Saxophones Best Tenor sax for Rock and roll??

[Adrian63]

What a daft question! !!!!!!!!
KING 20 😉

 

[Wade Cornell]

I've got both a King Super 20 (first series with full pearls) and the Saxgourmet 6. The Saxgourmet is MUCH louder with a bigger presence in bottom end and screaming top end. Of course the King super 20 isn't bad...in fact very good, just not rough and ready as the Saxgourmet 6. It's still a matter of personal preferences as to the type of rock you're playing and the sound you want. However if loud and raucous are your criteria, that's your answer.

 

[PMason247]

I agree with what most ate saying. Any horn, high baffle mouthpiece, big lungs and a ton of attitude!!

 

[Jules]

I've got both a King Super 20 (first series with full pearls) and the Saxgourmet 6. The Saxgourmet is MUCH louder with a bigger presence in bottom end and screaming top end. Of course the King super 20 isn't bad...in fact very good, just not rough and ready as the Saxgourmet 6. It's still a matter of personal preferences as to the type of rock you're playing and the sound you want. However if loud and raucous are your criteria, that's your answer.

I'm really not proud of the fact but you're really making me intrigued by this Saxgourmet horn... its appealing to my noisy and obnoxious inner me!

 

[John Laughter]

Hey Frank, just curious. Which players are you listening to and any song examples. Rock & Roll covers a lot of awesome styles and great players over the years. You mentioned the Top Hat & Cane which is what Lee Allen (Little Richard & Fats Domino) was playing in the early days with a Brilhart m/p and plastic reed. Do you have any particular sax players whose sound and style you really like?

"big lungs and a ton of attitude!!"

 

[Wade Cornell]

I'm really not proud of the fact but you're really making me intrigued by this Saxgourmet horn... its appealing to my noisy and obnoxious inner me!

Here's a long post from SOTW: https://www.saxontheweb.net/threads/saxgourmet-model-6-tenor.91561/

 

[thomsax]

Here's a long post from SOTW: https://www.saxontheweb.net/threads/saxgourmet-model-6-tenor.91561/

You are not alone to think SG horns are loud. Jimmy Carpenter is playing a SG 400 with a Lawton mpc. Jimmy and the 400 rocks very well.

 

[thomsax]

As a Martin saxophone fan I would say that "The Martin Tenor" is the best Rock & Roll saxophone. A tone with an edge that can challenge a Fender Stratocastor. Or a Telcastor. Low key heights due to the construction makes The Martin a fast one. And the taper of the soldered on toneholes gives the sax a special sound. Martin saxes have more the sound of a Dell'Orto carburettor than a Holley 4-port carburettor.

I bought Delbert McClinton's "Live From Austin" (cc !) back in 1989. And I heard a tenor sound that I could trace to my own Martin. It was Don Wise that played his "The Martin Tenor". Wise is playing a Otto Link mpc. The guys I listen to are all on diffent saxes and set-up's. So maybe we shouldn't look too deep into equipment. But on the other side if it helps to keep up the interest for Rock & Roll Saxophone, I'm ready.

Don Wise playing solos and fillings on "Shakey Ground" (Live From Austin) on his The Martin Tenor from the early 50's.

View: https://youtu.be/w7JCWoxtGLs

 

[STABBS MacKENZIE]

The Theo Wanne Shiva is the best weapon I've ever owned, knocked my Guardala King straight onto Ebay!!!

 

[John Laughter]

I bought Delbert McClinton's "Live From Austin"

One of the best CD's out there. Don got permission from Delbert to let me use a few of those solos on my book CD. Our band was setting up for a gig and our bass player put that CD on and Don's solos (plus the entire band) got my attention. Wow!

 

[thomsax]

One of the best CD's out there. Don got permission from Delbert to let me use a few of those solos on my book CD. Our band was setting up for a gig and our bass player put that CD on and Don's solos (plus the entire band) got my attention. Wow!

Yes. a great CD. I heard some tracks when it came out in the late 80's. And after some years I heard it again on the CC that came along with your book, "Contempoary Saxophone". I was searching for Don Wise for some time. McClintons CD "Live From Austin" was released on the label Alligatorso so I contact them (letter, no email back then) and after some weeks I found Don Wise that lived in TN. Jay Davidson is also playing great on the CC. Many thanks for the inspiring CC/book.

 

[John Laughter]

Many thanks for the inspiring CC

Hey Thom you just made my day. I really appreciate it

 

[Jazz Is All]

As a Martin saxophone fan I would say that "The Martin Tenor" is the best Rock & Roll saxophone. A tone with an edge that can challenge a Fender Stratocastor. Or a Telcastor. Low key heights due to the construction makes The Martin a fast one. And the taper of the soldered on toneholes gives the sax a special sound. Martin saxes have more the sound of a Dell'Orto carburettor than a Holley 4-port carburettor.

I bought Delbert McClinton's "Live From Austin" (cc !) back in 1989. And I heard a tenor sound that I could trace to my own Martin. It was Don Wise that played his "The Martin Tenor". Wise is playing a Otto Link mpc. The guys I listen to are all on diffent saxes and set-up's. So maybe we shouldn't look too deep into equipment. But on the other side if it helps to keep up the interest for Rock & Roll Saxophone, I'm ready.

Don Wise playing solos and fillings on "Shakey Ground" (Live From Austin) on his The Martin Tenor from the early 50's.

View: https://youtu.be/w7JCWoxtGLs

Fuhking Awesome song with tenor playing by Don Wise that is out and out Cosmic. Ain't no Selmer of whichever model can sound like a Martin Comm III. It's the best blues and Rock sax ever and that cut is the hot proof!!! Thanks for posting it because it's made my day.

 

[LostCircuits]

Fuhking Awesome song with tenor playing by Don Wise that is out and out Cosmic. Ain't no Selmer of whichever model can sound like a Martin Comm III. It's the best blues and Rock sax ever and that cut is the hot proof!!! Thanks for posting it because it's made my day.

That's why I stick with my Buescher 🙂

 

[John Setchell]

That's why I stick with my Buescher 🙂

McClinton’s Live From Austin is available on Apple Music, plus all his other stuff.
I know Apple might not appeal to everyone, but they do some great backing track albums. More fun for rehearsing than iReal pro IMO.

 

[Joe from New Orleans]

Is their a tenor that is more geared for rock and roll type music playing..? Or tenors that lend themselves better to this particular kind of music?

Same question for mouthpieces too...

I am looking at a Top Hat and Cane at an excellent price, but I am not sure if that is geared for rocking out or is it?

The Martin Tenor is another I'm looking at.1948?

Cannonball's weigh quite a bit. Yamaha's?
Conn 10mm?
any other thoughts on this subject would be appreciated.. Many thanks, Frank

King Super 20

 

[PigSquealer]

King Super 20

Thanks for poking a four year old thread.
I’m not holding my breath for any better responses 😉

 

[thomsax]

Back in the 70's, when I started to read collect information about saxes, we were talking about European tuning (A=440 Hz) and American tunning (A=444 Hz). If I just grab and play my american saxes without tuning with digital tuner/tuning fork/acustic piano ..... and have my ears and embouchure to decide what sounds fine, I use to be to high in the pitch according to A=440 Hz. The difference in tone height between A=440 H and A=443-444 Hz can be adjusteted by the length, embouchure, mouthpiece, reeds ... . Today you can maybe tune the pitch digtal like we do with human voice/singing? Tone height can be controled but it's harder when it comes to timbre.

The dna of Rock & Roll is "loud" (lots of volume). A Rock & Roll saxophone is more or less piercing. To fit in an electric environment.

I think old "The Martin", King 20 and Zephyr, Buescher 400, Kohlert (Winneden) .... are good Rock & Roll saxes. Today modern Keilwerths are good R&R saxes.

Are we taiming saxes too much to fit A=440 Hz?

 

[Colin the Bear]

It's what you play and how you play, not what you play it on. 😉

 

[turf3]

Back in the 70's, when I started to read collect information about saxes, we were talking about European tuning (A=440 Hz) and American tunning (A=444 Hz). If I just grab and play my american saxes without tuning with digital tuner/tuning fork/acustic piano ..... and have my ears and embouchure to decide what sounds fine, I use to be to high in the pitch according to A=440 Hz. The difference in tone height between A=440 H and A=443-444 Hz can be adjusteted by the length, embouchure, mouthpiece, reeds ... . Today you can maybe tune the pitch digtal like we do with human voice/singing? Tone height can be controled but it's harder when it comes to timbre.

The dna of Rock & Roll is "loud" (lots of volume). A Rock & Roll saxophone is more or less piercing. To fit in an electric environment.

I think old "The Martin", King 20 and Zephyr, Buescher 400, Kohlert (Winneden) .... are good Rock & Roll saxes. Today modern Keilwerths are good R&R saxes.

Are we taiming saxes too much to fit A=440 Hz?

Actually it's the European orchestras that are driving the pitch up.

Popular music worldwide is still mostly running A=440.