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My news updates are infrequent enough I have forgotten which volume I am on, so January 2012 it is. This update is actually taken in major part from a very kind thread about me under “dealer evaluations” on Saxontheweb. So, it’s 2012. I’m insanely lucky enough to be fairly booked for repairs for this whole upcoming year (with the exceptions of locals and previous clients, whom I will always make time for), and I’m going to be spending all of my extra time this year focusing on adding products to my website. I am currently a P. Mauriat, BAM, and Protec dealer, and I hope to also add several more product lines this year- in addition to more vintage mouthpieces and horns. One that I am excited about and working on is possibly becoming a Keilwerth dealer (cross you fingers for me!)- which would get my same new saxophone setup included in the price- and maybe some mouthpiece lines as well. Since I am a small-time one-man type of deal, and I am doing all of this on my own with no loans, progress is slow but sure. In fact, the way I’ve got it set up, my repair services put food on the table, and 100% of my sales of cases, horns, mouthpieces etc. is reinvested into more products- and in some cases like my upcoming machining class this spring into knowledge I can directly put to use in your service.

I am thankful for so much this year. My amazing wife as ever, a new place to live in the country like we’ve dreamed about, a garage, a thriving business, cool and friendly new neighbors, a reliable car, an incoming son, and of course all of you- my friends and my customers who put warmth in my heart and food on my dinner table. Thank you and have a happy Thanksgiving.

Choices, choices. Choosing the right mouthpiece for you can be a daunting task. You’ve got an almost infinite amount of choices, and from among them you are expected to find exactly what works for you without being able to try them all and many times without the most basic knowledge as to what actually makes a mouthpiece a good mouthpiece. The main problem is not only is each mouthpiece a little different- each horn is a little different and each player is very different. The combinations are endless, and what works for one person might not work for another- and conversely, what one person thinks is the worst sounding mouthpiece they’ve ever played might the a very good mouthpiece for their friend.

I’ve gotten some of these for the shop every year since they’ve been made, and also been submitting pictures and luckily getting my pictures put in! This year though I’ve got the cover, which is pretty cool. Its a photo I took a while ago (should actually be in the gallery here) of a Selmer Super (Balanced) Action low Bb baritone in the empty room above me in the warehouse in Brooklyn where I had my first solo shop.

Well, this is a rarity. On eBay this week is a Couesnon alto saxophone with low A! edit: there are actually two on eBay this week. How strange! I’d love to own one of these some day.

This is pretty cool stuff. “Cymatics (from Greek: ???? “wave”) is the study of visible sound and vibration, a subset of modal phenomena. Typically the surface of a plate, diaphragm, or membrane is vibrated, and regions of maximum and minimum displacement are made visible in a thin coating of particles, paste, or liquid.[1] Different patterns emerge in the exitatory medium depending on the geometry of the plate and the driving frequency.” from Wikipedia

I’ve recently started a repair column over at BestSaxophoneWebsiteEver and my first column was “Should I repad my horn?”. Might sound like an easy question, but there is so much involved to be able to make this decision properly, and so much information that the consumer should know so they are aware and happy with their decision and the resulting situation! As you might expect from me, I dove in and gave a long-winded but hopefully informative answer.

So, lots going on, quick post from the middle of it all for an update. I am now a dealer for BAM France cases, also Pro-Tec cases. If you don’t see what you want in stock, let me know and I can order it. I did an interview for a sax website a while back, it got such a positive response I now have a repair column, for which I write monthly-ish.

SOLD If you are looking for a very interesting and rare piece of saxophonic history and a barn-burner professional alto at a bargain-basement price, you’ve found it. This is my 1939 Keilwerth New King series I alto saxophone. This one is silver plate, is in excellent physical condition, and is engraved “King” on the bell and “Modell 3” under the serial.

SOLD This is a beautiful condition early Conn 6M professional alto saxophone, serial 268xxx in original silver plate. Built in 1935, this horn features the STD’D M (Metro) neck, the rocking right hand thumbrest, and underslung microtuner neck. These horns are known for their big sound, super comfortable ergonomics (although for some players the left hand pinky table can take some getting used to) and lighting fast action. The craftsmanship on this saxophone is second to none, built in America’s foremost musical instrument factory at the height of its art.

SOLD If you’ve been waiting for a Conn 10M that possesses all of the qualities that make the 10M one of the best saxophones ever made, you’ve found it. This is a beautiful pre-war Conn 10M tenor saxophone with rolled tone holes and original lacquer in very good condition. It has just been completely overhauled with flat metal resonators, and it is tight, light and slick under the fingers and plays with a monumentally huge and effortless tone. Intonation is excellent, and it is very mouthpiece-friendly.

Don’t see what you want here, or anywhere? Tired of the search, can’t find exactly what you want, don’t know what would be best, or worried that you might make a costly mistake? If so, you are in the right place. When you use my Find-A-Sax service, I will use my knowledge, experience and connections to find you the perfect sax for your situation, overhaul it perfectly and deliver it to your door.

SOLD This is a 1930 Conn “Transitional” alto saxophone, one of the earliest variations to be found as the Conn saxophones evolved from the New Wonder Series II (aka “Chu Berry” horns) to the M-series saxophones. This saxophone has split bell keys, a microtuner neck, a New Wonder II style left-hand pinky table, and the rare art-deco style bell engraving. It is in nearly flawless original silver plate, in very good undamaged mechanical condition, and is scheduled for an overhaul with flat metal resonators. It comes in its original case.

Here is a rare find, something that was given to me as a birthday present from a good customer of mine. This is the original warranty booklet from a 1935 Conn saxophone, along with the Conn pad measuring tool. Very interesting reading, and several pieces of good advice from yesteryear that still apply today. Click the thumbnails for a high-resolution version. I love the design on the cover. Anybody know whose initials those are on the tested by/inspected by?

The Conn M-series saxophone, manufactured by C.G. Conn in Elkhart Indiana from 1935 to 1959. In my opinion, one of the most beautiful saxophones ever made, and an example of American design and craftsmanship at its finest. Information on the M-series saxophones: The Conn Loyalist Saxpics Conn page Saxgourmet Conn page [Update 2023, some links to stuff I have made since this was published: Video: Saxophone Repair Topic: Conn Pivot Screw Lock Screws Video: Repairman’s Overview: Conn 10M Tenor Saxophone Video: Repairman’s Overview: Conn 26M and 30M “Connqueror” Alto and Tenor Saxophones]

Dorfler and Jurka was a German saxophone maker who at times made horns as a contractor for Julius Keilwerth and made horns based on Keilwerth designs to sell under their own name. To add to the confusion, D&J stenciled out saxophones to many of the same companies to which Keilwerth did the same, and names on the stencils were shared for the Keilwerth-based stencils and the D&J stencils. And since the D&J horns were based on Keilwerths, it can be VERY hard to tell the difference!

SOLD This is a beautiful 1953 made-in-Paris SML Revision D (Rev. D) alto saxophone in original lacquer. This design, with its rolled toneholes, stack adjustment screws, opposite-sprung octave mechanism, and removable neck locking ring would form the basis for SML’s “Gold Medal” model after winning several gold medal awards at the International Music Exhibition at The Hague in the mid-50s. It won these awards with very good reason- these are some of the best horns ever made. Intonation and ergonomics are excellent, and the sound is lush, huge, and powerful.

Martin Committee neck showing the teardrop overhanging the neck tenon. Martin Committee saxophones pose a special challenge for neck fitting because of the teardrop hanging down in the way of the tenon. This, combined with the thickness of the tenon itself, make for a neck that can only be adjusted in one particular way. This is not a difficult job, but it is one that takes finesse and foreknowledge. Fixing a botched neck fit job however IS a difficult job, so my advice is to use this information to help you make the correct decisions when taking your horn to a repairman rather than as a guide to try it out yourself unless you are already a repairman.

This is about as hard core as saxophone geekiness gets. If you had been the owner of a Selmer curved soprano about 90 years ago and you wanted a spring set, this is what you would have gotten in the mail- it would have cost you $2.15, and it would have cost 12 cents to mail it to you from NYC. To watch in 1080p HD, click through to watch on youtube.

SOLD This is a **gold-plated **1928 Martin Handcraft baritone saxophone, keyed from low Bb to high F, recently overhauled with reso-tech reusable brass dome resonators. It plays very well, with a rich, dark and powerful tone. The horn itself is in excellent physical condition (especially for a baritone) and the overhaul work done (Mike Hammer in Philadelphia PA) is very well done. I have gone over it and refreshed it for sale, and it is ready to play for many years right out of the case.