Introduction Good Morning from Saskatchewan

[Diesel Gypsy]

Well, it's not really morning here but maybe where you are it is, so this can qualify for Breakfast reading!
My name is Jim and I'm a saxophone player. (Kinda like signing in at AA! lol)
So, I've been playing (maybe just playing around with!) saxophones since I was 13 years old.
That was 1965.😱 Yes, I'm old but all that time I've been able to hold onto a steady level of mediocrity in my playing!

I still have and play my original sax, a 1957 Kohlert Regent tenor.
I've picked up a few more along the way, the newest one is a '72 Ida Maria Grassi alto, then came a '24 Conn New Wonder C Melody.
Then recently I found a Beaugnier made Oxford Boosey & Hawkes tenor from '57.
And the latest one which I haven't even got home yet is an Elkhart C Melody which looks like, and probably is, a Buescher and made in about '29.

They all play great except for the Conn, which needs a lot of love!
And I won't know about the Elkhart until it gets here but I will rebuild it if it needs it (it probably does) because I have been wanting to get a playable C Mel for a long time.
Oh yeah, I also do my own mechanical repairs so pads and adjustments etc. are no problem. Although I don't do serious damage repairs (haven't needed to).

Ever since high school I've played by ear but now I've agreed to join the community band and so I have to re-learn how to read music!
I don't remember it being so hard! But maybe it's just my old brain that has gotten hard! My wife always said I was hard headed, maybe she was right!
Oh well, the fingers still work so maybe the brain will too! Hopefully!

And I got my name, Diesel Gypsy, from being a long haul trucker, in case you wondered.
So that's me! Hope I didn't bore you too much this early in the day, (where you are).
Jim

 

[Tenor Viol]

Hi Jim, welcome. I suspect you're even further north than I am - I'm at just on 55N.

Interesting journey. It's never too late to get to grips with reading music. Like any skill, it takes time to get to grips with it and become fluent, similar to learning a language.

 

[MikeMorrell]

Hi Jim, and welcome to the cafe!

What a great introduction! With your sense of humor, I'm sure you'll enjoy it here 🙂.

Looking forward to your posts, responses and questions.

Mike

 

[Pete Thomas]

Big welcome from me, I'm sure you'll have a great time here

 

[PigSquealer]

Welcome to the Café from down and West. That 57 Kolhert tenor is a great one. Nice to have another multiple C Melody owner in the clubhouse. Think I now have 35 or 36 C’s. The Elkhart is most likely a EBIC build. Elkhart Band Instrument Company was a division of Buescher. Yeah, essentially the same sax. Oddly I don’t have one🤔
What’s the trouble with the Conn C ? Someone around here may be able to offer some suggestions on repair.
Burning question. What horn did the big truck have ?

 

[kamak]

Welcome! Another C player! Excellent, the ranks grow.

 

[Jeanette]

Welcome to the café and thanks for the great intro 🙂

Jx

 

[Diesel Gypsy]

Hi Jim, welcome. I suspect you're even further north than I am - I'm at just on 55N.

Interesting journey. It's never too late to get to grips with reading music. Like any skill, it takes time to get to grips with it and become fluent, similar to learning a language.

Hi TV,
Actually I'm just North of 52!

And for music, I'm not doing very well at learning any other language either! lol

 

[mizmar]

52? 55? Hu! Welcome from 63.5!

 

[Diesel Gypsy]

Welcome to the Café from down and West. That 57 Kolhert tenor is a great one. Nice to have another multiple C Melody owner in the clubhouse. Think I now have 35 or 36 C’s. The Elkhart is most likely a EBIC build. Elkhart Band Instrument Company was a division of Buescher. Yeah, essentially the same sax. Oddly I don’t have one🤔
What’s the trouble with the Conn C ? Someone around here may be able to offer some suggestions on repair.
Burning question. What horn did the big truck have ?

The Kohlert is still my go-to but the Beaugnier is a great sounding horn as well, and it's Purdy!

The Con is missing some parts, high E key, neck, mouthpiece, even the thumb rest.
I rescued it from a band instrument repair shop in the hope of resurrecting it since it's pretty hard to find C Mels around here.
It is straight as an arrow with NO damage at all (except for the missing parts) but I haven't found a willing donor yet to build 1 out of 2. But I'll keep looking.

The Elkhart is a dead ringer for a B body Buescher except it seems to have an early A body pinky platter with the round G# key. Since Elkhart was formed to sell cheaper instruments than the Buescher and Conn parents, I think they were using up all their old stock of parts on the Elkhart line. Since the B body Buescher didn't come out on their own horns until 1927, I,m sure that my Elkhart is at least a '27 or probably even newer. My son picked it up for me but I don't have it in my hands yet so I'll know more when that happens.

And the answer to the Burning Question. . . .(drum roll please)
Actually I have had a lot of trucks and they all had loud horns,
some played in tune and some didn't!
Kinda like saxophone players!!!!!!! lol

 

[Grumps]

My name is Jim and I'm a saxophone player. (Kinda like signing in at AA! lol)

I don't think that's how you sign in at AA...

 

[Diesel Gypsy]

Here's a picture of my Beaunier, check out the "Sparkle"

The crook was bent down even worse than this shows but I have since got that straightened.
Picked it up from a garage sale for $100. Even the case it came in was like new!