Saxophones King Zephyr tenor

[saxismyaxe]

My teacher has a King Zephyr alto. Sweetest sounding alto he has, and a much nicer tone than his MkVI...

That is my experience as well. My MKVI horns don't get much playtime any longer to be honest.

 

[milandro]

Value and price are very much a local thing. I don't know that anyone could buy a horn like this, re-padded and adjusted, in a shop in the Netherlands for less that 2000€ but a private seller should sell this for less that he or she is seeking to sell this horn for. I am probably biased towards this type of horn because I have a similar horn from 1938 (re padded and adjusted) for sale at 1450€ including shipping but I think that my price is an appropriate price level for a private sale of a horn like this in the conditions that mine is. But of course to each his own!








When it comes to ergonomics , this is a vintage horn, you either like it or not, even a Super 20 of a later generation would have some peculiarities which wouldn't please everyone as any other horn prior to the unification of the ergonomics (due to the enormous success of the BA, SBA, Mark VI strain) which happened after all the other design disappearing, at latest, in the '80.

I find that the beautiful Art Deco keys take some getting used to but other than that they are not more or less comfortable of any other horn of this age. The extra keys like the G# and Eb Trills are a nice addition but you could have them deactivated if they distract you.

 

[kevgermany]

That is my experience as well. My MKVI horns don't get much playtime any longer to be honest.

Which mouthpiece are you using?

 

[Trebek]

Thats one of the more collectable Zephyrs with the triple strap ring and the beautiful graphics on the bell. Its worth the money. Its worth twice the money once you play it. I have the best luck with short old large chambered rubber mouthpieces, hopefully it comes with the original King mouthpiece. Back to the discussion of the key action... Charlie Parker played a Super 20. Enough said.

 

[saxismyaxe]

Which mouthpiece are you using?

Hi Kev,

My preferred piece is a vintage Runyon Model 22 identical to one of the pieces that Parker used (often mistaken in photos for his Brilhart). It suits my Zephyrs, Super 20 and SilverSonic altos alike.

In my not inconsiderable experience, the later Super 20 era Zephyrs of the late 40's and early 50's have better intonation and oomph to the earlier ones, although the collecting crowd favor the earlier models for their cosmetics.

 

[kevgermany]

Ah. That'll please Tom M.

My teacher's using a Brilhart Tonalin Personalin and keeps trying to take mine away from me to use as a spare. Trouble is it's the best sounding alto piece I have, even if it's a bit tricky to play. I guess the modern Runyon 22s are quite different to the older ones. Might try one, they're cheap enough.

 

[milandro]

.... Charlie Parker played a Super 20. Enough said.

yes, his model ha a completely different and much improved action than a Zephyr of this generation though!

 

[griff136]

.... Charlie Parker played a Super 20. Enough said.

He also played other makes including Selmers, Conns and famously a Grafton but I wouldnt want to rush out and buy one!

 

[Trebek]

The pre WW2 Zephyrs are excellent playing pro-horns, only exceptions are the very early Zephs which suffer from Intonation issues (I have an early tenor Zephyr, it's a Voll-True with snazzy engraving), but the Sax the OP is considering is a fine horn, it has the double socket neck, three ring strap hook, made of excellent pre-war metal, and pre super-20. . My point is that 2000 quid for an excellent horn like this isn't such a bad deal. The horn is a player. Maybe not quite up to super 20 specs, but a damn good playing saxophone for 1/2 the price of a Super 20. Funny the poster mentioned the famous Parker recording while playing the "Grafton", he really could make anything sound good.

 

[milandro]

He also played other makes including Selmers, Conns and famously a Grafton but I wouldnt want to rush out and buy one!

he played 16 different saxophones.........

 

[milandro]

T.......Funny the poster mentioned the famous Parker recording while playing the "Grafton", he really could make anything sound good.

the Grafton is a good sounding saxophone!

 

[Dick Hamer]

20% vat, yes you will. In fact, with customs duty and clearance fee, figure it more like 25%. I would concur with the other comments that the price is a bit steep.

 

[thomsax]

I like King Zephyrs. A good sax. These saxes are often heard in blues and R&B music. Less money compared to the Super 20s.

Thomas

 

[Trebek]

the Grafton is a good sounding saxophone!


Amazing!


Good luck in your Zephyr search O.P....