Monday, January 13, 2014

Learn About Vintage Saxophones And Their History

By Marissa Velazquez


The word vintage bears a great significance and vintage saxophones do not necessarily mean they are old. Any saxophone which has aged over the years cannot be termed as vintage. Here quality plays a very important role and also the instrument's playability.

While deciding the age of the instrument one must look into the brand and the production. He must know if it is still in production. The value of such quality instruments is greatly enhanced if it was played by a great musician or its production was for a limited period of time. That alone greatly enhances its popularity. The playability value of these instruments is of significance too. All those instruments which were produced in 1930s and 40s had a very high tone. Due to this high pitch these instruments cannot be used in today's musical scenarios as these will not gel with the instruments of modern era or orchestras.

As these get outdated such type of musical instruments grow in demand because their antique value increases. Since these do not get produced any more, it gets difficult for a connoisseur to get one and therefore the price also increases. Many get auctioned too if these had been played by famous musicians.

It is quite easy to find the age of these instruments to decide their value. Check the serial number imprinted on the sax which alone will determine when this instrument was produced and who was the maker. This also will add historical value to the musical instrument and also enlighten the buyer about the instrument's history.

Conn is labeled as the best American instrument that you can get. These are high in demand among collectors and musicians of this instrument. You can still see its popularity when you see musicians holding one and even today instruments makers try to make instruments like it. Popular models include Chu Berry and the Conqueror series.

Models of Selmer brand are available online and these are quite expensive too. It was the brand greatly valued by musicians. And its age old instruments are in high demand even today and people do trust this manufacturer because it has remained in business for more than 80 years.

Gus Buescher in 1888 made an instrument which came to be known as Buescher. Though the style and mechanisms of these instruments were similar to Conn yet, these were popular for their rich sound. Many famous saxophonists opted for this make in their playing career. Tru-Tone and Aristocrat were some of the popular models.

H. N. White Company used to manufacture quality musical instruments under the name King. The king Zephyr and the Super 20 models which were manufactured by this company were quite popular because of the rich sound that these produced. Super 20 series came after Zephyr series with new and better mechanism.

These are some of the vintage saxophones that was discussed. These legendary instruments which were produced on the early part of 1900 are most sought after by the collectors and the musicians. Some of these are highly sought after while others are less known but, as far as the quality and sound are concerned these are also equally good. The instruments which were produced in mid-30s to 40s were very good in craftsmanship and sound.




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