{"id":9903,"date":"2018-12-24T10:52:04","date_gmt":"2018-12-24T17:52:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bassic-sax.info\/version5\/?page_id=9903"},"modified":"2025-09-04T11:16:33","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T18:16:33","slug":"h-couf","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bassic-sax.info\/version5\/vintage-saxes\/european-made-saxes\/h-couf\/","title":{"rendered":"H. Couf – Totally updated & redone in 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
History<\/a><\/td>\nA JK but with mods<\/a><\/td>\nWhat JKs looked like back then<\/a><\/td>\nJK Toneking Special<\/a><\/td>\nJK Toneking<\/a><\/td>\nJK The New King<\/a><\/td>\nEarly Superba II<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Superba I vs II<\/a><\/td>\nH. Couf by the #s<\/a><\/td>\nOther H. Couf instruments<\/a><\/td>\nHow the market was created<\/a><\/td>\nFeatures page \u00bb<\/a><\/td>\nIllustrated guide to models \u00bb<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Soprano<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nAlto<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nTenor<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nBari<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nBass<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nCouf Serial # Chart<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\"H.<\/a>
Source: http:\/\/www.kyphotoarchive.com\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/a>Herb Couf (February 15,1920 – July 8, 2011) was a professional clarinet and saxophone player. He played with many groups including the Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore symphony orchestras.<\/p>\n

How H. Couf saxophones came to be<\/h2>\n

While on tour in 1967 with the Detroit Symphony, Couf stopped at a music store on 48th Street in New York to buy reeds. While there, the shop owner asked Couf to try a particular saxophone. Although he did find the horn quite remarkable, since he wasn’t in the market for a new sax he didn’t follow up on the instrument.<\/p>\n

The saxophone in question was a Selmer Bundy tenor that Keilwerth had been providing for Selmer USA since the 1950s. This US-sold student model horn was basically JK’s The New King, which was a joint effort between then-partners D&J and JK. 1<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Royal<\/a>
Herb Couf’s retail store in September 2009. Royal Oak, MI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the mid 1960s, after Herb Couf retired from his performing career, he opened a music store in Royal Oak, Michigan. It didn’t take him long to get frustrated by the ever-worsening quality of American, student model saxophones. He then remembered the Keilwerth-made Bundy that he play-tested in New York.<\/p>\n

Couf contacted an intermediary with Keilwerth in Detroit, and was invited to Germany. It was only a few weeks later that Herb Couf became North America’s exclusive importer of German Keilwerth saxophones, which he could sell under any names he chose.<\/p>\n

\"Bundy<\/a>
Keilwerth-made Bundy Special tenor sax # 39944 Source: agavemusicaz.com Similar to what Herb Couf would have tried.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/a>A Keilwerth by any other name, but with mods<\/h2>\n

While on his initial trip to Germany, Couf already provided several suggestions for modifications to JK saxophones to make them more interesting to the American market. Such modifications as: somewhat different tone holes for the left palm keys, larger key touches, and an alteration to the key guards. The tone holes were made larger for the American market, so students could get accurate intonation in the upper notes with the same applied pressure as they did on the rest of the horn’s range.<\/p>\n

Shortly thereafter the first instrument with the Couf logo were released and sent to Royal Oak. The H. Couf saxophone was born.<\/p>\n

In August 2005 Herb Couf provided the following information to Warren Weise 2<\/a> <\/sup>:<\/p>\n

There were three levels of H. Couf saxophones; Superba I, the professional line\u2026. Superba II the intermediate line with many of the same features as the Superba I\u2026and the Royalist, the student line.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Did everyone catch this? Herb Couf considered the Superba II an intermediate model horn. This makes sense, because JK had historically considered The New King a non-pro horn, despite it being identical to the pro model Toneking in every regards sans a high F key.<\/em><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

How the Keilwerth-related horns looked at the time<\/h2>\n

With the model re-jigging, and changes in their features, the Toneking became JK’s intermediate horn during the 70s and 80s, with the Toneking Special now being considered JK’s pro model. This of course bumped the The New King into the lo<\/a>wly student level spot.3<\/sup><\/a>  <\/p>\n

JK Toneking Special – their pro model<\/h3>\n

ngg_shortcode_0_placeholderNote the rolled tone holes. Also note the strap ring, as well as the bell to body brace. These are features we associ<\/a>ate with Superba I horns.<\/p>\n

JK Toneking – their intermediate model<\/h3>\n

ngg_shortcode_1_placeholderThe Toneking lost its rolled tone holes sometime in the 70s. The bow was made bigger\u2014like that found on the Toneking Special. The high F# key was no longer a standard feature, but could be ordered for an addition<\/a>al charge.<\/p>\n

JK The New King – their student model<\/h3>\n

ngg_shortcode_2_placeholderThe New King had rolled tone holes until sometime in the 60s. Late in the decade only straight tone holes would be used. The company ceased production of the m<\/a>odel altogether sometime circa 1970.<\/p>\n

Why you find Superba II saxophones as early as the 1960s<\/h2>\n

Given all this information, it makes sense you can find Superba II horns as early as the 1960s. Regardless of might you might read in online threads in sax discussion boards, it wasn’t a successor to the I. The two models were built concurrently, and were very similar in many <\/a>respects.<\/p>\n

What were the differences between the Superba I and II?<\/h2>\n

In the fall of 2018, when I first started researching the H. Couf brand, there was very little research on this Keilwerth stencil available. Most of what was written online was pure conjecture and fiction. <\/p>\n

The notable exception was the work of my colleagues Pete Hales and Steve Sklar. Steve in particular\u2014because of his personal connection with both the store, and the the man himself\u2014had been researching Herb Couf saxophones for a while, and had published some of his findings on his own former website. <\/p>\n

During my 5+ years of data collection of H. Couf saxophones, I discovered some very interesting differences between the Superba I & II models. However, just how much these two models differed depended on a number of variables including: <\/p>\n