A little while ago I was asked about a Eugen Schuster tenor sax on SOTW. The fellow had found an unrestored tenor somewhere and picked it up. He asked whether it was worth restoring, or if it was a wall hanger.
I tried to send him to my Eugen Schuster page on Bassic Sax. I then realized I never finished writing it. Ooops… 😳
Since I started researching this obscure German saxophone brand more than a decade ago, very little new obvious information has come to light. Over the past week I put my researching abilities to the test and looked up the brand in both the German saxophone books I have, as well as on German-speaking online resources.
The result? A slight longer and more informed Eugen Schuster page on Bassic Sax. I also took the time to reorganize and update the Schuster galleries we have on Bassic Sax Pix.
Who was Eugen Schuster?
Eugen Schuster was originally a trading company that sold stencil and brand-name band instruments in Germany before and after WWII. Although originally started in 1922, the company didn’t start making their own saxophones until after 1937.
Pre-1937, Eugen Schuster ordered their saxophones from Franz Köhler. After ’37, the Kroha brothers moved to Markneukirchen and headed up the saxophone production for Eugen Schuster.
According to reports I have read, saxophones were the only instruments that Schuster made. All other instruments were stenciled for Eugen Schuster by manufacturers in the Musikwinkel, or—since the company was a Buescher dealer at the time—sold under their American brand names.
Eugen Schuster-made saxophones bear a striking similarity in some respects to later Köhler, Oswald Wolfram, and Werner Roth. This is not a coincidence. Franz Köhler was instrumental in developing the skills of young saxophone builders, and he greatly influenced saxophone design in the region.
Eugen Schuster saxophone models & finishes
In order of what we see most commonly for sale:
- Majestic Aristocrat
- Majestic
- Majestic Professional 1930
I have not seen anything other than silver plated Eugen Schuster horns. However, the silver came in a variety of finishes, and even lacquer models were available.
The one that got away
The name Eugen Schuster hit my radar screen more than a decade ago when Sax Quest had alto #1316 up for auction on eBay. In hindsight I should have bought it. I just didn’t need another alto.
The thing is, this horn came with its original bill of sale from June 1945. From a saxophone historian’s perspective, this is a really cool horn. From a player’s perspective? Who knows?
I have never played an Eugen Schuster-made saxophone. I keep hoping a tenor will pop up for sale in my neck of woods so I can try it out. I am hoping for an unrestored one, so I can see what it was like when it was made, not what techs have done to it over the years.
In conclusion then…
Eugen Schuster saxophones can be broken down into 2 broad varieties: 1. Those pre-1937, that were stenciled, and 2. Those post-1937, that were built in-house.
Overall these are among the more rare, or obscure if you will, vintage saxophone brands. It is unclear how many were made, and no, there are no serial # charts available for them either.
Something to keep in mind when vintage saxophone shopping: Rare DOES NOT EQUAL excellent, or necessarily even good.
Are these vintage Eugen Schuster saxophones good? I don’t know. I haven’t had the chance to try one. I would love to compare one to my Toneking or President. Then I would be be properly able to determine how good, or not, they really are.
Hello, I just found a tenor sax, Schuster Aristocrat, serial 14xx. I did not see it yet, and have some questions about this rare brand. Any information is welcome. When was it built? How does the sound compare to f.i. a Conn 10 M (lady face etc). Does it have a round sound? How is the applicator, compared to American Conn’s and or other vintage models? Any idea of the value? Thanks in advance.