as the workers at Keilwerth are.

Counterfeit Shadow alto

 

Like the alto above, it was advertised as a real Keilwerth. The seller wrote:

New Germany JK SX90R Keilwerth Saxophone Alto Black Nickel Silver Alloy Alto Sax Brass Musical Instrument With Case Mouthpiece

A click on the Specifications tab showed us the following:

Origin: CN(Origin)
Type: Falling Tune E (F)
Tone: Eb
Head Material: Bakelite
Body Material: Brass
Model Number: Germany JK SX90R Keilwerth
Surface Material: Black Nickel Gold

Oh look, imagine that, a $443.76 Keilwerth that is made in China. 👿 

Overall impression

This fake SX90R Shadow alto looks to be by the same company that made the tenor I dissected in gory detail at the top of this article. It too has “a unique code” instead of a serial #. I didn’t bother checking the rest of the features, but at first blush, they seem to be the same as those found on the tenor. 

Pro tip

Any time you see new pro horns being offered for sale with the same case that you see for Selmer student horns, it likely ain’t a pro horn. 😉

Counterfeit Shadow tenor

I must confess, this horn has me very confused. Either this particular factory is producing horns that are pretty much identical to the actual saxophones that they are counterfeiting, or they are providing photos of a real Keilwerth tenor.

Like the seller of the SX90R in the first ad featured above, the seller may have stolen the original pics from an authorized Keilwerth dealer. Or, they are photographing a Shadow tenor that they have in their possession. (Likely the one they bought to copy.)

The seller wrote this about their SX90 R counterfeit:

Keilwerth JK SX90R New Arrival Tenor Saxophone B Flat Brass Nickel Plated Musical Instruments Sax With Case Mouthpiece

The specifications tab shows us the following:

Brand Name: MARGEWATE
Type: Falling Tune B (C)
Tone: BB
Origin: CN(Origin)
Head Material: Bakelite
Model Number: Keilwerth JK SX90R
Surface Material: Silvering
Body Material: Brass

Overall impression

This horn looks identical to a genuine SX90R Shadow. Everything from the post shapes, to the engraving, to the G# lever mechanism, to the clothes guard, to the adjustable left palm keys. In short: everything. 

Pro tip

A Keilwerth SX90R Shadow cannot be had for <$620.00 Cdn. It cannot. Whatever you get when you order it, it won’t be real. It will be a counterfeit from China. I am also almost willing to bet that it won’t look like the horn we see in these images.

Knockoff SX90R tenor

This fake Keilwerth is not a counterfeit since the sellers straight up advertise it as a copy. They write:

95% copy Germany JK SX90R Keilwerth Tenor saxophone black Tenor Sax Top Professional Musical instrument With Case free shipping….

LAIIMAN JK SX90R saxophone Tenor black Nickel silver alloy Tenor Sax Musical instrument With Case Mouthpiece Accept OEM LOGO

Good News : we accept OEM logo , if there have any other logo on the bell please tell us at any time. Thanks again .

Brand: LAIIMAN(can be customized brand)
Product Name: Tenor saxophone
Key type: Germany SX90R key type
Material: Brass
Tube body Technology: Black Nickel Gold
Keys: Black Nickel Gold
Type: JK SX90R
Tonality: B-flat / Bb
Applicable: Beginner, Test, Playing

Overall impression

If I read this correctly, I can order this horn with any logo I want. It doesn’t have to have the JK logo… I think…

Regardless, this horn likely comes from the same or similar factory that the first horn in this article did. It looks more like a Selmer knockoff than a Keilwerth one. Change the logo, add to the confusion. I wonder if the Made In Germany is swapped out for Made in XXXX depending on the logo? 

Pro tip

Again, I am starting to feel like a broken record, but if you are buying a horn for $ 584.78 – 609.72 Cdn, you get what you pay for. If you pay for shite, that’s exactly what you are going to get.

Think pro horns are the only ones being copied, think again

As I was perusing the fake Keilwerth saxophones being offered on Aliexpress, I was stunned to discover that intermediate and even student model JKs were being sold. I am not clear why this would be the case.

Why would a factory executive authorize the development of these instruments? Is there really this much of a market for them? I can see people/dealers wanting to buy knockoff or counterfeit pro model horns, but intermediate and student ones? Really? Just how much of a global demand is there for these types of fake Keilwerth saxophones?

Counterfeit EX90 Series III alto

Much like the new Mark VI saxophones being sold on Aliexpress, this EX Series III is no longer in production. As a matter of fact, Keilwerth stopped EX production circa 2010. 

This is how the instrument was described on Aliexpress:

Julius Keilwerth EX 90 Series III New Eb Tune Alto Saxophone Brass Black Nickel Body Gold Lacquer Key Sax with Case Mouthpiece.

A click on the specifications tab shows us the following:

Brand Name: MARGEWATE
Type: Falling Tune E (F)
Tone: Eb
Origin: CN(Origin)
Head Material: Bakelite
Model Number: Keilwerth EX 90 Series III
Surface Material: Black Nickel Gold
Body Material: Brass

And another Chinese-made horn. Surprise surprise. What is surprising is that it costs $449.00 Cdn. 

Overall impression

I freely admit that I am not an expert on intermediate or student model horns. They have never appealed a great deal to me. I did do a fair amount of research on the EX series, but there are surprisingly few photos of them available. Given this, and the stolen photos of the SX90 horns illustrated above, I am not clear if the photos in this ad were of a real EX90 Series III, or the counterfeit that they are selling. 

What confuses me is the front F key. The EX normally has a button front F. This one does not. I have recently come across a few others that do not, and the serial numbers of those horns do not fit into Keilwerth’s serial number conventions. However, it appears that the serial numbers might fit into Amati’s. Since we can’t see the serial number on this horn, we are left with a few questions. 

That said, we know that whatever EX90 Series III you order today from these clowns, will be a counterfeit. 

Pro tip

The EX90 is no longer made. Buying a new one, is like buying a new Mark VI. It is bullshit. Oh, and they were never made in China. The parts for the Series III were made in Germany and they were assembled by Amati in the Czech Republic. 

Knockoff ST90 alto

The seller says the following about this knockoff ST on Aliexpress:

Copy Germany (JK)Keilwerth ST90 Gold Lacquer Alto Saxophone Eb Wind Brass Instrument Sax Alto Western Instruments Sax

A click on the specifications tab shows:

Tone: Eb
Type: Falling Tune E (F)
Model Number: ST90
Body Material: Brass
Head Material: Bakelite
Surface Material: Gold Lacquer

Overall impression

Here we have a horn where the photos don’t match the description. The photos show a ST90 Series IV. These horns were originally made in Taiwan by KHS. However, like the EX90 above, the Series IV was discontinued circa 2010, and is now being produced as the ST Series—which happens to be how the fake is being advertised.

This horn in the photos does look like real used Series IV horns I found for sale online. Wherever the photos come from, it is highly unlikely that any ST alto you get from this seller will look like this, since they are not selling a Series IV. Sigh…

Pro tip

Spending $668.54 Cdn on a knockoff student model Keilwerth is about the stupidest thing you can do. Real ones are available from reputable sax shops like Getasax, World Wide Sax, etc. for just a few dollars more. They might be used, but they will be very good condition, and you know you will be buying the genuine article.

Concluding thoughts

So there you have it. I hope this article stands as a good reference piece in the future should you be looking at a used, or possibly new, Keilwerth saxophone. I could have gone on and on about more fake Keilwerths, but I think you get the idea. I tried to choose some examples that covered the spectrum. 

Although I pulled all of my examples from Aliexpress, they are by far and away not the only online site peddling in illegal counterfeits and knockoffs. Amazon and eBay are two other prime sources where crap like this can be found. The difference is, when counterfeit items are pointed out to them, those sites usually remove the goods from their platforms. 

As the member from SOTW learned, sometimes counterfeits can end up in your local brick and mortar stores because the staff are not sophisticated enough to be able to recognize a fake from the real thing. Additionally, the risks for buyers of used horns go up considerably if they are going the used horn route and buying from a private person.

Bottom line: Now more than ever before, you really need to know your stuff before you hand over your hard-earned cash. That’s why I strongly encourage people to buy from a reputable, used saxophone dealer like the ones I’ve already mentioned. My personal favorite for used horns is PM Woodwind. Paul generally has a fantastic collection of gently used vintage and modern saxophones. 

If you are looking to buy a new horn, please do yourself a favor and buy from an authorized dealer. This way you get the warranty and the peace of mind that comes from knowing your are getting the genuine article. 

I cannot say enough good stuff about Kessler & Sons Music. Dave Kessler’s saxophone shop is second to none. The horns I have played that came from there are simply sublime. No horn leaves the premises until it is set up to perfection.

I told Dave years ago that when it comes time to add a new JK to my collection, it is his shop where it will be coming from.