This weekend was a busy one for me, as the holiday performance season got underway on Sunday. However, what overshadowed my first Christmas show yesterday, was Saturday’s performance by The Moonliters at the West Coast Big Band Festival. That show was the first time my H. Couf bari was played at a jazz festival since I got it from Paul Maslin at PM Woodwinds, just three short weeks ago.
Normally by now I would already have a set of photos taken of any new horn I bought, and quite possibly even have posted those pics on my website—or at a minimum on my Flickr account. However, because I really wanted to play the H. Couf bari at this particular festival, I was putting in a lot of time on the horn getting to know its nuances, and intonation tendencies so I could play it with 100% accuracy.
Mission accomplished. In short my new baby absolutely rocked. It anchored the sax section with edge and distinction, and had tons of volume to spare that even when playing at FFF, I could easily have played even louder without pitch distortion or intonation compromise.
The H. Couf bari is a totally different type of sax compared to any baritone I have ever played before, which is why I needed to spend some time learning how to get the most out of this bad boy. It plays and sounds nothing like my Committee III or my Mark VI. It’s its own thing altogether.
Have I got it totally figured out yet? I’d be lying if I said I did. So far the horn is responding best with my SS Berg and Rico Plasticover Reeds. Time will tell if that’s what my permanent set-up will be, but I suspect so.
I have some Christmas shows where the H. Couf bari will be used, and another that I’ll likely use my Mark VI on. (Complete with scroll shank MP no less, since it’s a classical performance to accompany a choir.)
All this playing is allowing me to get to know my newest horn really well. I must admit, it is a blast to play, and way more fun than most baris I’ve ever encountered. Why? It has that tonal uniqueness that we get from vintage horns, which makes them stand out from today’s same old, same old… But despite being a vintage horn, its ergos are a lot more friendly than some that I’ve played, e.g.: Martin, Conn, or King.
Based on my experience, I would say if you’re in the market for a new-to-you bari, if there’s one in your area, definitely give a H. Couf—or Armstrong equivalent such as the Heritage—a play-test. You might well be as smitten as I am.
Helen;
Love your Couf Superba, I have one made in 65-66 that I bought in 2007 and it was also a ‘closet’ horn – looked like brand new – in gold lacquer – not that beautiful black that you have. Mine was slightly damaged in it’s trip cross country – but my tech was able to fix and I have played it quite a bit since. The finish on the left side of the bell is completely worn off – and an old key guard from a junk King bari was soldered on to eliminate/cut back on the catching of the pants pocket. About 3 years ago I had it completely repadded using pads from Music Medic – with metal resonators. My tech also was also able to adjust the Low A mechanism and improve its’ action – not as good as a modern Yamaha – but a marked improvement. Keilwerth/Couf’s are excellent horns when properly set up.
Hi Mike.
You don’t mention if yours is a Superba I or II, but the comment about your tech attaching a key guard from a King tells me that it most likely is a II. Am I correct in that assumption?
What did your tech do to adjust the low A mechanism? I am curious. When you say the action is improved, in what way is it better?
What I’m also curious about, is what MP you’re using on it. It took me a while to find the right MP that would give me everything I needed—spot-on intonation, immediate response on all the notes, no stifling of the Couf’s natural overtones. I also find reeds make a huge difference on this bad boy. That said, I play synthetics since I double all the time, but all but 2 brands I have tried make the sound “brittle”.
You are absolutely correct, Couf/JK horns are excellent horns when properly set up, and to that I would add: When paired with the correct MP/reed. In my experience, to get 110% out of them, they require a bit more finessing than some of the other vintage saxophones out there. However, they are well worth the effort.