![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bassic-sax.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/Right-Side.jpg\" "\\"Right-Side\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nI had the opportunity to buy\u00a0this Max Keilwerth-made, Hohner President, closet horn. This 2 tone tenor is from 1961, and came with all the original accessories, including the case; end plug; mouthpiece, ligature, and cap; neck strap; and even pull-through cleaning swab.\u00a0This tenor has virtually no playing time on it. Even the original pads\u2014with no resos\u2014look new. They have virtually no imprints on them.<\/p>\n
According to the old SaxPics site<\/a>, Max Keilwerth started making saxophones for Hohner after he left Amati. Max Keilwerth’s factory was located in Trossingen, Germany. It was in this factory that from approximately 1949 to 1967, the Hohner President was built.<\/p>\n I took a series of quick snap shots inside my studio yesterday afternoon. It was threatening rain, so I couldn’t take my photography efforts outside. Unfortunately that means there are some interesting reflections in this rather shiny horn. Try not to let these reflections distract you. OK? \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n The bell to body support brace is much in style with the rest of the horn. It is a variation of the posts used on the sax.<\/p>\n This is the first sax that I’ve personally seen, that has been designed so carefully that all aspects of style are consistent, and carried throughout the full range of the instrument.<\/p>\n Here is a close-up of a couple of the post shapes that were used on the Hohner President.<\/p>\n In this shot of the lower stack keys you can see the high D# trill key this horn has.<\/p>\n Here is the high D# trill key in detail. This was a common feature in quite a few European brands. Both my Hammerschmidt-stencilled H\u00fcttl alto<\/a> has this key, as does one of my Hammerschmidt Klingsor tenors<\/a>.<\/p>\n In this picture of the bow, you can see the King Zephyr-like, eyebrow key guards that the Hohner President is known for.<\/p>\n You gotta’ love this unibrow!<\/p>\n Note the neck tightening screw. It is the same type we see on certain models of Hammerschmidts<\/a>, as well as on the D\u00f6rfler & J\u00f6rka<\/a> saxes. (Which are of course J. Keilwerth clone horns.) What Max Keilwerth did differently, is keep his design consistent, and make the lyre screw the same shape.<\/p>\n This Hohner President does have a high F# key. But rather than have it where traditionally saxophone manufacturers have located it\u2014down by the chromatic F# key\u2014Max Keilwerth located his just below the high F key.<\/p>\n At first I thought it would be strange, but I must admit, the first time I played the sax, I found the F# quite intuitively. It seem to me to be much easier to play a high F# this way, than to use you right pinkie or ring finger to operate a high F# key.<\/p>\n Disclaimer: The only playable\u00a0horn I own that has a high F# key is my Mark VI soprano, so I’m not very familiar or comfortable using a high F# key on saxes. I usually always use altissimo fingerings, even when playing a sax with the additional key.<\/p>\n Having the high F# key located at the left palm level naturally leads to some extra key work in this area of the horn.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The horn’s serial number is 104XX. According to a serial number chart<\/a> compiled by a Hohner President owner, and supplied to Pete Hales\u2014the then owner of SaxPics\u2014the serial number would indicate that this sax was made in 1961.<\/p>\n By now you might have noticed that this sax has rolled tone holes. Here is a good shot of the original pads that shows how little use the sax had. As noted previously, these pads have no resos in them.<\/p>\n I thought this shot down the bell was interesting. You don’t\u00a0find too many 49 year old horns that are this\u00a0pristine looking.<\/p>\n In this pic you might notice that one of the key guard posts is not attached. At some point the case must have taken a hit, and this post became dislodged. This is the only damage to the sax itself, and will need to fixed. However, that aside, the engraving and the finish\u00a0are astounding.<\/p>\n Pardon the\u00a0blurriness of this photo (I should have re-shot it), but you can still see the Hohner President’s double socket.<\/p>\n The big question is of course what does it\u00a0play like? Well it plays amazingly well for a sax that’s been sitting in a closet for most of its life. I can play it over its full range, and subtone all the way down to low Bb. It does not appear to have an major leaks.<\/p>\n I have not played it a great deal, because I had a student come over last night who ended up staying for 2 hours because we chatted about stuff. (He was a fellow I met at one of our shows, and this was the first time he came for a lesson.)<\/p>\n The only mouthpiece I’ve tried on it so far is my vintage Dukoff S7. Because the horn has no resos, it is naturally darker than any of the saxes I’ve got. However, it is a sax with a beautiful sound. It is quite different from my other tenors. I’m going to spend some time today trying different mouthpieces on it, and seeing what it can do.<\/p>\n I do need to take it to my tech. There is too much play in the high F# key, and there are some tweaks it needs. I will have to play it awhile, and make a complete list before I take\u00a0it to Dave<\/a>.<\/p>\n I think this will make a lovely addition to my tenor sax family once it’s all tweaked to my liking. Very different to everything that I already have, and ergonomically very well laid out. She is definitely a keeper.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n