Questions
If you’ve got a saxophone question, and 1. You’ve either had no luck researching the answer yourself, 2. The answers you’ve gotten make no sense to you, or 3. You’re not even sure where to ask it, you can ask it on this page via a comment.
If I don’t know the answer to your question, I’ll do my best to research it, and get as much information as I can for you.
Photo by M. Margison. Photo effects by H. Kahlke ©2008
Suggestions
Also, if you have any suggestions for future blog posts, I would love to hear them. Feel free to post your ideas here, or use the Contact page to send me note with your idea.
Perhaps you have a vintage horn with an interesting history that you’d like to tell people about. I’m always open to having you tell your horn’s story on my website. Just get in touch with me, and we’ll figure out the details.
Photo & photo effects by H. Kahlke © 2009
Hi there from Australia! I’ve just been loaned an alto sax to have a go at. I’m an absolute beginner but have played flute for over 30 years – still not very good though! The brand engraved on the sax is ROB OSW ADLER. I’ve looked everywhere for info about it but no luck so far. I’ve seen the info about the other ADLER but it seems he’s OSCAR. It looks like it’s been made in the same town – Markneukirchen, SA. It’s obviously showing signs of it’s age and a lot of the plating has worn off, but otherwise it looks structurally OK. I think the pads are a bit dodgy as I don’t have much (any) success getting the lower notes to play. I’m wondering if it can be serviced and if it’s worth bothering. Any info or advice would be much appreciated. Regards, Robert.
Hi Robert. Welcome to my web site.
Sorry it’s taken me a couple of days to get back to you. I’ve got family here from Ontario for holidays. I’ll send a copy of this to your email as well, so you know that I responded.
I would need to see some photos of your saxophone before I could you anything about it. I have a couple of ideas, but before I send you on a wrong direction, photos are a necessity.
You can email them to my gmail account. This way there won’t be any problems with the size of the attachments.
I hope this helps.
Regards,
Helen
Thanks Helen, I’ve emailed you the pics. You’re of course free to publish them if you’d like. Anything we can learn about it will be most welcome! For the benefit of other readers I’ve included a pic so they’re not ‘in the dark’.
Hi Robert.
Thank you for the photos. And thank you too for the permission to use them later. (I would have asked you once I figured out what the horn was. You just beat me to it.) 🙂
The horn looks familiar. I’ll do some sleuthing later today when I get a chance, and email with the details. I’ll also post it here so people will know what I find out.
Take care…helen
I’d reckon that the key guards soldered to the tone hole chimneys would be a major clue. 😉
*bump*
Helen,
Have you found anything, yet?
I’m not saying I have even a tenth of your experience with these instruments, but it really struck me as rather coincidental that the key-work and bore of the sax whose picture Robert attached look a great deal like the D & J you featured here:
Obviously the neck and socket are very different, and the keyguards not identical, yet there is a good deal of similarity. If not actually assembled by D & J, then whoever it was certainly was buying their parts from the same sources.
You know what Paul? I did unravel the mystery, but now I don’t remember if I emailed Robert with the info or not. That was so long ago, and so much has happened, that I’ll have to dig back in my files to see what I can find. Damn… Thanks for point this out. I don’t like leaving loose ends, but unfortunately I’ve got a number of them hanging around as of late.
It’s not a D&J. I hope I can find the notes that I took on it. I ID’d exactly where it came from. Oh.. As I’m reading Robert’s original post again, it’s coming back to me. I do believe that I sent him an email, but I just forgot to post here. This was such an obscure sax, that it would not have been on anyone’s radar screen. I’ll dig out my notes on the horn tomorrow and post them.
The thing to remember is that the German manufacturers were all heavily borrowing from each other at the time. We see that a lot in Hohners, D & Js, Hammerschmdits, J.Ks. Kohlerts, the F.X. and G.H. Hüllers, and even the Werner Roths (WERO). There were also lots of other German manufacturers around too, including Adler, which, IIRC, is what Robert’s horn is a variation of. However, I don’t believe it’s an Oscar Adler. IIRC, it was another Adler family member who was involved in the woodwind business who made this sax.
Most of these German saxophones I listed all had at least 1 thing in common with at least 1 other German brand. For example, WERO had the eye brow eye guards like the Hohner. Whereas D&J and Hohner both had round thumb screws that held the necks in place. And on and on it goes. It can get darn right confusing trying to keep all the players straight without a program. 😉
Hello Hellen!
I was looking at the pictures of the PVC piping saxophone, and I was wondering if you could tell me how to make it. Please that would be great!
-Alphabet
Hi there. Welcome to my site.
I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you how to make this instrument. I have never made one. I just feature instruments on my site that have been made by other people. This is one of those instruments.
I have also written about another homemade saxophone which looks much better than this. It was made by a fellow in Sao Paulo, Brazil by the name of Gibran Santos. You can see the sax here, and hear it here. Gibran’s sax is very different than the one you included the photo of however. The photo you included is from one that was being sold on eBay made by a goat farmer, at least I think the guy was a goat farmer, who made his with a completely different type of mouthpiece that had a membrane in it. You blew through the mouthpiece much like you would a brasswind mouthpiece. Gibran’s sax on the other hand, used a real saxophone mouthpiece.
Regardless of what type of mouthpiece you use, it’s of course the length of tubing, its shape, and the tone hole placement, that will determine if the instrument will be any good or not.
Sorry I couldn’t be more help to you. I wish you luck in building your own saxophone.
Regards,
Helen
Hello Helen,
thanks for the welcome!
I liked the photo gallery jelle!
I just buy a bass with the low J’elle \ 0 / is my dream a bass sax!
well, this is it …
Bye!
Michael
Hello Helen,
have you seen this?
one more video
Michael
Edit by Helen: I combined 2 comments into 1, and prettied up the links.
Hi Michael. Welcome to my site.
No, I hadn’t seen the videos of J’Élle Stainer’s subcontrabass saxophone. I recently received photos from someone at J’Élle Stainer for my Bassic Sax Pix Gallery, and am in the process of writing a couple of articles about the company’s horns.
J’Élle Stainer has some very interesting designs, and some very fascinating horns. This subcontrabass certainly fits both the interesting design & fascinating horn categories. I understand that the company is making some refinements to the sax to make it easier to play, and that the finished instrument will be completed in March 2011.
It will be fascinating when the sound files come out, to hear what its core tone is like. I have a aural concept in my head, but of course that is most likely wrong.
Thanks for dropping in Michael, and pointing out the videos to this extreme horn.
Regards,
Helen
hellen…your sax Blog is great..fantastic…so great information..thanks…for your Answer..i play..s880..it is real jazz sound ..super soprano sax..but i try a s990..and i dont see deferents.on the sound. because..the serial number is start the same number;;;;. so i was try and a s992..and the sound..it is complete different..more for classic music.but .with great intonation..thanks Mal 😉 …hellen…thanks again men…. 😉
hello helen…do you now…any difference Bedouin..s880…and s990.yanagisawa soprano sax.except..the g..high key[do you think the G key..change the sound of s880;;]. .on the s990.change the metal;;or any size;;;is the sound..the same or have change…thanks
Hi Nick. Thanks for stopping in.
I am not a Yanagisawa expert by any means, but I do know a little about the brand. The short answer to your question is “Yes”, there is a difference between the 880 and 990.
Ed Svoboda, the owner and founder of the Woodwind Forum, is the Yani expert that I know. He has written a brief history of their saxophones on his website. This is what he writes about the 880 versus the 990:
So it appears that with each series Yanagisawa improved on their horns, and that the 990 is a very nice soprano.
With regards to a high G on a soprano, and if it changes the sound, I cannot say for say for 100% certainty, because I do not own a high G soprano. However, I have play tested a Selmer soprano keyed to high G, and it did not sound any different to my ear than a Selmer keyed to high F#. But you must realize that I’m mainly a tenor, baritone, and bass player. Soprano and alto are not my main saxophones. I do own a lot of them, but by no means do I think that I have nearly as good a sound on them as I do on my primary horns.
Perhaps a player who plays only soprano, or specializes in soprano and alto, might say that having a high G key changes the sound, or even the response. Much like some tenor players—myself included—say that having a high F# changes the response of a tenor.
So those are my answers to your questions nick. I hope that’s been a little helpful.
I would suggest that if you’re not already a member of the Woodwind Forum, that you join, and ask this question on our Sax Forum. Ed will see it, and will gladly answer your Yani questions as well. He will be able to offer all kinds of details that I don’t have.
I have a (cheap) soprano keyed to high G. Whether or not it affects sound or response I cannot say as they were not offered without the key to make a comparison. From what I have heard though, it is the CURVY sopranos that are most impacted by the addition of the high G and even the high F# key — and it has nothing to do with the bell and everything to do with the neck. The more curved the neck, the more the air stream will be aimed straight at the extra holes. With a straight or nearly straight neck, it shouldn’t make much of a difference (assuming the designers adjusted for the slight intonation differences).
I have an older Conn Silver and nickel saxaphone and I was wondering if you had any places where I might be able to find out how old it really is and or where to take them to get it appraised so I can get it insured? I live in Boise, Idaho and dont know where to take it to get that sort of information.
Any help would be great! Thanks!
Hi Jose. Welcome to my site.
Well your Conn will most likely be either silver or nickel. Since the color is the nearly same, it would be most unusual for the sax to be both. Saxophone manufacturers usually plated their horns in either one or the other—if it has only one color of plating that is. Conn saxophones tended to be more often silver plated, but without seeing photos, I couldn’t say for sure. And even with photos, it’s sometimes hard to tell the difference. Sometimes a person needs to see the horn in person to definitively say one way or the other: silver or nickel plating.
As far as how to tell how old it is, just check its serial number. Conn saxophones have very easy to find serial numbers. They are conveniently located below the right thumb rest, and look something like this. In this case the serial number starts with the letter “M”. Once you have found the serial number, you can look it up in the Conn serial number chart on Saxpics.
You don’t mention what kind of saxophone it is (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, other?), that combined with its condition, and model will determine its value. You can get an idea of what its worth by checking expired eBay listing for the same model of horns, but that of course won’t be an appraisal. To get a real appraisal, many music stores, or independent woodwind repair techs will do it for you for a fee. I find that the independent ones charge less.
One last thing, check with your insurance company to find out what kind of coverage you already have. For example, if you have house insurance, and you don’t gig with your horn, it might already be covered under your contents. If on the other hand you gig with your sax, then you definitely need separate insurance, because house insurance won’t cover it if something happens to it while it is out of the house.
I hope this has helped somewhat Jose. Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to know.
Regards,
Helen
It helped a lot! I totally forgot about mentioning what type it was. Its a tenor. I added a picture. I used to play while in school. I stopped playing not to long after but always kept it hoping my kids would play but they are more interested in sports lol .
Its a funny story how I got it. I received it as a graduation present. It used to be hung on the wall of my mother’s friends house with a dead plant in it. I would BEG her for it even offered to fix up her house for it and she always would refuse. Then on my graduation party she showed up with it. I had to get a new case because the old one literally fell apart when i opened it.
Looking at the serial number it looks like it was made in 1945 never thought it was that old!
Thanks again for the info it was great!
Hehe oops i forgot the picture
I’m happy that I was able to help you out Jose.
From the attached photo it looks like you have a lovely silver plated 10M.
This era of 10M is quite valuable when fully restored. As I mentioned in my previous comment, you might have replacement coverage already. However, the insurance company might require proof that you had this horn. Sometimes a photo or video of it might do, when part of a visual inventory of your home. Or perhaps they will require a written appraisal. If you’re renting, the policy might be very different. That’s why I said it’s important to check what your insurance company’s requirements are.
I can’t believe someone kept a plant in it! 😡 I’m glad you saved it. It’s always a shame when wonderful old vintage horns are treated badly. That’s what a P.O.S. old student horn is for. 😈
Hi, Helen
I enjoy your blog a lot! I’ve been dreaming of a bass saxophone for a while, and though I’ve taken every possible chance to hear anybody play one I’ve never seen anybody clean one. If it’s not too unaesthetic a question, how do you clean those monsters?
Regards,
Franz
Hello Franz. Welcome to my site.
When you say “clean” do you mean the inside? Or the outside? The outside is just like any other sax—there is just more of it! Having a silver plated saxophone can be a pain.
If you mean the inside, most bass saxophones made after 1921 or so all after water keys, or spit valves, like baritones do. The condensation, because just like in a regular sax, there is very little saliva, accumulates in the first lower bow of the pig tail. The spit valve will drain it very effectively. Because the pig tail is so long on bass saxophones, the pads generally never get wet, and are unlikely ever to need replacing due to getting hard and being no longer able to seal, like those in a conventional sax. When I got my 1922 Buescher in 2000, Paul told me that if I looked after the pads well, I would likely never have to have the horn repadded in my lifetime.
There are pigtail cleaners available for baritone saxophones. These bari snakes would work on a bass because the pigtail is so so long that the upper bow would never accumulate any gunk. This would apply to both American style as well as short wrap, French style saxophones, like Selmer makes.
I personally don’t eat anything, or drink anything but water when I play, so I never worry about accumulating anything in my horns. I don’t use a bari snake, and only drain the condensation—and the little bit of spit—out of my baris and bass during playing and afterwards using the water key.
So I hope that this has answered any questions you might have Franz, about cleaning these behemoths.
Thanks for this visit, and I hope you drop in again sometime. Ask anything you like.
Best regards,
Helen
Hello, Do serial numbers for “script” horns, ie: Selmer New York made by Buescher, fall into the manufactures production tables or was there a special listing? I’ve come across a silver Bari sax with a back stamp which reads: 43889 LOW PITCH LICENSE PAT. DEC 8 1914, according to Bueschers serial lists, this horn would date 1918. I’ve learned the patent refers to the drawn tone holes and it would seem that the smaller holes are drawn. Do yo know when Buescher started adding spit valves because this horn doesn’t have one? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Jon
Hello Jon. Welcome to my site.
The short answer to your question is “no”. Serial numbers for stencil horns, that is horns made by one company—in this case presumably Buescher—for another, in this case Selmer, generally do not correspond to the serial number charts of the manufacturing company. I have not found any serial number charts for Buescher stencil horns anywhere.
I am not entirely sure when Buescher added spit valves to their baritones, and given that this is a stencil, it might not be representative of the latest & greatest that Buescher had to offer. In other words, not all the latest bells and whistles were put on all American stencil horns.
To get an answer to your question about spit values, let me ask Pete Hales to chime in with an answer. He probably has the date, right down to the month, 😉 memorized.
I have a 1915 Conn soprano sax that belonged to my dad. It’s in reasonably good shape, all keys pearled and working. I was wondering what value a piece like this has?
Hi Jim. Welcome to my weblog.
Well I have 2 articles on my website that might be helpful to you. The first deals with assisting readers in determining the value of their vintage saxophones. If you’re looking for more information about your horn, you will find this article interesting. This one will also be helpful if you’re not sure what condition it’s really in, and need some help in determining that, in order to determine its value.
I hope this has helped. Let me know if I can be of any more assistance.
Regards,
Helen
I
I should write a review of the C sop sax by Benedict Eppelsheim but I decided not to because it is a challenging instrument for me (a hobbyist musician) to play above the first D above the staff (D3). Groovekiller, who is a pro has no problems playing the instrument into the altissimo range.
That said, I have a completely refurbished Conn C sop, also a straight and the inherent intonation and keyworks ergos are scary bad. In contrast, I can play the Eppleshiem instrument to replace an oboe part in a heartbeat as long as I don’t have to go too into the altissimo range.
This Eppelshiem didn’t cost that much and I love the quality of it with many adjustment screws, superior ergos and redesigned bore and pad sizes. I would argue it is the best C soprano available today bar none.
Hey Helen, just stopped here to say that I found something interesting I didn’t know about. Every once in a while I’ll go through Benedikt Eppelsheim’s website to see if he’s got anything new cooking and today I noticed he did. A new C soprano! I was kind of surprised by this move and even more surprised that I hadn’t heard about it from anyone.
Hi there Tropic.
Yes this new C soprano was chatted about on the Woodwind Forum when it was first talked about publicly. Actually one of the people that comments here regularly, Gandalfe, owns one. At least I think he does. He ordered one in December ’09, so I assume he got it. I checked his blog, and didn’t see a review or anything since he would have received it. I can ping him, and ask him to update us here on if he got it.
Yes, I was surprised to see Eppelsheim partner with Reese (from International Woodwinds fame) on a C soprano built in Asia. But if you read the Woodwind Forum thread, you’ll notice that according to Groovekiller, who owns a number of Eppelsheim’s big horns, and has a few of his videos on the Eppelsheim site:
I’m not convinced of the commercial viability of these saxes, but hey… What do I know? Time will tell if the product stays on the market for the long term I guess. I suspect that there will be/was an early rush of orders, and then it will trickle down to a very small number that will be ordered over the long term. (If there is a long term.)
Hi Helen.
I bought a Kohlert Modell 1927 (V.Kohlert’s Söhne) soprano the other day. The low actave key is missing otherwise it’s a nice sax. I hope that I can get an octave key made. This is my first Modell 1927.
http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm201/thomsax/?action=view¤t=kohlert1927001.jpg
When I took of one key I saw that the pad is screwed tight. No adhedsive or shellac. Never seen this before.
http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm201/thomsax/?action=view¤t=kohlert1927002.jpg
Do you know more about the Kohlert Modell 1927 saxes?
Thomas
Hi Thomas.
You know, I’ve not heard of the Modell 1927 from Kohlert. I have a PDF of an old Kohlert catalogue on my files I could dig out to look, but I have a funny feeling that it’s newer than your sax.
You know who would know? Pete, the man who used to own saxpics. He’s always been very interested in Kohlert saxophones. Let me send him an email and ask him to take a look at your comment. Do you happen to have other photos that you can upload? If not, no problem, but just in case they might be useful I thought I’d ask…helen
I’ve heard of the Modell 1927. I’ve just not gotten any pictures of them.
Considering that the Modell 1926 and Modell 1928, which I had lots of pics of, are variations on a theme, I doubt that the Modell 1927 is that much different.
All of the VKS-made horns until about 1935 are almost identical to Conn New Wonders of the same year — VKS even produced an F alto. In 1935, VKS came out with the right-side bell key model with the funky “VKS” keyguards.
I did have some fairly decent Kohlert info at http://www.saxpics.com/kohlert, but please note that that page doesn’t like Java anymore. You might have to go to http://www.saxpics.com/?v=mod&modID=90, instead. I do have some pics at http://208.95.77.77/thesaxinfo/gallery3/index.php/Kohlert and a pre-1930 catalog, if you’d like, too.
Thanks Pete. I could have cited the same pages, but I thought it was better coming from the horse itself. 😉
I did not know about the F alto. Very interesting… Kohlert was a very interesting company at the time.
Hi,
Here are some pictures of my Kohlert sop Modell 1927.
http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm201/thomsax/?action=view¤t=kohlert7juni2010007.jpg
http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm201/thomsax/?action=view¤t=kohlert6juni2010.jpg
http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm201/thomsax/?action=view¤t=kohlertjuni2010005.jpg
http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm201/thomsax/?action=view¤t=kohlert2juni2010001.jpg
http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm201/thomsax/?action=view¤t=kohlert3juni2010002.jpg
http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm201/thomsax/?action=view¤t=kohlert4juni2010.jpg
http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm201/thomsax/?action=view¤t=kohlert5juni2010004.jpg
Thomas
The pad mounting system on your soprano reminds me most of a closed-hole flute (as they still are made today). As for finding pads, you might want to look into pads for snap-in Buescher saxes. Even though you have a screw that fits inside the post where Bueschers have a snap that fits over the outside of a post, the principle is not all that much different.
Some people also buy pads with no resonators and use a punch to put a hole in the middle.
Helen,
I’m going to take some photos tomorrow and upload.
Mal-2,
Maybe Roopads without resonators can be an alternative? They are white/grey, in the same style like the orginal pads. I “recycle” the resonators and the screws? But I think I’ll use some “clear bathroom silicone” in the padcups to prevent moisture and dirt to go under the pads. This is harmless both for the player and sax! I have done this on an old Beuscher. The pads are set into silicone.
The big task on this sax is the missing low octave key! The seller (same guy who has the Klingsor wreck) has another Modell 1927 soprano and he promised me that I can “borrow” his octave key for making a new?!?
Thomas
I have a slight dillema, maybe you could help me out with.
This is the story, I recently purchased a Selmer Reference Tenor that I thought had more pad life than it turned out, thus I have had to get an overhaul. I really liked the horns feel and sound when I tried it out and the seller told me it had atleast 5 years of life on the pads; my mistake for taking his word instead of having it checked out. Anyway I’m into this horn for 3,500 + 725 for an overhaul, I’m sure I’m going to love this horn, but I hadn’t anticipated having to have an overhaul on the horn, and funds are tight; this is where my dilema comes in, I have a 1926 Martin Tenor Silver Plated like yours 745XX
which is clean and still playable, it gets a great big lower end sound. I thought I might try to trade it in for the overhaul, or sell it. I am sort of attached to the lush low end sound of this horn so I keep going back and forth whether I should just bite the bullet and just keep both. If I were to trade it for the overhaul do you think it is a reasonable trade more or less, or would it make sense to sell it for more and if so how much would be reasonable.
I know ultimately I’ll have to make the decision myself but sometimes it is helpful to get further insight from others, there you go— Help
Ken
Hi Ken. Welcome to my site.
Well it sounds like you’ve got yourself a bit of a dilemma there. You’re right of course, and only you will be able to decide what’s best for you. For me, well I never sell anything… Well almost anything. I have sold exactly 2 horns in 30 years, and have acquired many more than that, so you know what I’d personally do. I’d keep the Handcraft. (This coming from the woman who just bought another tenor yesterday taking my to a total of XXXXXXX. Oops… It appears the censors got a hold of that last sentence.) 😈
Seriously, I girl can never have too many pairs of shoes… Or saxophones…
OK, seriously though, back to your questions… Yes, there is something about the Handcraft’s sonic qualities that the Selmer will never come close to. Of all my tenors, the Martin is very unique in its sound. No other tenor I have has the depth to its tone… Although my Zeph comes close. If you do sell or trade it, you have to ask yourself are you going to regret doing so? Will you miss that low end? Because I guarantee you, your Selmer, while being a beautiful horn with a great sound, will never have the presence your Martin has. But do you really need 2 tenors?
As far as prices go, I don’t know what they’re currently really selling for. I quickly fired up eBay and found and unlacquered specimen that had had a recent repad that sold for $912.00. Then I also found a current listing for an unlacquered one that still needed a rebuild with a Buy It Now price of $599.00. You’d have to check some of the on-line dealers and see what, if anything, they might have in stock. Handcrafts are not easy to find, so be prepared to spend some time searching.
I don’t know if you’ve seen this, but I’ve done up an article that might be helpful in helping you determine what your sax might be worth.
I don’t know if anything I’ve written here is going to be helpful to you or not. Good luck in your soul searching. It won’t be an easy decision.
Feel free to check in again if you want to bounce ideas off some more. You can also email me if you like.
Regards,
Helen
Thanks for your input, and I think I would miss having the Martin available, so I’m going to keep it as my alternative tenor.
Take care, Ken
FWIW Ken, I’m glad you decided to keep the Martin. I agree that you might have missed its sound after a while. I love my Mark VI, but there are times when the Martin is the horn I use.
I always pick a particular tenor for a particular job, based on the sound it has. There are times when the Martin is the sound I want.
I hope your Reference 54 repad turns out well. Then you’ll have 2 great horns to choose from…helen
Hi,
I have a tenor sax ORSI (Milano). Only inscription is E 1898..in good shape and average condition..
Can you tell an estimate range of price for sale?
Thanks
François Corbel
Hello François. Welcome to my website.
You have an interesting tenor saxophone there. I believe it is the first non-antique Orsi that I have seen, that is silver-plated.
Since you are saying it’s an Orsi, and not mentioning a stencil name, I’m going to go with the assumption that it is an actual Orsi. Based on the photo, it does not appear to be one of Orsi’s professional model saxophones. Those tended to have circular bell to body support ring, rather than the straight bell to body brace. Now this catalogue is older than your saxophone, and the models may have changed. However, based on the serial # you provide, it fits with the Orsi stencil horns such as the La Monte and the Henri Lavelle that we see fairly commonly. As a matter of fact, the Henri Lavelle tenor in the post I linked to is serial # E26XX, so is very close to yours in age. (If indeed, as it appears, Orsi used the same serial number system for its name brand and stencil horns.)
You ask how much the horn would be worth if you were to sell it. The answer is: unfortunately not very much. Orsi saxophones do not command a great deal of money. Even their professional models do not bring in much cash. This professional alto was listed for $175, and was for sale for quite some time before it finally sold for $145.
I have an article on my website that can help you determine the value of your sax. Check it out. I have not been tracking Orsi sales recently, so I’m a bit out of the loop, but if you read the article, it will give you the tools you need to determine the approximate value of your sax. The fact that it’s silver, might add a few dollars to the value.
I hope this been somewhat helpful to you. Let me know if there’s something else you’d like to know.
Regards,
Helen
hello there!!
I just want to know, is possible for me to learn and be able to play a sax now?? I am 21years please help thnx
Hi gimmo. Welcome to my site.
Of course you can learn to play sax. There are lots of people that have started when they’re much older than you.
I think perhaps you might want to get hooked up with a teacher in the city where you live, and get their help. That is always a good first step. What do you think?
Helen
There is a good chance you could get a student to give you some lessons, I’m sure they could use the money! 😛 They don’t necessarily have to be music majors, but the music department of the local college is probably still a good place to start.
21 is not too old. Many people have started later. If you have any musical training at all, you shouldn’t suffer too much from the late start (except that you’ll be more aware of how BAD you are at first).
I saw a soprano sax on ebay the description says “This is a silver plated soprano saxophone. I don’t know who makes it unfortunately. I have a serial number 052674. I had it inspected by our stores professional repair tech and it needs no work done. Pads are good, it has absolutely no dents, comes with good condition hard shell case and everything pictured in it. Feel free to ask me anything and if any of you knowledgeable consumers happen to know the maker please let me know. This instrument is in perfect playing condition and ready to blow. I have no reserve on this item.” the current price is 58.00, and there are 2 days left, i want to know if i should bid on it or not, and if i’m getting ripped off, or not.
Hi Braden, welcome to my site.
Well any instrument for that little amount of money is always a gamble. You could get lucky, or you could get the beginnings of a great lamp. Sopranos, especially, are hard to pin down, because generally speaking they tend to play more out of tune than the bigger saxes, so to get a good one, you have to pay more. For example, a $500 soprano will not play nearly as well in tune as a $1500 one. A bit of a stereotype, but you get the idea. Having said that, since we don’t know what brand it is, it’s hard to make any kind of educated comment.
Is this a new horn? By that I mean a modern saxophone? Or is this a vintage horn? What’s the eBay item #? Or just paste the link to the auction in your reply. If I can take a look at it, then maybe the photos will tell me something.
I played a surprisingly good curvy sop being sold by the same guy as the Mercury tenor (“richardsaxross” on eBay). It was in the $800 range, and both sound and intonation were quite good. It was also very pretty, and heavily engraved. It had been built to spec without high F# (or G), so I suppose it was not too surprising that it felt like a vintage horn but with modern keywork. If I had had the money and had not been buying the tenor, I probably would have bought the curvy.
You don’t have to spend a fortune on a good soprano, but it helps to either be able to play it first, or buy from a reputable importer like Kessler, Phil Barone, or Viking Instruments.
ow, I’m sorry!!! I forgot to mention that I’m talking about the bass sax with low G this link:
Hello friend
My name is Michael, I live in Brazil … I was looking on google for pictures of bass sax, I found your blog … very interesting! congratulations for the work to publicize this wonderful instrument!
good, I decided to send this message to you for a reason, I think you made a mistake, the sax that these two photos, I think it’s a baritone sax with low G adapted and not a sax with a low G. low. .
Bari sax on this one thinking,
https://bassic-sax.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/saxbaixo4-500×725.jpg
https://bassic-sax.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/saxbaixo5-500×725.jpg
I came to this conclusion repair the curve of the neck, notice how different the sax 2 w / anterior neck this:
https://bassic-sax.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/instrumento6-500×729.jpg
I’m sorry if I’m wrong … and also sorry for the mistakes, I speak very little English! I used a Google translator!
THANK
Michael
Hello Michael. Welcome to my website!
You are correct. I didn’t look closely enough at where the neck comes out of the upper bow. The bass saxophones that Lopes converted, like the one that I played, has the neck lower than the horns that I’m showing as being the bass.
I used the Google translation too, but I used it on the Lopes website. I should have paid more attention to what I was looking at.
Thank you for catching my error. I will correct my posting.
I hope you enjoy my website. I hope you’ll find other things to comment on as well. (I hope they won’t all be mistakes.) 😉
Hello Helen,
Thanks for the welcome!
thank you for answering! and although we agree on the photos!
yes and like much of your site!
I am completely in love with bass sax … I played a bari sax for almost 10 years the church which I am part of the orchestra, now play a contra-alto clarinet but soon I intend to fulfill my dream of playing a bass sax … this desire I already have it since I started playing the bari, but here in Brazil was VERY difficult to find good bass sax … today we have J `Elle Stainer is an excellent instrument … I want to buy a J`Elle Stainer soon!
Thanks again!
see later!
Michael
Hey Helen,
Wanted to give you an update on the La Fleur.The re build is coming along well and of course with surprises!The tech at Tom Lee found that the bell/body brace was pushed into body.He did a great job getting it out and the dent on the bow is 95%,the guard for the low c was in way.He soldered the body where the bell brace attaches as a precaution,real nice job.A new rod for upper stack was fabbed and all posts aligned and other rods straightened.I leveled the key cups and have dry fitted,shimmed and shellacked the pads in.I have burned one and tore a hole in another but all in all it has gone well.I have decided to wait to leak test after I finish installing all the springs.I will finish with new corks and felts.I managed to play a few notes today and have posted a 30 second video on You tube,mainly to check pitch and it is low!!!I can hardly wait til I can play it when done the tone is nice and projection!!I think this is a wailing Sax!!Find my videos at youtube”mranglosaxman”
Kevin.
Hi Kevin. Thanks for the update.
The pushed in bell/body brace damage is not really surprising. It happens a lot in shipping, or if the horn is dropped in its case. However in those cases, it’s usually that the brace is pushed into the bell, rather than the body tube. In any event, it has been fixed, and that’s good. It’s really a quick fix in the overall scheme of things, and doesn’t leave any lasting problems. I’ve had more than 1 horn that that has happened to over the years.
Do you have Stephen Howard’s new book yet? The Haynes Saxophone Manual: Choosing, Setting Up and Maintaining a Saxophone, is without a doubt the most useful book I’ve seen on the subject. I believe you can order them now through Amazon.ca. I got mine directly from Steve a few weeks ago already. IMO, it is a must have for all serious saxophone players. I strongly encourage everyone to buy the book.
I haven’t had a chance to check out your video, but will later today. But I’m looking forward to getting together with you and seeing this mystery sax for myself. (And giving it play test too.) I’m sure you’ll have a good time trying out some of its cousins that I have… Vintage German horns from the same era, but different manufacturers. These are all very good instruments, some of which are seriously undervalued however.
Oh and yes of course, my bass will enjoy getting out of its case for a change. It misses the regular action it saw when I lived on the East Coast.
Stay in touch, and good luck in the rest of your repair work!
Hey Helen,
Browsing German E bay today and saw a beauty New King Silver Tenor,if you get a chance to look at it I would like your opinion.I have been wondering about my Yamaha,it dies when I try to push it hard or is it my Berg?90/2- I have tried putting more mp in my mouth,seems to allow for larger projection.The options today compared to when I played 30 years ago in School are immense,so many choices,horns,mouthpieces and reeds!That New King is the same as the Bundy special I almost bought for 800(10m instead)this one on German E bay looks like 1500?Trying some different combos might answer some of my concerns.
I got the springs today!I have just the upper stack to re spring and I am well on my way to finishing the La Fleur possibly by the weekend if I get the other pads in mail.
Hope you are well,
Kevin.
I checked out the horn Kevin. It looks really nice. It’s kinda’ weird that the seller didn’t put a reserve on it. No, it’s not 1500 Euros, it’s 14.50 Euros. In Germany, they don’t use a decimal point they use commas. So what I’m seeing right now is 14,50 EUR. Theres 4 days left on the auction, with only 7 bids on the sax. Very strange.
As far as the YTS-23 and your Berg goes, it could be all kinds of things. I’d like to hear you play it, and then I’d be in a better position to figure out what’s going on. It could be m/p & horn conflict, or bad reed. Or all kinds of stuff.
Yes, there are a ton of different combos you can try, but that opens the door for G.A.S. But when it really comes down to it, the reed/mouthpiece is the beginning of the equation. The 23 is a good, stable horn. We can go through some of my mouthpieces, and give them a go too. I’m pretty sure I can figure out what’s going on.
Bergs in general, tend to “break” when pushed. That has been my experience with them. As a bari player in a rock band, nothing was more frustrating than that. That was what made me switch to the Rico Metalite when I worked in electric environments.
I have an app’t in Burnaby on Friday in the early afternoon. Maybe we want to get together after that, if you’re free. Let’s talk. I’ll call you tomorrow.
Helen,
Glad you got pictures. No worries, do understand, just so thankful for the help. Looking forward to what comes up. Thanks!
Hi Helen,
I sent some pics of the “Le Rue” mystery sax to your g-mail acct as you requested but not sure if you got them. Let me know if you need me to resend or any additional pics needed. Thanks so much!
Hi Alice. Yes I did get the pictures. Thanks. I haven’t had a chance to look at them though.
I’m slowly catching up from a ton of emails that I’m buried under. I’ll try and start do a bit of research on this sax over the next few days. I’ll drop you an email when I get something.
Regards,
Helen
Don’tknow if this has anything to do with the saxophone that she’s talking about. Would it have any engraving (After-market) that says Le Rue on it?
http://www.cyder.demon.co.uk/lerue.htm
does it have any other numbers / names / enscriptions on it?
Chris,
Sorry, my bad, actual spelling is La Rue, but appreciate the link. I intend to send the band some pictures. Think they would get a kick out of this sax. I posted earlier on this blog with more details to decription if wish to review. Only other markings are ssn#? 18311 w/Italy stamped underneath. Both of these are located under thumb rest. Can send you pix if you would like. Have plenty.
Hi Helen,
I have been busy working on the La Fleur Alto.A few more springs and my pads will be here this week.I am getting excited about getting her to play!No luck in the investigation into its origin.I did not get replies from either Keilwerth or the shop in Ireland that sold it originally.I am thinking they got my emails in there “junk” with attachments delete delete?I am a little concerned right now it may be high pitch.All I can do is put pads on and check tuning.I have a fellow on www looking into it Matt Stoher.Any tips you may have would be appreciated.I have some new HD pics I can send you.
Thanks, Kevin
It will be interesting to see what Matt Stoher comes up with. I got your pics. Thanks. I’ll forward them to Pete & see if they help him any more.
I’ll forward you what he wrote up until now & then I’ll post it it under the La Fleur’s actual article of December 23, 2009.
I have posted an update to the La Fleur page. It includes Pete’s thoughts, and some updated ones of my own.
Does some body know about Saxophone mark ” KENT ” made in Italy, i hace it but i can`t find nothing about it in internet, date made and nothing,,, it have a Brilhart ebolin mouth piece, HEEEEEELP 😐
Hi there. Welcome to my website.
Well, you have a stencil saxophone there, but you might know now this already. I have not heard of the stencil name Kent before, but that doesn’t mean much. There were lots of small companies that could have hired any one of a number of Italian companies to manufacture a saxophone for them.
I would need to see some more pictures of the other parts of your horn to properly identify the manufacturer. Check out this page on my site to give you an idea of the kinds of pictures that would be helpful. You can send the pictures to my gmail account, this way you don’t have worry about making them smaller.
Hope this helps a bit. Once I’ve got some more photos, I’ll be able to do some research and hopefully be able to give you some more information.
Be in touch…helen
PS: I just checked my email. No worries, your pictures are there. I need some pictures of the left side of your horn, etc. I think I know what it is, but the left pinkie table, octave lever, and some of the other things I mention on the page I provide the link to, will confirm this for me.
Hi Gabriel.
I sent you this in an email, but in case someone else ever looks for a horn stencilled with the name Kent, I’ll post my response to you here.
From what I can tell of the photos, it appears that you have an Orsi stencil of their professional model saxophone. The letter that starts in the serial number of the saxophone E43XX, is the first clue that it is an Orsi saxophone.
If you compare your saxophone to the LaMonte Superior that recently sold on eBay, you will see that they are very similar, if not identical.
Orsi made a great many stencil saxophones for different companies. Although I had not come across the name “Kent” until now, that doesn’t mean much. Many small companies could have ordered a small number of saxophones from a large company such as Orsi over the years. Orsi has been around since 1836, so they have a very long and distinguished history.
There are no published serial number charts for Orsi instruments. I have also not come across any information that indicates whether or not stencil horns from Orsi follow the serial numbers of the Orsi name. If you are interested in finding out more, you could always contact the company and ask them if they have any records about their stencil saxophones and years of production. You would have to let them know what brand you have, and its serial number.
I hope this has been of some help to you.
Regards,
Helen
What was the conclusion of this Sax…..I have one just like this from a lady who play for Kent State University..It has “KENT” on it and Made in Italy.. that was all I was able to find on it. The pads on mine are new I was told.
Hi John. Welcome to my site.
You posted your question just below the “conclusion” as it were, to the question that someone asked about the Kent brand of saxophone. I had included links for that person to compare their sax to others.
Kent was/is a stencil horn, so the company used an existing saxophone manufacturer to make a sax for them. In this particular case that company was Orsi. However, it is very common for companies to switch manufacturers over time for a variety of reasons. For example, the Jubilee company used Keilwerth for some of its horns, and Dörfler & Jörka for others.
Without photos of your sax, I couldn’t tell you for sure who made your sax. If you’d like me to tell you more about your saxophone, send me some photos to my Gmail account. To get an idea of the kinds of photos are helpful, check out this page on my main website.
I hope this has answered some of your questions. You can send me the photos anytime you have them.
Regards,
Helen
Looking for help with mystery saxophone. My father-in-law acquired a very old saxophone that had been sitting in someones attic near Austin, Texas for at least 35 yrs. No known history before that except belonged to his grandmother and not sure how she acquired it. Anyway, this is either a tenor or alto sax, brass with worn lacquer finish. Some silver accents with mother of pearl keys. Came in a black Buescher case with deep purple velvet lining and interior label that says Parker and Houston. Rest of label unreadable. Only markings on saxophone are Italy with a # 18311 above it. Both are stamped under the thumb rest. The bell does have some very beautiful floral design etching(looks more stamped into horn than etched) but not as large as you would see on an old Buescher or orsi. Middle of etching says La Rue. Also included in case was a neck piece with an unusual lower bar, Selmer mouth piece with decorative handcarving around the base, brass mouth piece cover and leather neck strap. Cannot find any detailed info on this and nearest music store not much help. Came across your site while hunting info and hoping someone here can shed some light on what we’ve got. Starting to feel like I’m :beat: . Sure would make an old man happy! Thanks for any info offered.
Hi Alice. Welcome to my site.
It seems that you’ve done some research already, so I’m sure you already know that you have a stencil horn on your hands. Since there were a number of saxophone manufacturers who all made a variety of stencils, not to mention, there were some strange hybrid horns that seem to contain parts of a number of different brands, this sax you mention could be one of a number of different animals.
If it’s an alto or tenor is easy to identify by the shape of neck, and the overall length of the horn. Is the neck straight, or does it have a bend in it (otherwise known as a goose neck)?
The best thing to do, if you’d like me to give you some accurate information, is to send me some photos. Take a look at this page on my site, for a guide of what the photos should look like & include.
Send the photos to my gmail account. This way you don’t have to worry about making them smaller.
Oh, about the Selmer mouthpiece you mention, it is what is commonly referred to as a scroll shank mouthpiece. Selmer stopped making their mouthpieces like that quite some time ago. Depending on the facing, and the condition of the piece, it might be worth more than the sax to some people. You’ll want to take very good care of it, and not let the tip get damaged. What is the letter on the mouthpiece? They’re usually stamped with something like C* or D**.
I hope this has been somewhat helpful Alice. I’m looking forward to getting a few pictures of your sax. (Don’t worry about getting all the photos I show on my page, or exactly like I’ve shown them.)
Regards,
Helen
Yeah! There is hope. Thank you so much. The mouth piece has an E only, with Made in France under it. The center of the Selmer stamp is slightly worn but can still make out what it says. The design on the bottom is very clear with no wear there. Over all it is lovingly used but perfectly intact. No chips or cracks. I will send pictures Fri. if all goes well. Thank you again for your help oh great knower of all things saxophone!!!! So glad to have found you! Can’t wait to unfold the mystery.