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The CyberSax Collection ... |
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The CyberSax Collection ... |
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. . . and of the saxes I've known, these I prefer to play . . . |
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Lyric lovelies of a
definite feminine bend. We like our ladies dark & seductive, with a
balancing edge -- like the fire of flashing eyes. Please enjoy these ageless
beauties. From 1927 in near perfect silver plate. Fine player with a marvelous
natural edge, completely responsive, top to bottom of range. Full complement
of Chu Berry features: Rolled Tone Holes,
Neck Tuning Barrel, Cross-Hatched
G# Key, Split Bell Keys, G#
Trill Key and Fork-Eb
Mechanism. When you find a good, well-preserved example, such
as this, they will play with anything Conn (and most other sax makers)
ever built.
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| One "Portrait Sax" in burnished Gold Plate & a second in Satin Silver Plate with Gold Plated Keys. Two great looking, fine old relics from the Prohibition-inspired 1920's home entertainment boom. These were popular because the player could read from the piano treble clef without having to transpose (no doubt, while party guests reveled in the privacy of the home setting!). The best ones play very well, are responsive, and have good intonation. The Conn "straight" or alto-style neck C's, such as this one, are at the top of the group. C-Melodies are still used in churches today, where their main utility is the ability to read directly from the Hymnal. Good ones can sing like the alto, or belt it out like the tenor, and deserve a greater role in today's music. Reeds are difficult to find, so many players use alto or tenor mouthpieces on their C's with good success (my preference on this sax is an antique Selmer metal D). Tenor reeds can be used on the original mouthpieces with some success, and yield a rather nostalgic, somewhat 'stuffy' sound which temps the player to employ a good deal more vibrato. These instruments are from 1923 &1927. The former has intricate custom engraving & pearl inlays on every key, while the later has the full set of Chu Berry features (see above). Both play extremely well, and were recently overhauled. The Chu is scheduled to be torn down & hand polished in the near future. |
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| Satin gold plate example of the True Tone model built in 1921. Very nice horn, still playing a bit with the original white pads. Scheduled for a polish & repad later this Spring. These do not play as well as their Conn rivals, but all the vintage gold plated saxes are gorgeous collectibles -- lovely works of art to be admired by sax addicts everywhere . . . |
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| 'Stencil' sax, built by Julius Keilwerth (Germany) in 1957. Complete with the signature soldered-on, rolled tone hole rims found only on the Keilwerth pro line saxes. This great old Rock 'n Roll tenor was my first sax, and though it has almost no lacquer left, it is completely ding & dent free! Still plays wonderfully. Note the up-swung neck angle which makes for a very comfortable position when playing into a microphone. Hard to believe I elected to have this sax overhauled in 1962 in deference to the new Mark VI the folks offered! Let's see, that VI tenor would have had a serial number about 90,xxx . . . |
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| One of the earliest of King's best tenor saxes - and arguably, one of the finest playing saxes ever made. This venerable old sax (1947 vintage) has a solid sterling silver neck & brass bell, also pearl on all the key touches. Once you've experienced the luxuriant feel of these textured, contoured pearl key touches it is hard to go back to the cold, flat brass of other saxes. Not as big in sound as the Super 20's with solid silver bells, but enough power to impress . . . with a bit more finesse! The easiest speaking tenor you can imagine. |
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| The fabled 'Naked Lady' in near perfect silver plate, from 1949. Among the last of the really good Conn vintages, and after the switch to straight tone holes. None-the-less a marvelous playing & sounding bari with a rich, dark tone. Speaks in a whisper from low Bb to high F. Legend has it that the more highly endowed, and the more revealing the image of the lady, the better the Conn craftsmen regarded the instrument they had just completed. Freshly hand polished -- a lovely old lady, indeed! (more pics) |
| Grafton Plastic Alto Sax -- rare British instrument in prime condition. Key guard damaged in shipment. |
| Buescher Bass Sax in beautiful original silver plate. No noticeable wear & only a handful of the smallest shallow dents. Plays perfectly. Keyed to high Eb, but high E, F & F# 'lip' effortlessly from the upper register. Huge, resonant bottom end. Good original case. Pad s& setup excellent. Dynamite combination of looks & performance. A roaring early '20's rarity! |
| Yanagisawa T990 Tenor Sax, new horn -- one of the few that have impressed. |
| Yanagisawa A990 Alto Sax, ditto above .... |
| Buescher Aristocrat Alto Sax 292,xxx, 40% original lacquer, ribbon key guards. Overhaul in progress. |
| Conn Transitional Alto in silver plate ... extra nice. To be completely restored, including hand polish & real Conn Reso Pads. Very rare cream puff. |
| Conn 'C' Soprano Sax 136,xxx, good original silver plate. |
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