Saxophones Low A Alto

[kevgermany]

Someone was looking for a low A alto. Here's your chance....


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Selmer-Mark...tDomain_0&hash=item27bfee7b96#ht_19029wt_1396




Best have a word with you abnk manager before clicking on the link, though....

 

[BigMartin]

Someone was looking for a low A alto. Here's your chance....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Selmer-Mark...tDomain_0&hash=item27bfee7b96#ht_19029wt_1396

Best have a word with you abnk manager before clicking on the link, though....

I Like the line: "This is definitely a horn I will be keeping if it doesn't sell"

Kind of goes without saying, doesn't it?

 

[kevgermany]

I Like the line: "This is definitely a horn I will be keeping if it doesn't sell"

Kind of goes without saying, doesn't it?

I think the literary term is a tautolgoy.

 

[Nick Wyver]

I think the literary term is a tautolgoy.

I rather like that typo. Has a Yiddish feel to it.

 

[rhysonsax]

Lovely condition, silly price.

My low A Selmer MkVI alto has also got a high F# key, so should be worth twice this !

Rhys

 

[kevgermany]

I rather like that typo. Has a Yiddish feel to it.

lol, I used to go out with a jewish girl. Was a long time before her parents realised I wasn't jewish... My beard helped.

 

[milandro]

Oy vey! this is a Teutul goy

 

[Sweet Dreamer]

I Like the line: "This is definitely a horn I will be keeping if it doesn't sell"

Kind of goes without saying, doesn't it?

Yep, I'll bet he will be keeping it if it doesn't sell. 🙂))

I would love to have an Alto sax with a low A key.

Unfortunately this is definitely a horn that I won't be keeping because I can't afford to buy.

~~~~

At least now I see where the low A valve goes. Maybe I can get a hole punch and punch out the bell, and make my current sax into a low A sax.

By looking at the photographs of his sax it appears that his bell is actually longer to accommodate that extra valve. The longer bell length itself may be required to get that low A note.

I find it hard to believe that the low A isn't just standard on all Altos. After all, it basically amounts to concert C. I would think that would be a much wanted note.

The sax already goes down to Bb, so it's only shy by one semitone. That low A note just seems to "complete" that register (especially in terms of concert C). So like I say, I'm really a bit surprised that it's not standard equipment on all Altos.

I noticed that missing A note immediately. It was like the first thing I noticed when started learning to play (probably because I actually started practicing the concert C scale which is A on the Alto)

So I really had a sense that an important note was "missing" right off the bat.

 

[kevgermany]

At least now I see where the low A valve goes. Maybe I can get a hole punch and punch out the bell, and make my current sax into a low A sax.

By looking at the photographs of his sax it appears that his bell is actually longer to accommodate that extra valve. The longer bell length itself may be required to get that low A note.

Yes, the bell is extended to get the extra note.

I find it hard to believe that the low A isn't just standard on all Altos. After all, it basically amounts to concert C. I would think that would be a much wanted note.

The sax already goes down to Bb, so it's only shy by one semitone. That low A note just seems to "complete" that register (especially in terms of concert C). So like I say, I'm really a bit surprised that it's not standard equipment on all Altos.

I noticed that missing A note immediately. It was like the first thing I noticed when started learning to play (probably because I actually started practicing the concert C scale which is A on the Alto)

So I really had a sense that an important note was "missing" right off the bat.

No demand, sir.... Selmer offered them on tenors as well, but Low A tenors are also rare.

There's web lore that says the low A affects the sound. About the only sax that usually has a low A these days is the Bari, and some swear by the low Bb models, saying they sound better. Others say it doesn't affect things.

 

[Sweet Dreamer]

Yes, the bell is extended to get the extra note.

Well, so much for the "home-fix-it" idea. 🙂))

Seriously, if all it needed was the extra valve that might be a doable thing. But if the bell needs to be extended that pretty much put's a damper on any make-shift A valve.

No demand, sir.... Selmer offered them on tenors as well, but Low A tenors are also rare.

There's web lore that says the low A affects the sound. About the only sax that usually has a low A these days is the Bari, and some swear by the low Bb models, saying they sound better. Others say it doesn't affect things.

Well, I can certainly understand that. If the bell itself is extended to get that low A, I would imagine that this would have an effect on the whole horn.

Personally I would think that it would be a pleasing effect. In other words, I would intuitively think that a longer bell might give the whole horn an overall more mellow sound. But obviously that's just an intuitive hunch that may not be the case in reality.

The extended bell could potentially throw everything else out of whack. So there may be some serious merit to the claim that the Bb models sound better overall.

The low A note wouldn't be worth it if it's going to mess up the whole rest of the horn.

That's certainly true.

Something to think about for sure when considering a sax with the low A key. ;}