Saxophones can anyone help me find a neck for a Pennsylvania Tenor please

[Animal Jack Brennon]

I have recently found a 1940s/50s Pennsylvania Tenor...................but with no neck , I was hoping someone may have one .or maybe something that would fit it ? .Im very lucky to have a very skilful repairer who lives only 15 mins away from me ,so if anyone has a damaged one or one that would need adapting etc please let me know .

 

[Tomasz]

The name "Pennsylvania" is to saxophones what "John Smith" is to names of people - it can be hard to track them down.

"Pennsylvania" was used as a generic name for stencil saxophones. Some are OK. Some are good and some are excellent. Your tenor could be a Kohlert, or a Beaugnier, an Orsi - or something else besides. Can't tell without photos. Here's a Kohlert alto from circa 1938:-

Pennsylvania Special Alto

The chances of someone having the right neck for your horn, plus actually knowing that it's the right one for your horn are pretty slim. Still, it's worth a try. You just never know...

 

[Justin Chune]

I've been told that Amati made those for Selmer. It is possible that some repairer will have a neck in their junk drawer. I own one of those tenors and I like it a lot.

Happy hunting.

 

[Colin the Bear]

Measure the socket. Buy one that size.

 

[Tomasz]

Measure the socket. Buy one that size.

Yes, that's a viable solution. If the neck is slightly undersized then it can be expanded to fit.

It all depends on whether the original poster wants a "real" neck for a Pennsylvania tenor, or whether he's OK with the idea of having a non-Pennsylvania neck i.e. one that was made by some other company.

Personally, I think he should get whatever he can find, because chances are he's going to struggle to track down an "authentic" Pennsylvania neck from the 1940s/50s,.

 

[David Roach]

Sequoia make some very fine tenor necks. Ask @aldevis to give you some info, he always has a few in stock and the prices are good.
It doesn't really matter what brand of neck you use as long as the response and intonation are good, e.g. I have played a Yamaha neck on a Selmer alto with very good results.

 

[Tomasz]

I've been told that Amati made those for Selmer. It is possible that some repairer will have a neck in their junk drawer. I own one of those tenors and I like it a lot.

Happy hunting.

Yes, Amati was one of them. Trouble is, there were other manufacturers as well, which can make things a bit foggy. For example, here's another "Pennsylvania" sax. This one is definitely Italian:-

https://www.tonewoodmusic.co.uk/images/penn4.jpg

 

[Animal Jack Brennon]

Thanks for all the response ...I will put a couple of photos on .............it says 'FOREIGN. SELMER LONDON on the join ring and it weighs 8lbs . The inner measurement at the neck socket is , 1 and 1/8 of an inch- or 29mm

 

[Animal Jack Brennon]

if anyone one wants a specific angle/ please say . And Thanks again for the help . A.J.

 

[Tomasz]

View attachment 10243 if anyone one wants a specific angle/ please say . And Thanks again for the help . A.J.

I'm fairly confident about the ID of your sax, but it would be helpful to see the key-guards on the side of the bell.

One more photo should nail it.

 

[Animal Jack Brennon]

 

[Tomasz]

It's definitely Italian-made, and dates from circa the late 1950s through to the 1960s.

My best guess is that it's a Borgani (based in Macerata, Italy), made during the years when they were cranking out student to intermediate grade instruments. These days, Borgani have reduced their rate of production to concentrate instead on making high-end professional-grade horns that are superb, but cost an arm and a leg. I've play-tested a couple of Italian tenors similar to yours. They are solid, worthy players, but not outstanding - which given the market they were aimed at is to be expected. With that said, they're a whole lot better in terms of build-quality and tone-colours than some Chinese-made horns.

More info here, though the left-hand pinky table isn't the same as yours. However, designs were tweaked over the years:-

Selmer London Tenor: Manufacturer Mystery Solved

Assuming that you could track down the neck from any Italian-made tenor sax, it would probably be a good fit "sonically", even if the neck diameter needed to be adjusted to fit.

The only real problem I see is that you'd be investing money in a horn which doesn't have a high intrinsic value. Assuming it already had a neck (and those 2 pearl key-touches weren't missing), then your sax would still only be worth about £200-ish. Heck, this one (looks similar to yours but has a neck and is in better condition) sold on the devil's junkyard a month ago for £10, when you subtract the cost of the £400 overhaul: and the case that's worth £40:-

Tenor sax for £10 (well, sort of!)

I'm not saying don't bother getting a neck for that sax, but just think carefully before you shell out the money. You might want to put the project on the back-burner for a while.

 

[Animal Jack Brennon]

It's definitely Italian-made, and dates from circa the late 1950s through to the 1960s.

My best guess is that it's a Borgani (based in Macerata, Italy), made during the years when they were cranking out student to intermediate grade instruments. These days, Borgani have reduced their rate of production to concentrate instead on making high-end professional-grade horns that are superb, but cost an arm and a leg. I've play-tested a couple of Italian tenors similar to yours. They are solid, worthy players, but not outstanding - which given the market they were aimed at is to be expected. With that said, they're a whole lot better in terms of build-quality and tone-colours than some Chinese-made horns.

More info here, though the left-hand pinky table isn't the same as yours. However, designs were tweaked over the years:-

Selmer London Tenor: Manufacturer Mystery Solved

Assuming that you could track down the neck from any Italian-made tenor sax, it would probably be a good fit "sonically", even if the neck diameter needed to be adjusted to fit.

The only real problem I see is that you'd be investing money in a horn which doesn't have a high intrinsic value. Assuming it already had a neck (and those 2 pearl key-touches weren't missing), then your sax would still only be worth about £200-ish. Heck, this one (looks similar to yours but has a neck and is in better condition) sold on the devil's junkyard a month ago for £10, when you subtract the cost of the £400 overhaul: and the case that's worth £40:-

Tenor sax for £10 (well, sort of!)

I'm not saying don't bother getting a neck for that sax, but just think carefully before you shell out the money. You might want to put the project on the back-burner for a while.

Thanks..........that's very helpful I know what to look for now. Im determined to get it playable ...so maybe with a bit of luck someone on here may have something . I will write another A.P.B with the new info and neck diameter etc .

 

[Colin the Bear]

While you're waiting for a genuine neck, which may or may never turn up, there are new necks on e bay in various sizes. If they are too long it's a simple matter to shorten them. If too short , your tech will be able to add an extension. This may effect intonation and a suitable mouthpiece will need to match up. A tenon that is slightly smaller than the socket can be expanded to fit exactly. With a little cosmetic ageing the neck can be made to look authentic.

It all depends if this is an authentic restoration as a collectable for resale or a player for the love of it.

Excellent Tenor Bb saxophone neck 28mm Good material | eBay

Excellent Tenor Bb saxophone neck 27.5mm Good material | eBay

 

[Animal Jack Brennon]

While you're waiting for a genuine neck, which may or may never turn up, there are new necks on e bay in various sizes. If they are too long it's a simple matter to shorten them. If too short , your tech will be able to add an extension. This may effect intonation and a suitable mouthpiece will need to match up. A tenon that is slightly smaller than the socket can be expanded to fit exactly. With a little cosmetic ageing the neck can be made to look authentic.

It all depends if this is an authentic restoration as a collectable for resale or a player for the love of it.

Excellent Tenor Bb saxophone neck 28mm Good material | eBay

Excellent Tenor Bb saxophone neck 27.5mm Good material | eBay

Thanks...............I will put another APB up on here ,( now that I know what im looking for)
but that could be my ,plan B, if I don't find one . Thanks A.J.

 

[Colin the Bear]

The other option is to trawl ebay and junk shops and pick up a junk saxophone with a good crook of the right size.

 

[Justin Chune]

My sax is the same as that, and not an Amati after all. Interesting to know.

 

[Phil]

What I read agrees that these were made by Borgaini as a student line horn.

 

[MMM]

It's an Orsi (Italian) stencil: you will be very lucky to find an original neck. Also I don't believe it's as old as you think, I'm thinking more 60s-70s.
Google "orsi stencil sax" and see what comes up.
Cheers, M.

 

[Melissa]

The Borgani stencil of these have those love hearts in the guards, this one is an Orsi from C1960-70.