A few months ago a fellow from SOTW bought a bass sax that was branded Holton, but which looked identical to my Buescher True Tone from 1922. Well one of the SOTW regulars got themselves totally bent out of shape because I stated that while true, Holton did make some bass saxophones, by far and away the majority were stencils, and the one in question most definitely looked like a Buescher.
I never dreamed I would find myself delving into the history of the American instrument manufacturer Holton. I figure there are people who know about these horns, and there has been and continues to be enough written about them, that I needn’t concern myself about them. Period. Full stop.
Fast forward to March, and what do I end up with? A Beaufort American C melody saxophone belonging to a local trumpet player—who had brought it into Matterhorn Music, where I work part time as David’s Educational Rep. The horn’s owner, let’s call him Fred (not his real name), bought both the C mel and the Boosey & Co. alto I wrote about at the end of March, with an eye to learning to play saxophone.
He has had both horns for years, but since learning to play the sax didn’t happen, Fred has decided that it is likely time to part with both of these babies. Fred asked me what the value on both of these instruments might be, so I ended up doing some research. If you’ve read the article on the alto you know how that turned out.
As with the Boosey & Co. alto, the Beaufort American was not exactly in my wheelhouse. This is not an early to mid century horn from a German speaking region of Europe. Therefore this C mel required a bit of a deeper dive into the history of the Beaufort American name, and I was totally surprised at what I found.
Beaufort American was a Holton name
In my nearly 20 years of vintage saxophone research, it has been my experience that more than 50% of time when searching the name of a stencil sax, you find nothing to indicate the horn’s origins. Old mail order companies, distributors, and music stores are usually long gone, and only a handful of them—comparatively speaking—have been written about since the creation of the Internet. However, in this case I found multiple sources that all stated that Beaufort was a name given to Holton’s non-pro horns.
Already building a full line of high-end brass instruments, Holton recognized the growth of music in the schools and began selling student-line instruments built by other workshops under the trade names Pertin and Beaufort.
Source: Holton (Leblanc) Wikipedia
This kind of tracks with what I noticed on the Beaufort. It was a stencil horn—specifically a Conn made on the Pan American side of the factory. Serial # P23XXX, with a Dec. 8 1914 patent # of 111954, which is for drawn tone holes. (A patent that was held by William Haynes, but licensed to Conn at the time.)
Here is a detailed photo of the drawn, but straight tone holes on the Beaufort.
In the photos below, if you compare the Beaufort C mel (bottom), to Conn’s pro, C mel version of their New Wonder Series II (top), you can most assuredly see the differences.
- No front F on the Beaufort
- Note the different left pinkie clusters
- Lack of microtuner on the Beaufort
- The Conn has rolled tone holes, while the Beaufort does not.
- The Beaufort is consistent with the American companies’ versions of stencil horns that: 1. Were made from older tooling; 2. Were not stencils of the current pro models like was common in European horns at the time.
In search of more Beaufort American/Holton info
Now that I knew that Beaufort American was a Holton model/line, but that they had a great many stencilled, I searched far and wide. Since I still prefer books, I consulted my German colleague, Uwe Ladwig’s, book. In Saxofone: Ein Kompendium, he writes the following:
In den Katalogen von 1915 und 1925 sind Altos, C-Melodys und Tenöre Serie abgebildet, die den typischen Mercedes-förmigen Klappenschutz für die tiefe C-Klappe (wie Conn) haben. Laut Begleittext des 1925er Katalogs sind die Tonlöcher hart aufgelötet. Beide Merkmale zusammen könnten Indizien dafür sein, dass diese Instrumente aus der Couturier-Fabrik in LaPorte kamen, die zu diesem Zeitpunkt Lyon & Healy gehörte. Der im gleichen Katalog abgebildete Bass mit ähnlichem Klappenschutz dürfte dennoch von Conn stammen.
1928 erwarb Holton die ehemalige Couturier-Fabrik von Lyon & Healy und fertigte dort die “Artist”, “Collegiate”, und “Beaufort American” Instrumente. Unter anderem wurden Lyon & Healy (siehe dort) mit Saxofonen beliefert.
Saxofone: Ein Kompendium, 5th edition. pp. 60-61
And in English this says:
The 1915 and 1925 catalogs show altos, C melodies, and tenors, which have the typical Mercedes-shaped key guard for the low C key (like Conn). According to the accompanying text of the 1925 catalogue, the tone holes are hard-soldered. Both features together could indicate that these instruments came from the Couturier factory in LaPorte, which at the time belonged to Lyon & Healy. The bass shown in the same catalogue, with a similar key guard, is likely to have come from Conn.
In 1928, Holton acquired Lyon & Healy’s former Couturier factory and manufactured the Artist, Collegiate, and Beaufort American instruments there. Among other things, Lyon & Healy (see there) were supplied with saxophones.
And the Internet says what?
Now that I had some concrete info from a reputable saxophone historian, I started delving further and further into the recesses of the Net and found no shortage of Holton saxophone info—and quite a bit of it even mentioned the Beaufort model. However, nothing was as informative to me as a thread on SOTW that seemed to consolidate all the pertinent Beaufort info together. Yes, apparently Holton has some pretty strong loyalists. 😉
Sax on the Web (SOTW)
In 2009, a SOTW member started a thread called The Origin of the ‘Beaufort’ Model. Over the years that thread has grown to 4 pages, and over 70 replies. Arguably the most important for my purposes, was a reply posted by well-known SOTW member, LaPorte, in Feb. 2010. He writes:
…The ‘Beaufort’, ‘American Beaufort’ and ‘The Special’ were Holton brands (and a Holton / Conn brand at the beginning thirties). Mostly stencils (not always!) they are marking extraordinary circumstances. What I’ve found out with the help of all Holton experts on SOTW until now:
Brand / Year of manufacture / Manufacturer / Reason
‘Beaufort’ / ca. 1916 – 1917 / Evette-Schaeffer (assembled in Austria?); Buescher / Holton completed tooling for own production 1917
‘Beaufort American’ (1) / 1918 -1919 / Buescher / WW I induced discontinuity of production
‘Beaufort American’ (2) / 1921 / Buescher / C soprano; Holton began own manufacturing 1922
‘Beaufort American’ (3) / 1931 / Holton (Own Couturier); Conn / sellout during depression
‘The Special’ / ca. 1944 / Lyrist – A. E. Sax* / WW II induced discontinuity of production
All these models are marked ‘Chicago’ although the company moved to Elkhorn spring 1918…
Speculation about various European Beaufort manufacturers aside, there indeed appear to have been 2 kinds of Beauforts: The first were the early Beauforts, and were engraved simply ‘Beaufort’. These appear to come from European suppliers.
The second were the ‘Beaufort American’ versions and were made in the USA. Some were made by the company itself, while many were stencils. Fred’s Conn-made C mel was obviously an American made version.
The following photo is of the engraving on Fred’s C mel. This engraving is consistent with the other engraving samples illustrated throughout the SOTW Beaufort thread, illustrating the American-made horns.
The above photo also gives you a another close-up shot of the drawn tone holes.
Holton Loyalists
As I did more research on Holton saxophones, I found the Holton Loyalists site. Perhaps not surprisingly, the woodwind pages are rather thin on info. I suspect it was put together by a brass wind player. 😉
In case anyone is interested, Holton was sold to Leblanc in 1964. In 2004 it was bought by Conn, Selmer, who in 2008 moved the manufacturing of Holton instruments from Elkhorn, WI to Eastlake, OH. As for saxophone production, as near as I can figure it, Holton stopped making saxophone circa 1979. 1
Wisconsin Historical Society
For a much more detailed history on the Frank Holton company, and to view a 25 page handbook that was given to people who toured the Holton factory circa 1920, I offer you the following from the Wisconsin Historical Society: A trip through the Holton Factory. Enjoy, you Holtonphile you. 😉
It is worth noting what they say on page 24:
…You know many of the jobbing firms throughout the United States have their own brands of band instruments and naturally these instruments must be built for them and this is done by various manufacturers and is really similar to the stenciled pianos so many of which are on the market.
We build no instruments of this kind as every horn made here is engraved “Made by FRANK HOLTON & CO.,” and is built to the highest possible standard…
In other words, while Holton ordered stencil horns from various manufacturers, they produced no stencil horns for anyone else. Mmm… Interesting.
Getting back to the Beaufort American C melody
Fascinating as the history of Holton may or may not be, this Beaufort American C mel is not a Holton, but rather a Pan American stencil horn made by Conn. At first blush the horn might not appear like anything special, but upon looking at the horn in detail, one sees something a bit remarkable: a vintage sax that has been well looked after all its life; with no obvious signs of damage or repair; and that has been, to date at least, unmolested by amateur techs.
I had set up my sunroom as an ersatz studio as best as I could, so I decided to take a series of bracketed photos to turn into HDR images. I was surprised at what these images revealed.
Right Side
If all I had to look at was the right side of this horn, I would immediately suspect it was a Conn-made product. Between the shape of the right pinkie key; the Mercedes-style key guard; and drawn tone holes, it definitely has a Conn vibe.
Left Side
It is often on the left side—the side up against the player—where we see the most damage. None is evident on this Beaufort.
Front
I am not clear if this horn has a gold-wash bell or not. There is simply too much tarnish on the instrument to say with 100% certainty one way or the other.
Rear
I am curious about the white pads. I am wondering if they are original to the horn.
Bell & Bow
Like the rest of this instrument, here we see how well this instrument was taken care of. It is fairly uncommon to see a nearly 100 year old horn look this undamaged. Yes, it needs an overhaul/restoration, but that is it.
Neck
The neck is of course one of the weakest points on any horn. A gooseneck especially is prone to pulldown. Clearly this horn has not suffered from this. Note the neck guard. It too points to the pristine condition of the neck.
Accessories
** Note about the Conn Eagle MP: I did at first believe that this was a C melody MP. However, I cannot guarantee it, since I have no other Conn Eagle C melody MPs to compare it to.
When compared in length to my own Woodwind & Runyon C mel MPs, it is a bit shorter. This Conn Eagle’s length from shank to tip rail is approx. 87mm (3½”). Although I have no vintage Conn alto MPs, compared to the vintage pieces I do have, this Conn Eagle MP is closer in size to those, than it is to the modern C melody pieces I bought 20+ years ago.
I always find the accessories in any horn case among the most fascinating of anything when I buy a vintage sax. These small items often tell part of the story of the horn before I got it. This Beaufort has an interesting set of accessories, which speak to its long, and mixed history.
What’s next for this Beaufort C melody? – SOLD
Update: This Beaufort C melody made by Conn on the Pan American side of the factory is now sold.
I did what I set out to do: I did some research, and spoke with the owner of the horn and let him know my findings. I certainly don’t need another C mel, but if you do, then this might be the one for you. It is truly fine.
I guesstimate that in its current condition it should sell for around $400 US. That of course includes everything you see in these photos. (Including a clean MP. Sorry for not doing that before the photos.)
Buyer pays for shipping and insurance. The horn is located in the Metro Vancouver region, but shipping may be available through the US to reduce shipping costs if the buyer is in the States.
If this Holton, Beaufort C melody by Conn’s Pan American division floats your boat, get in touch with me and let’s talk.
1 The Holton serial number chart that Uwe Ladwig provides in his book indicates 1979 as the last production year with a # of 555,000. p. 61
