I found this shot of a Martin Master on Flickr. The Master was more commonly referred to as the Typewriter, because all the keys were round, and had mother of pearl on them—just like the keys you would find on a typewriter.
Antique Sax
Photograph by: gflinch Source: Flickr
I have had the chance to see a few of these in person over the years, and they are very pretty. However, I’ve never played a Martin Master, so I can only imagine how awkward it would be to maneuver around the side, palm, and pinkie keys.
I must admit, as much as I love my vintage horns, I am very accustomed to having rollers. I think these Masters would take quite some getting used to.
If you’d like to see lots of examples of the Martin Master, and learn more about Martin saxophones in general, check out The Martin Story. Edwin Van Druten has done a fabulous job of amassing a great deal of information about this important brand of vintage American saxophone.
Who care to play it, it’s gorgeous. But probably pricy to boot. It really belongs in a museum.
Yes, I’ve always thought that the Martin Typewriter saxes were very lovely horns. If a had a huge glass display case and were to display unusual horns, this is one I definitely would have in my collection.