support Tutorials CDs PPT mouthpieces

Saxophones vintage Vitos

Interesting. I actually find nothing superior in a Yamaha 21/23 as compared to a Kenosha Vito.
When in equally good tack the Kenoshas take it in all categories: build quality, sound, ergos, blowing response, key action.
I found the Japanese horns didn't stack up...
 
Far better in what sense?
I love yamaha 23s but they are very different to the beaugniers......
 
Better sound, ergos. I don't think the 37 is one of the good ones.
 
On the spectrum from "different" to "barking" where would you place it ?

I'm sorely tempted to say 'barking', but it's perhaps not a fair assessment.
What saves it from that epithet is that the focus of the 'enhancements' is on creating an alternative system of venting/fingering - and whatever my opinions of the merits and mechanisms associated with it, some credit is due for at least attempting it.
So I would categorise it as 'bonkers' - and I think the review lays out the case for that.

For a truly barking horn you'd have to look to something like the Conn 26M.
 
i have a 35, it sounds wonderful and plays just like any sax if you ignore the special bits. if you don't ignore them then it gets interesting. it's quite a dark and reserved sound, and it's heavy, but it blows so easily it's a delight to play. also, david, i have a 'special perfect' alto, but i think i might want more money for it than the 15 pence you are usually prepared to offer. beaugniers are really good saxes. i'd rate them about 4th in the list of 20th century french makers.... which is bloody good. they made saxes for all sorts of other people, noblet 'face' are probably theirs, i can't remember the full list now, but i think it includes leblanc, louis augu, vito and SML (baritones... if i remember rightly).
 
I'm sorely tempted to say 'barking', but it's perhaps not a fair assessment.
What saves it from that epithet is that the focus of the 'enhancements' is on creating an alternative system of venting/fingering - and whatever my opinions of the merits and mechanisms associated with it, some credit is due for at least attempting it.
So I would categorise it as 'bonkers' - and I think the review lays out the case for that.

For a truly barking horn you'd have to look to something like the Conn 26M.
Having refurbed well over a dozen of them, (a couple of Johnny's and many other 35's) I respectfully disagree... significantly...certainly regarding their tone, which IMHO is quite rich and hardly 'bark-like'..
As for their interesting System fingerings....which once one actually figures it out (good youtube video by "saxmanted" explains most of the features, although the vid mislabels the horn as a 'rationale' appears to be a 'system') it's gosh-darn fun to play. It has a nice blowing response and yeah, good intonation as Rhys mentions.

Yes, 'quirky' is a fair descriptor, they are pretty unique. Yes, they may well drive a tech 'bonkers' upon their first experience with one. But as players, they certainly hold their ground as a conventional alto, IMHO....
 
Last edited:
Better sound, ergos. I don't think the 37 is one of the good ones.
Interesting....I think any older Vito sounds better than a 21/23, by a significant margin. I actually think most vintage horns sound significantly better than a 23. I guess it depends what sorta tonal paradigm you are looking for, but to me the Beaugnier/Kenosha horns are much more sonically complex.

I can see why folks would prefer the modern ergos of a Yama, tho...but I never found the 37's to be unresponsive or a problem to navigate around; IOW a pretty good vintage-keywork horn in the ergos dept.
 
I am thinking of buying a pre Yamaha/ Vito tenor sax. I have a Beaugnier built French Vito alto and love it. I'm now looking to buy a Vito tenor of the same vintage. While trying to research the serial number (N114***) I could not find when or who made it. I found plenty of Beaugnier era serial numbers without the N prefix and the Tiwaneese era serial numbers but all I find on the N prefix is that it existed but nothing else. Does anyone have any info on these.
After almost 2 years I have finally discovered who made this Vito tenor. It was Conn. I was able to visually compare it next to a Conn of the same vintage and aside from the logo on the bell they were identical.
 
Well done. Could we have some photos now please, just to round the thread off?
 
It's probably a 16M. For a very short period, it seems, between the time Vito, Kenosha ceased and Vito contracted with Yamaha, Vito had apparently contracted with Conn. The N serial was the tipoff here.

16M's are good horns.....in that particular serial range (114,XXX) it was the ONLY Tenor the Conn brand was rolling off the line, as they had ceased the 10M and had yet to start the 22M.
 
Back
Top Bottom