{"id":187,"date":"2009-07-31T21:14:15","date_gmt":"2009-08-01T04:14:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bassic-sax.info\/version5\/?page_id=187"},"modified":"2013-01-03T12:08:05","modified_gmt":"2013-01-03T19:08:05","slug":"martin-handcraft-tenor","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bassic-sax.info\/version5\/about\/gear\/restorations\/martin-handcraft-tenor\/","title":{"rendered":"Martin Handcraft Tenor"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is one of my backup tenors. It is a Martin Handcraft which I reclaimed from the dead. It has that huge sound that Martins are well known for.<\/p>\n

\"tenor<\/a>
Photo by M. Margison Copyright 2008<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was in many pieces and totally blackened when I found it in a friend’s attic around 1999. It had not been out of its case in decades, and that certain smell that old horns get\u2014you know what I mean\u2014was so bad, you could smell it through the case.<\/p>\n

It had definitely seen better days. It had been sitting in its case in the attic in pieces, and was blackened to the point where you couldn\u2019t see any of its silver plate anymore. The original case it was stored all this time, stank beyond belief, even when closed.<\/p>\n

I lived in Fredericton, NB at the time, and my repair tech, Layne Francis<\/a>, was in Halifax, NS (an almost 5 hour drive), so I only went once a year for about a week, and made a holiday out of it so\u00a0Layne could\u00a0work on my horns. As luck would have it, I happened to be\u00a0flying\u00a0to Halifax for a business trip at some point shortly after getting the Martin, so I made arrangements with Layne to drop the\u00a0sax off with him.<\/p>\n

I flew down on Air Canada Jazz, (fitting\u00a0name, huh?)\u00a0with my stinky tenor in pieces, as carry on luggage. The flight attendant was most curious as she stored it in the\u00a0suit compartment of the Dash\u00a08, but luckily she didn\u2019t ask to see the horn. I\u2019d have been very embarrassed! I was worried enough about any odours that might be coming out, despite my attempts to cover\u00a0them up through all kinds of elaborate means that I can\u2019t even remember anymore!<\/p>\n

My Handcraft has a serial number of 68XXX, which means it\u2019s circa 1926, and is considered a phase 2\u00a0horn.<\/p>\n

Phase 2 production occurred from 1919-1928. It was in phase 2 that Martin introduced bevelled tone holes. Although phase 2 horns didn\u2019t have a front F key, Layne added one from a YTS-23 when he restored the sax in early 2000. You can see this key clearly in the 7th photo in the following\u00a0gallery, as well as in the photo above.<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_0_placeholder\n

Horn Specs:<\/span><\/p>\n