Saxophones armstrong alto saxophone

[Tomasz]

sounds beautiful ,but as a beginner as you say i don't really know its true potential ,but as i grow i will find out.thanks chris.

When/if you find that the Armstrong is holding you back (which won't happen for quite a while) then there's a whole world of different saxophones out there. It's a bit like cars - as a teenager you learn to drive in a borrowed Nissan Micra or Ford Ka, then after passing your driving test you buy yourself a Ford Fiesta as a runabout. A few years later you upgrade to a Ford Focus, and maybe some years after that get yourself a Mercedes/BMW or something equally good or nicer. If you're really, really into cars then you splash the cash on something really tasty like a Porsche or Ferrari etc. On the other hand people may go in the opposite direction chronologically and get themselves a nice vintage car e.g. 1960s E-type Jag. Much the same dynamic applies to saxophones.

 

[papagriswold]

When/if you find that the Armstrong is holding you back (which won't happen for quite a while) then there's a whole world of different saxophones out there. It's a bit like cars - as a teenager you learn to drive in a borrowed Nissan Micra or Ford Ka, then after passing your driving test you buy yourself a Ford Fiesta as a runabout. A few years later you upgrade to a Ford Focus, and maybe some years after that get yourself a Mercedes/BMW or something equally good or nicer. If you're really, really into cars they you splash out the cash on something really tasty like a Porsche or Ferrari etc.

lovely yes i know what you mean,thanks

 

[thomsax]

I played my Conn "Shooting Star" alto for 4 years. In 1972, when I was 16 years old, I stareted to play tenor (an Amati)

The earlier Conn 14M (aka "Director" aka "Shooting Stars") altos from circa 1956 through to about 1963 aren't bad at all. Although they're student-grade horns (though leaning toward intermediate-grade), their build quality is good and they still have that distinctive spread Conn sound i.e. "boomy", punchy and masculine. They're not in the same league as Conn 6Ms (obviously!), but then a Conn 14M in decent condition costs a fraction of the price so are pretty good value for money. I started to learn on a late 1920s Conn New Wonder Series II alto like the one in the following video. It was a silver-plated beauty. Being a total novice at the time, I didn't appreciate just how good it was or what it was capable of in the right hands:-

I played/honked my Conn "Shooting Star" alto for 4 years.In 1972, when I was 16 years old, I started to play tenor (an Amati). I listened to a lot to The Rolling Stones and Bobby Keys tenor did a deep impact on me. But the Conn was not bad. No problems at all during the years I played it. Many guys that plays Blues & Rock are playing Conn "Shooting Star", Bundy, Bundy II .... saxes. Maybe it's not that these saxes are fantastic, more that the money is tight in the blues world!

 

[Tomasz]

I played my Conn "Shooting Star" alto for 4 years. In 1972, when I was 16 years old, I stareted to play tenor (an Amati)


I played/honked my Conn "Shooting Star" alto for 4 years.In 1972, when I was 16 years old, I started to play tenor (an Amati). I listened to a lot to The Rolling Stones and Bobby Keys tenor did a deep impact on me. But the Conn was not bad. No problems at all during the years I played it. Many guys that plays Blues & Rock are playing Conn "Shooting Star", Bundy, Bundy II .... saxes. Maybe it's not that these saxes are fantastic, more that the money is tight in the blues world!

I picked up (purely to examine it, but didn't actually bid) a Bundy tenor sax at an estate auction about a month ago. It was one of the 1970s models with spray-on epoxy matt gold finish. I approached it with an open mind, but the key-action was an ergonomic nightmare (unbelievably sluggish and clumsy) although it was operating correctly in all ways and the springs were tensioned correctly etc. Overall, it looked very odd. Here's an alto with the same "groovy" epoxy gold look. I'm sure that doing soldering repairs on a painted finish like that is loads of fun for all the family:-

 

[papagriswold]

I picked up (purely to examine it, but didn't actually bid) a Bundy tenor sax at an estate auction about a month ago. It was one of the 1970s models with spray-on epoxy matt gold finish. I approached it with an open mind, but the key-action was an ergonomic nightmare (unbelievably sluggish and clumsy) although it was operating correctly in all ways and the springs were tensioned correctly etc. Overall, it looked very odd. Here's an alto with the same "groovy" epoxy gold look. I'm sure that doing soldering repairs on an painted finish like that is loads of fun for all the family:-


View attachment 10377

i was looking at one of these on ebay starting at £200

 

[Tomasz]

i was looking at one of these on ebay starting at £200

In my opinion, £200 is massively over-priced for one of those, even if it's in mint condition and just been overhauled and adjusted by a good sax-doctor. There are better options out there e.g. a Corton (1970s Czechoslovakian Amati stencil) if you really must cut costs to the bone.

I spent 5 minutes examining the Selmer Bundy tenor sax carefully, turning it over in my hands and trying out the keywork.. Leaving aside its physical flaws (e.g. the neck under the octave-key saddle was "out of round" which in fairness was clearly accidental damage by the previous owner) I wasn't much impressed with the keywork, which seemed almost deliberately designed to slow the player down. It all felt rather strange under the fingers - a bit like driving a 1970s French automobile i.e. nothing was where you expected it to be. I say this as a vintage horn afficionado, with not a few 1920s horns in my collection.

To put things in some kind of perspective, the keywork on a Conn New Wonder Series I tenor (and C.G.Conn Inc stopped making those in late 1924) would be streets ahead of the 1970s Selmer Bundy I examined - not just in terms of production quality, but also the underlying design. That's a pretty damning criticism...

 

[papagriswold]

In my opinion, £200 is massively over-priced for one of those, even if it's in mint condition and just been overhauled and adjusted by a good sax-doctor. There are better options out there e.g. a Corton (1970s Czechoslovakian Amati stencil) if you really must cut costs to the bone.

I spent 5 minutes examining the Selmer Bundy tenor sax carefully, turning it over in my hands and trying out the keywork.. Leaving aside its physical flaws (e.g. the neck under the octave-key saddle was "out of round") I wasn't much impressed with the keywork, which seems almost deliberately designed to slow the player down. It felt rather strange - a bit like driving a 1970s French automobile i.e. nothing was where you expected it to be.

To put things in some kind of perspective, the keywork on a Conn New Wonder Series I tenor (and C.G.Conn Inc stopped making those in late 1924) would be streets ahead of the 1970s Selmer Bundy I examined - not just in terms of production quality, but also the underlying design.

ok thanks for advice

 

[thomsax]

I picked up (purely to examine it, but didn't actually bid) a Bundy tenor sax at an estate auction about a month ago. It was one of the 1970s models with spray-on epoxy matt gold finish. I approached it with an open mind, but the key-action was an ergonomic nightmare (unbelievably sluggish and clumsy) although it was operating correctly in all ways and the springs were tensioned correctly etc. Overall, it looked very odd. Here's an alto with the same "groovy" epoxy gold look. I'm sure that doing soldering repairs on a painted finish like that is loads of fun for all the family:-


View attachment 10377

Cool sax.

 

[Tomasz]

Cool sax.

Visually, yes.

 

[thomsax]

Visually, yes.

The keyworks on Bundy II is better. Selmer US had the mouthpiece man Raplph Morgan as chief designer for Bundy II. They took the TT tube and made new and more modern keys. The bell keys were also on the right side. Selmer US sold many Bundy II. So the thing in America in the 60's and 70's was to produce lots of student saxes from old models/tools. Conn made the "Conn Shooting" star from a Pan American sax. Martin the Indiana/Imperial - HC Special ..... .