{"id":51042,"date":"2021-10-03T10:54:20","date_gmt":"2021-10-03T17:54:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bassic-sax.info\/blog\/?p=51042"},"modified":"2024-06-27T09:47:08","modified_gmt":"2024-06-27T16:47:08","slug":"eugen-schuster-saxophones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bassic-sax.info\/blog\/2021\/eugen-schuster-saxophones\/","title":{"rendered":"Eugen Schuster saxophones"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Eugen<\/a>
Eugen Schuster print ad. Circa 1940<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A little while ago I was asked about a Eugen Schuster tenor sax on SOTW. The fellow had found an unrestored tenor somewhere and picked it up. He asked whether it was worth restoring, or if it was a wall hanger. <\/p>\n

I tried to send him to my Eugen Schuster page on Bassic Sax. I then realized I never finished writing it. Ooops… \ud83d\ude33 <\/p>\n

Since I started researching this obscure German saxophone brand more than a decade ago, very little new obvious information has come to light. Over the past week I put my researching abilities to the test and looked up the brand in both the German saxophone books I have, as well as on German-speaking online resources. <\/p>\n

The result? A slight longer and more informed Eugen Schuster page<\/a> on Bassic Sax. I also took the time to reorganize and update the Schuster galleries we have on Bassic Sax Pix<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Who was Eugen Schuster?<\/h3>\n

Eugen Schuster was originally a trading company that sold stencil and brand-name band instruments in Germany before and after WWII. Although originally started in 1922, the company didn’t start making their own saxophones until after 1937. <\/p>\n

Pre-1937<\/a>, Eugen Schuster ordered their saxophones from Franz K\u00f6hler<\/a>. After ’37, the Kroha brothers moved to Markneukirchen and headed up the saxophone production for Eugen Schuster.<\/p>\n

According to reports I have read, saxophones were the only instruments that Schuster made. All other instruments were stenciled for Eugen Schuster by manufacturers in the  Musikwinkel<\/a>, or\u2014since the company was a Buescher dealer at the time\u2014sold under their American brand names. <\/p>\n

Eugen Schuster-made saxophones<\/a> bear a striking similarity in some respects to later K\u00f6hler<\/a>, Oswald Wolfram<\/a>, and Werner Roth<\/a>. This is not a coincidence. Franz K\u00f6hler was instrumental in developing the skills of young saxophone builders, and he greatly influenced saxophone design in the region. <\/p>\n

Eugen Schuster saxophone models & finishes<\/h3>\n

In order of what we see most commonly<\/em> for sale:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Majestic Aristocrat<\/li>\n
  2. Majestic<\/li>\n
  3. Majestic Professional 1930<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I have not seen anything other than silver plated Eugen Schuster horns. However, the silver came in a variety of finishes, and even lacquer models were available<\/a>. <\/p>\n

    The one that got away<\/h3>\n
    \"\"<\/a>
    Eugen Schuster-made Majestic Aristocrat alto # 1316 Source: Sax Quest on eBay.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    The name Eugen Schuster hit my radar screen more than a decade ago when Sax Quest had alto #1316<\/a> up for auction on eBay. In hindsight I should have bought it. I just didn’t need another alto.<\/p>\n

    The thing is, this horn came with its original bill of sale<\/a> from June 1945. From a saxophone historian’s perspective, this is a really cool horn. From a player’s perspective? Who knows? <\/p>\n

    I have never played an Eugen Schuster-made saxophone. I keep hoping a tenor will pop up for sale in my neck of woods so I can try it out. I am hoping for an unrestored one, so I can see what it was like when it was made, not what techs have done to it over the years. <\/p>\n

    In conclusion then…<\/h3>\n

    Eugen Schuster saxophones can be broken down into 2 broad varieties: 1. Those pre-1937, that were stenciled, and 2. Those post-1937, that were built in-house. <\/p>\n

    Overall these are among the more rare, or obscure if you will, vintage saxophone brands. It is unclear how many were made, and no, there are no serial # charts available for them either. <\/p>\n

    Something to keep in mind when vintage saxophone shopping: Rare DOES NOT EQUAL<\/strong> excellent, or necessarily even good. <\/p>\n

    Are these vintage Eugen Schuster saxophones good? I don’t know. I haven’t had the chance to try one. I would love to compare one to my Toneking or President. Then I would be be properly able to determine how good, or not, they really are. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    A little while ago I was asked about a Eugen Schuster tenor sax on SOTW. The fellow had found an unrestored tenor somewhere and picked …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":51211,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[78],"tags":[601,151,644,141,643,31,136],"class_list":["post-51042","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-vintage-horns","tag-eugen-schuster-2","tag-german-saxophones","tag-photos","tag-sax-on-the-web","tag-vintage-horns","tag-vintage-sax","tag-vintage-sax-resources"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t