This is a gorgeous Conn New Wonder series II transitional alto saxophone in an extremely rare finish: burnished gold plate. The engraving is the art-deco style, heavily elaborated for the burnished finish. Only a few of these probably exist; I know of two of them and this is the only one I have overhauled myself. …
My personal alto is a King Zephyr Special, and these horns have a special place in my heart. The craftsmanship is outstanding, the tone is unparalleled, and they are drop-dead gorgeous horns. They play much like a Super 20, but darker. I find the intonation to be particularly excellent, and the sort of zing to …
Well, when I was building a repair shop out of a 31 foot Airstream trailer, I have to admit I did not think of contrabass saxophones. I can comfortably work on everything up to baritone without any issues, and even basses are accounted for by moving my torch holder a foot to the right. Dentwork …
On the bench this week is an extremely rare original burnished gold plate Selmer Super Action tenor from 1953/54. Amazingly, this horn spent most of its life nearby to my shop in semi-rural North Carolina, being owned by a player in Hillsborough who had ties to a local music store here. This history makes sense, …
Yanagisawa 990 with black lacquer and the sterling/gold plated neck. I spent a lot of time on minor but evenly distributed key fitting and adjustment material upgrades during this overhaul and I am especially pleased with the feel of the action. Absolutely quiet, snappy, light, obscenely quick and comfortable. A joy to play.
On the bench. 1967 Selmer Mark VI tenor, original lacquer, fresh overhaul done by me. I was about 80% through this when I shattered my wrist. Done! This was for a client who I first met in my early days in New York City about 15 years ago. I have had a few of those …
March 5th, 2021- Just short of 6 weeks after my wrist surgery. I am a little slow, a little limited, but I am making a start. Been working my P.T. hard and nearly constantly.
I have been encouraged to move my wrist if I can, and I am taking that to heart. I learned to reface mouthpieces a long time ago, and I am dusting off the old memory banks and polishing up my skills, since most of it is done with the right hand.