{"id":30703,"date":"2012-03-05T10:59:45","date_gmt":"2012-03-05T18:59:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bassic-sax.info\/blog\/?p=30703"},"modified":"2025-08-09T11:11:58","modified_gmt":"2025-08-09T18:11:58","slug":"jelle-stainer-subcontrabass-saxophone-overviewreview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bassic-sax.info\/blog\/2012\/jelle-stainer-subcontrabass-saxophone-overviewreview\/","title":{"rendered":"The J\u2019\u00c9lle Stainer Subcontrabass Saxophone: The Overview\/Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

The J\u2019Elle Stainer Sub-contrabass Saxophone<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Bassic Sax Guest Columnist, Attilio Berni <\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n
\"subcontrabass<\/a>
Attilio Berni playing his J’Elle Stainer subcontrabass Photo supplied by Attilio Berni<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The sub-contrabass saxophone is a model of saxophone that Adolphe Sax designed and planned, but never realized. Adolphe Sax was a unique personage, with an early and highly developed musical intelligence that led him from an early age to experiment and make musical instruments of excellent workmanship. An eclectic person in possession of such skills to be able to create very great projects, such as an exceptional cumbersome organ supplied by the engine of a locomotive and a oval concert hall; or very unusual projects such as a device able to tune simultaneously and perfectly all the strings of the piano and the Goudronniere, a sort of “hygienic exhalers” that were used to purify the air of hospitals and sanatoriums.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Sax called this imaginary saxophone bourdon saxophone<\/strong>. It should have been a transposing instrument in Bflat, one octave below the bass saxophone and two octaves below the tenor saxophone.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"J'Elle<\/a> <\/p>\n

Above photo: The J\u2019\u00c9lle Stainer subcontrabass in its specially-designed stand, and a conventional soprano for size comparison.<\/span><\/p>\n

The sub-contrabass J’Elle Stainer is an absolute prototype, a unique piece entirely made by hand (pads included) whose design and construction took three years of work! The tube of the body develops an overall length of almost 6 meters and obviously it has a very dark and almost cavernous sound. The lowest note, low A (real note) is close to the least threshold of audibility: 27.5Hz! In order to realise the size let\u2019s make a comparison with a high saxophone Selmer SA 80 Series III:<\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
comparisons<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/td>\nSelmer S.A.80III alto sax<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/td>\nJ\u2019Elle Stainer sub-contrabass sax<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Inside air volume <\/span><\/td>\nabout 2 liters <\/span><\/td>\nabout 40 liters<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bell diameter <\/span><\/td>\n11,5cm<\/span><\/td>\n38cm<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bell circumference <\/span><\/td>\n38cm<\/span><\/td>\n120cm<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hole diameter low si <\/span><\/td>\n4cm<\/span><\/td>\n2 holes: 14cm and 11cm <\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Range<\/span><\/td>\nBb-F#     <\/span><\/td>\nB- F#<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
(in Hertz)<\/em><\/span><\/td>\nfrom 207,6Hz to 803,6Hz<\/span><\/td>\nfrom 27,5Hz to 164,8Hz<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Engraving<\/span><\/td>\nby pantograph<\/span><\/td>\nby hand<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Columns<\/span><\/td>\nsoldered on the plate<\/span><\/td>\ndirectly soldered on the body<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Plate thickness<\/span><\/td>\n0,6mm   <\/span><\/td>\n0,71mm<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pads<\/span><\/td>\nleather (industrial)<\/span><\/td>\nleather (handmade)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Resonators<\/span><\/td>\nmetal<\/span><\/td>\nmetal<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Left\/Right thumb rests<\/span><\/td>\nplastic- plastic<\/span><\/td>\nplastic – metal<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Holes      <\/span><\/td>\nextruded                <\/span><\/td>\nsoldered<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Body total length<\/span><\/td>\nabout 1,16m <\/span><\/td>\nabout 5,950m <\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight<\/span><\/td>\n2,1Kg<\/span><\/td>\n24,3Kg<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

\"J'Elle<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n

Above photo: The upper bow, pig tail, neck, mouthpiece, & custom ligature of the J\u2019\u00c9lle Stainer subcontrabass saxophone.<\/span><\/p>\n

APPEARANCE<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite the various withies and the compact shape, the instrument is aesthetically balanced and elegant. On the lower curve a ferrule is already fixed to the bow as it is imperative to play this instrument sitting down and leaning it on its specific stand.  The current model is given with its  standard box (giant) and a special mouthpiece with its artistically worked ligature.  A note on the polypropylene mouthpiece: the J\u2019Elle Stainer provides customers of personalized mouthpieces for their instruments. The chamber and the facing are calculated to enhance the instrument timbre in order to be unique pieces. The above mentioned mouthpiece is similar to the plan of the contrabass sax one. The opening is partly closed and gives a full, warm and dark timbre making it easy the attack of both low and acute registers, so that it is suitable for any kind of performance from classical, to chamber or jazz music.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The body and the keys finish color is gold with floral engravings on the whole bell.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

ERGONOMICS<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Although it is obviously conditioned by the considerable size of the instrument and the  partly long run of the keys, the ergonomics is pretty good. Obviously this is an instrument of exceptional dimensions and this implies a sort of adjustment. It was adopted a “Selmer-Style” system: it has essentially the same construction features of a modern Selmer so that there aren\u2019t any particular difficulties even in the most complex passages.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The only problems are:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n