If you’re a person who has been reading my Bassic Sax Blog for a while, or has even read more than a handful of articles that I have written, you’ll likely have noticed that I love vintage saxophones. That’s of course why I have a studio full of them, and why I use them exclusively when I perform.
My newest acquisition in the vintage saxophone realm came earlier this year when I picked up a lovely, silver plated Martin Committee III baritone. This is not the first Martin in my stable… In fact it is the third.
I have two Martin Handcrafts. While one is a C mel that acts as art on my studio wall, the other is the amazing tenor that my former tech from Halifax, Layne Francis, reclaimed from the dead for me.
After Layne did the restoration work in 2000, I used that Handcraft tenor for years as a main and backup horn in blues and rock work. It was this tenor that showed me exactly what kind of rich, lush sound these Martin saxophones were capable of.
In my 15 years of Martin saxophone ownership, combined with the research that I have done for my website, I don’t recall ever coming across a listing of the Martin finish options. That is until this morning, when I happened across an eBay auction for an old Martin brochure circa 1920s.
The brochure is for the Handcraft saxophones, and provides us with a rich snapshot of the time…
Source: metrotraf on eBay.com
Source: metrotraf on eBay.com
Two things immediately jumped out at me in this Martin Handcraft brochure:
- In the second photo on the left side, featuring Bill Hamilton and Harry Fink from the Vincent Lopez Hotel Pennsylvania Orchestra, the sax on the far right appears to be a bass. To my knowledge Martin didn’t make a bass, so this is likely either a Conn or a Buescher, possibly stencilled with the Martin name.
- Under finish options, Martin also had what they called an “Artists’ Special”. The description read: “Quadruple gold plated over quadruple silver plate, hand burnished all over, artistically hand engraved.” However unlike Conn’s version, Martin don’t mention any mother of pearl on the key touches or rollers.
If you’re a collector of vintage saxophone advertisements, then you might want to check out this Martin Handcraft saxophone brochure for yourself. The eBay auction runs until August 15. Bids are to start at 99¢. So far no one has placed a bid yet.
