I acquired this alto from a charity shop in Reading via an eBay advert. It’s a simply brilliant horn.
It was named after the year it was made, 1932.
Continue readingFiled under: Alto, Boosey & Hawkes | Tagged: 32, alto saxophone, B&H, René Guénot | Leave a comment »
I have been intrigued with French saxophone manufacturers for many years, so it’s great to be able to review another one on this site. From the example of this sax, Pierret seems just as good as most other French makers, of which only Selmer is still in business. I came across Pierret as a saxophone brand when discussing the maker of an unusal instrument some time ago and so was excited to see one on ebay, which I snapped up. Pierret was in business from 1906-1972, although it’s possible that it was selling previously manufactured stock for its last few years. Continue reading
Filed under: Alto, Pierret Oxford | Tagged: #saximax, alto saxophone, Pierret | 1 Comment »
We’re keen browsers at car boot and jumble sales. The Island Donkey Sanctuary regularly runs events locally from which we typically buy clocks and other retro things. I bought this from a car boot sale there about 10 years ago. The saxophone had been used as a school instruments. I can only presume that whoever bought it originally did so from New Zealand, Australia, or perhaps Brazil. Continue reading
Filed under: Condor | Tagged: alto saxophone, China, Condor, Far East, Saximus Maximus, Taiwan | 3 Comments »
I spend a lot of time in Dorset and Devon and enjoy visiting Exeter, where there a number of good secondhand shops – especially if you’re looking for good quality guitars. On a recent trip we decided to go a bit further out to N. E. Tingz, a shop packed with interesting stock. Continue reading
Filed under: Amati AAS22 | Tagged: AAS22, alto saxophone, Amati, Saximus Maximus | 2 Comments »
We’re very pleased to bring you a review of this excellent, unusual German saxophone written by Peter Chadwick – a keen player based in the West country…
I bought this instrument from eBay out of curiosity (it wasn’t expensive!). I have become a fan of European saxophones after dumping my Martin to buy a Selmer Pennsylvania Special (see an earlier article by Saxuimus Maximus). I have been unable to discover much about pre-war Kohlert instruments although there is a lot of company history to read if you are that way inclined. I understand that during the late 1920’s Kohlert used the year of manufacture as the model name. I have seen pictures of a “Modell 1926” and a “Modell 1928” – mine is a “Modell 1927” and doesn’t look much like the others. Continue reading
Filed under: Kohlert Modell 1927 | Tagged: alto saxophone, Germany, Graslitz, Kholert, Peter Chadwick, Saximus Maximus | 6 Comments »
This was made by Julius Keilwerth in Germany in 1957. I bought this from Tony at Maggini Supplies around 2001. It was at the beginning of my quest to acquire all historic and unusually saxophones. As usual I made a trip to our local reservoir on a Sunday morning to pick the instrument up from the ack of Tony’s car. Continue reading
Filed under: Keilwerth Crestone Toneking | Tagged: alto saxophone, Crestone, Germany, Keilwerth, keyguard, Toneking | 26 Comments »
I bought this horn from Tony at Maggini Supplies in 2005. At the time I was building my collection and very keen on Selmer, which made the best saxophones of all – especially the Mark VI, which beat all comers from the late 1950s onwards. Continue reading
Filed under: Selmer Pennsylvania Sepecial (Kohlert) | Tagged: alto saxophone, Keilwerth, Magginisupplies, Pennsylvania Special, Saximus Maximus, Selmer | 43 Comments »
My friend Tony H brough this round the other day. He’s owned the horn for about 3 months. Unlike me he’s a transient collector, preferring to own just one tenor and one alto at any particular time.
He associates Martin horns with Art Pepper – a player he remembers from the 1950s. He had a melodic and light innovative sound – very different from Charlie Parker and his many imitators who were all the rage at the time. I definitely agree, having many Art Pepper albums. The poor man’s personal life was unfortunately in stark contrast to his beautiful horn playing. He also noted that a number of British dance band players used Martins in the post war years. Continue reading
Filed under: Martin 'The Martin' (Committee III) | Tagged: alto saxophone, Committee III, Martin, Saximus Maximus, The Martin | 5 Comments »
I bought this for from my excellent saxophone doer-upper in 2006. He knows that my collection spans all types of saxophone and was right that I’d go for the art deco look and feel of this one. I know Dallas Arbiter as a UK importer of guitars in the 1970s and it’s nice to have an example of the company’s earlier activities with brass instruments. Continue reading
Filed under: Dearman New Super | Tagged: 1950s, alto saxophone, Dearman, Foreign, New Super, Saximus Maximus | 13 Comments »
I bought this from my saxophone technician a few years age, who had already repaired, repadded and replaced the felts on it. It is a silver-plated Martin Handraft alto from 1930 and is excellent condition, made just after the stock market crash the previous year. Continue reading
Filed under: Martin Handcraft Typewriter | Tagged: alto saxophone, Edwin Van Druten, Handcraft, Martin, Saximus Maximus, Typewriter | 4 Comments »
Saximus Maximus 