Electric sax?

[Bobby G]

I was looking at the Loot website earlier and something very strange caught my eye.

Electric sax - 2 pickups - made in the 60's - made in Turkey

As you can imagine, many thoughts have crossed my mind, one of which is 'shall I stump up the 95 quid just for the curiosity value?'

Does anyone know anything about this wondrous-sounding instrument? I reckon it's a kind of esoteric Stylophone, or may even be the instrument on the Joe Meek-produced 'Telstar' by Heinz & the Tornadoes (ask your grandad, Melissa )

 

[aquatic]

selmer made one in 1965, found this ,,,

http://www.saxophone.org/varitone.html

interesting stuff.

 

[Pete Thomas]

As you can imagine, many thoughts have crossed my mind, one of which is 'shall I stump up the 95 quid just for the curiosity value?'

I would, it might fit nicely in my "museum" alongside the Conn Multivider.

http://www.petethomas.co.uk/saxophone-rare.html

 

[Bobby G]

What is a Conn Multivider Pete, and do you have any other interesting oddities?

 

[Pete Thomas]

It's all on that page.

I did have a Beegees synthesizer very similar to a Rolf Harris Stylophone in sound but I gave it to the local Oxfam shop.

I haven'y actually tried out the multivider yet

 

[Bobby G]

Old technology, doncha just love it? I suppose we must do, given that the modern saxes of today are still very closely related to Adolph's marvellous bit of Victorian-era engineering!

I wonder how well that Walton mpc works.....

 

[Pete Thomas]

The Walton mouthpiece works just fine, I haven't had time to try all the different baffles yet but it is OK, not just a novelty.

 

[rs2sensen]

If I recall, an electric sax plays on a few tunes in the incredible Michael Jackson Wizard of Oz takeoff, "The Wiz."

 

[Melissa]

ooh looks cool. How much different do they sound?

 

[spike]

for examples of the Selmer Varitone - two Eddie Harris Atlantic Label albums from 1968 worth a listen - The Electrifying Eddie Harris - and - Plug me in.

I have a "King Vox Octavoice" from the seventies, used to use it with a Barcus Berry pick-up. Probably similar to the multivider, if i remember rightly it has three different voices, one above and two below the orginal. These days I use an old Lexicon effects machine when I want to get freaky.

Another interesting "electric sax" is the Synthophone - midi sax, built inside a conventional saxophone body, standard was a YAS25. Twas possible to play five note chords on it. Made in switzerland, not sure if they're not still available. It's been about 15 years since I've seen one.

 

[Pete Thomas]

If I remember the synthophone was a wind synth inside a saxophone body, so no saxophone tone is involved anywhere in the process. In other words the Yamaha saxophone bit of it was purely cosmetic.

 

[spike]

Yeh right Pete, the processor was mounted inside the bell, it used a normal mouthpiece with a wind sensor on a special reed, and sensors on all the keys, I've got an original brochure somewhere, I'll dig it out later this week and scan it and put it one of my websites, very interesting, in fact I'll dig out all my sax oddities from years gone by while I'm at it. Yes the Synthophone didn't actually make a sound of it's own, it was purely a midi processor built into a real horn. If I remember rightly you could bring yer own horn and have it custom "midi"-fied. aaargh.

P.S. guess what - they're still at it - I googled:
http://www.softwind.ch/Synthophone.htm

 

[Bobby G]

OK, just to clear up any confusion in my mind about the electric sax in Loot, I mailed the seller. The reply I received made everything crystal clear - it's a typo, it should read electric saZ :laugh:

D'oh! :erm: