Saxophones Saxophones, rarely discussed

[Grumps]

Perhaps it's show and tell time with some photos along with a few of its fine points regarding yours? 😉

Here's an old one that shows the bell as well as a glimpse of the telltale tonehole:

It was given to me by a business associate (along with a vintage STM) almost thirty years ago and sent me online to find out more about it. I had it overhauled for my son to give tenor a go when he was still playing and it's still here in the house as my backup tenor. Even though I had given it to my son back then, I quickly realized it was more fun to play than my VII tenor and it sent me down that rabbit hole where I got off the Selmer boat. My go-to tenor, a Silversonic from 1969, is the most modern horn out of all that I now play.

@lig , you'll like this. It was a silverplated Zephyr Tenor, restored by L&L Music in Gaithersburg, that gave me the itch for that Silversonic I mentioned above when I got to try it at a past Symposium. And @skeller047 and @PigSquealer will like this... they'll likely get to see (and try) that silverplated Zephry at the Symposium in January. It's the shop where I send anything I can't do myself; like when I had them reposition the fixed neck of my Conn curvy. They do very good work.

 

[PigSquealer]

Maybe this reflects a rarely discussed sax? It is in the Café sales section:

Saxophone FS - **Rare 1956 Ida Maria Grassi “Jade Roller” Vintage Tenor Saxophone**

**Rare 1956 Ida Maria Grassi “Jade Roller” Vintage Tenor Saxophone** For sale is a **1956 Ida Maria Grassi Jade Roller tenor saxophone**, a fantastic example of a vintage Italian-made saxophone with plenty of character and history. I am selling as I have been keeping it as my back up horn for...

cafesaxophone.com

(Inserted using Café BB Code):

Really not discussed at all. Maybe just a little here though.

Saxophones - Grassi Saxophones

Foreword This guide was compiled mostly out of personal curiosity on these saxes and hopefully it will also serve to all those trying to identify the different models produced by this famous Italian manufacturer. It is somewhat peculiar that although Grassi was one of the largest producers of...

cafesaxophone.com

 

[Woodpad]

I've got only curved soprano Pierret, i didn't know Pierret made this horn

Pierret has a French patent on the construction of the underslung neck. There is also an American version of this patent. Somehow the sellers of the American vibrator reeds are also involved with it.

 

[JayeNM]

OK, I was generalizing, point taken about the Kings, though they did follow Conn down that mucky path to the bottom eventually. And became one, legally at least…

However, I stand by my point about the only professional model. Regardless of whether this is ACTUALLY true, it was certainly the attitude in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Yes, it was the prevailing attitude....no doubt. But that is a bit different a statement.

But yeah, it had established itself as that -and quite honestly, the thing that puzzles me was....why did it take 20-30 years for other companies - besides King which came up with an ergonomically better keywork design starting with the series II S20 in 1949....to catch on that the Selmers were displacing their top shelfers in the eyes of pros ???

The SBA came out in '47. Besides the S20, the first arguably modern keywork american horn didn't appear until 1980.
Not an impressive learning curve....

I mean, besides the S20...the only non-asian models which switched over to modernish key mechanisms in the late 70s were Rampone and Grassi....with some very 6-esque looking models.....at about the same time the Japanese brands hit the western market.
Then JK soon after.

 

[JayeNM]

Go figure that a thread titled "Saxophones, rarely discussed" ended up about the Mark VI...

Old Legends......die hard.....

(or hardly die ?)