{"id":52401,"date":"2022-09-12T09:08:55","date_gmt":"2022-09-12T16:08:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bassic-sax.info\/blog\/?p=52401"},"modified":"2022-09-12T09:08:55","modified_gmt":"2022-09-12T16:08:55","slug":"newest-bassic-sax-family-member","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bassic-sax.info\/blog\/2022\/newest-bassic-sax-family-member\/","title":{"rendered":"“Newest” Bassic Sax family member"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"antique<\/a>
Boosey & Co. alto sax # 20709<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I am primarily a bari sax player. Bari\/bass are my two main horns. Given this, it is astounding how many altos and tenors I have. I don’t really mean to add more to my collection. More often than not these vintage babies simply find me.<\/p>\n

Case in point, the newest<\/em> sax in the Bassic Sax family is another alto\u2014and quite possibly the oldest saxophone I own. Some of you might recognize this horn from the article I wrote earlier this year titled: LP Boosey & Co. Eb alto keyed to low B<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Long story short, this quirky horn stole my heart in a strange way due to its ability to play nicely in tune\u2014despite being a horn of a particular age \ud83d\ude09 \u2014and its features. (Or more to the point, lack thereof.)<\/p>\n

My studio has become home to a whole set of strange and wonderfully oddball saxophones. Sure, I have the run-of-the-mill Selmers, Keilwerths, Conns, Martins, and slightly more obscure Hohners. But I also have some real oddities like the J.R. Lafleur & Son Varsity<\/a>, which is a copy of the rare A.K. H\u00fcttl saxophones that pop up from time to time, but whose manufacturer is unknown. Then there is a SAIIIM soprano<\/a> that doubles as a Christmas tree<\/a> in the living room each year. <\/p>\n

The oldest saxophone I owned before this baby officially became a Bassic Sax family member, is a Buffet-Crampon (Evette & Schaeffer) HP baritone<\/a> from 1886. And just like that French-made bari<\/a>, this British-made alto is nothing like the saxophones made today\u2014or even the vintage saxophones people spend big $$ on. <\/p>\n

These horns from the late 1800s simply sound different. They are not your grandfather’s saxophone.<\/p>\n

Simply put: They are Adolphe Sax’s saxophones. They sound the way Adolphe Sax built his saxophones to sound. And for the most part, they do not fit into modern orchestras, dance bands, or even community bands. They are simply different: Very different. <\/p>\n

Even my circa 1930 Pierret<\/a> sounds modern compared to this Boosey & Co. alto. As previously mentioned, when paired with my vintage Meyer MP, this Boosey alto plays perfectly in tune. What does take some getting used to is its double octave keys; lack of bis Bb; lack of front F; and oh yah, lack of low Bb. \ud83d\ude09  \ud83d\ude06 <\/p>\n

An antique saxophone gets its glamour shots<\/h3>\n

A number of weeks ago I did shoot some glamour shots of this old-timer. They may not be classic sax porn, but they display something you certainly don’t see everyday: An antique saxophone in remarkable condition; that has been extremely well cared for; loved; and the recipient of an overhaul prior to the previous owner buying it. <\/p>\n

\"front-&-right-with-neck-150\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"right-upper-fixed\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"right-middle\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"right-lower-fixed\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"front-upper\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"front-upper-no-neck\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"front-mid\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"front-middle-2\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"front-lower\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"front-right-pinkie-keys\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"bell-engraving\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"bell-&-bow-front\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"rear-upper\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"rear-mid\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"rear-lower\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"left-with-neck\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"left-upper\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"left-middle-fixed\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"left-lower\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"neck-top\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"neck-underside\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"neck-left\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"neck-right\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

How does it compare to something we are familiar with?<\/h3>\n

I thought it would be interesting to compare this Boosey & Co. alto with its more modern, Selmer S80 Series I cousin. Despite being shorter in length, it still plays in tune at A=440. This I find rather strange, given my previous experiences with shorter horns. <\/p>\n

\"Top: <\/a>
Top: Selmer Super Action Series I # M328xxx Bottom: Boosey & Company #20709 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Top: <\/a>
Top: Selmer Super Action Series I # M328xxx Bottom: Boosey & Company #20709 <\/div> <\/div>
\"Notice <\/a>
Notice the length difference of approx. 2cm <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Left: <\/a>
Left: Selmer Super Action 80 Series I neck Right: Boosey & Company neck <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Bottom: <\/a>
Bottom: Selmer Super Action 80 Series I neck Top: Boosey & Company neck <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Someone even made it a case<\/h3>\n

As I mentioned, before the previous owner got it, someone spent quite a bit of money on this horn. Why? I can only speculate that it was likely a family heirloom of some kind. I can’t think of another reason why anyone would drop the coin necessary to overhaul an antique saxophone that isn’t an Adolophe Sax original. <\/p>\n

Not sure where this custom case came from, but someone even made the horn its current case from what I can only presume was a sample case from Philippine-based, La Tonde\u00f1a Distillers Incorporated<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Based on the branding on the case, it comes from the period when San Miguel Corporation had a 70% stake in La Tonde\u00f1a Distillers, and ran it under the name: La Tonde\u00f1a Distillers Inc. Hence the case is from sometime during 1987-2003. How this sample case ended up in North America, and made its way into a saxophone case is also a mystery. <\/p>\n

\"case\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"case-badge\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"in-case\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"in-case-with-accessories\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

So what am I going to do with this Boosey & Co. alto?<\/h3>\n

A few years ago I did a presentation on the evolution of the saxophone at the Vancouver Art Gallery. I am thinking of developing something like that again, but perhaps on a smaller scale. (Fifteen saxophones in 60 minutes was crazy! \ud83d\ude1b  )<\/p>\n

At the time, my Buffet baritone was the oldest sax I had, but with it being a HP horn, it really doesn’t demonstrate the tone as well as something that is tuned to A=440. This alto can really demonstrate well how not only the design of saxophones has evolved, but how the tone has sound has changed since Sax’s day, to what we are used to hearing today. <\/p>\n

This type of presentation\/concert is something that could be useful as workshops for schools, teachers, and for museum and gallery events. <\/p>\n

What do you think? The largest horn I have is a bass, and the smallest a C soprano. So there would be no contra or Soprillo offerings. Someday though, I would love to add a slide sax of some stripe to the set. Vibrato now makes a transparent tenor. Mmm… Maybe light it up with strip lighting that responds to sound?  \ud83d\ude0e <\/p>\n

For the performance at the art gallery I used a live drummer and piano player. Not sure I would do that again. It was a lot of extra logistics\u2014and pay. Maybe just keys?<\/p>\n

We are also thinking of offering it through Matterhorn Music. We would be the only music store in BC (likely all of Western Canada) offering something like this. <\/p>\n

And finally…<\/h3>\n

I want to thank Bill Gerber. Bill has been kind enough to allow me to keep this Boosey & Co. alto sax. Bill is a big supporter of music education, and it is through him, that this horn will continue to be an integral part of music, and likely an inspiration for future musicians. <\/p>\n

Thank you Bill! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I am primarily a bari sax player. Bari\/bass are my two main horns. Given this, it is astounding how many altos and tenors I have. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":52420,"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":[625,312,783,326,644,643,31],"class_list":["post-52401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-vintage-horns","tag-alto-saxophone","tag-antique-saxophone","tag-boosey-co","tag-british-saxophones","tag-photos","tag-vintage-horns","tag-vintage-sax"],"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