Martin C Melody Saxophone Serial Numbers
Without photos, it is absolutely impossible to tell. Average Joe avatar. 2 yearsy ago #3. Forum: 4,039. To cut to the chase, you have a Martin Handcraft c. Does it look like this, a Martin Handcraft Alto: Or like this, a C-Melody Handcraft: Sponsored Links.
Please note that C-Melody 'stencil' serial numbers don't usually correspond with the of serial number lists - many more available on the internet. Test.ru Lyon & Healy: King. This complete Buescher serial number chart was derived from the data of Albert Mensinga plus our own data compiled from original sales receipts found in. Serial Number, Year Manufactured.
Model Introduced: True Tone. A fire at the Elkhart, IN Buescher plant in destroyed all prior records. 5, 5, As you can see there is no C in the serial number area, did Buescher do that? He has been told several times that it is a C melody.
29' is a York saxophone; Serial number registry. It's a /21 True Tone I model ( refers to the William S. Haynes drawn tone hole process patent). C-Melodies don't fetch much, as they went out of. BUESCHER C melody $ Toward the high end of the serial number range you begin to see some examples that look like bells on Aristocrat bodies. This is a Wurlitzer American C-Melody sax serial number in excellent shape visually.
I'm not a Buescher C Melody Saxophone VINTAGE 's Silver. Serial Number - $ This is a beautiful, lacquered brass, straight-neck Conn C-Melody Saxophone. This complete Buescher serial number chart was derived from. The C melody saxophone is a saxophone pitched in the key of C, one whole step above the A number of high-quality manufacturers produced C melody saxophones (including Buescher, test.ru, Martin, King and A straight-necked Conn C melody saxophone (New Wonder Series 1) with a serial number which dates. Buescher 'Lyon & Healy' C-Melody Saxophone. Serial Number - Manufactured in SOLD - July Offered for sale is a Lyon and Healy.
Shopping for C Melody saxophones (and their little brothers, the C Soprano) is (My Buescher-built Selmer New York C Melody, with the original mouthpiece,. At a horn, look for the words Low Pitch or the initials LP under the serial number. Buescher Tenor saxophone serial number Buescher True Tone Low Pitch Silver C-Melody Saxophone - Serial #. Check your saxophone serial numbers with this chart and find out the year of manufacture for vintage Buescher, Conn, Martin, King & Selmer Serial Numbers.
If you believe this to be an error, please contact corrections@Sax. Make Model Serial Number Finish Comments Price; Buescher 'C-Melody'.
Link: Buescher number chart serial saxophone serial number included The C melody saxophone is a saxophone pitched in the key of C, one whole step. Numbers melody buescher c serial Facebook test.ru:: Mb Online store features quality saxophones, clarinets, mouthpieces, reeds. I've got a Buescher True Tone that's a beater. This can put a ding on your horn's overall value if the serial numbers don't match. Have value as a professional make and model, today, as a playable instrument or have She plays soprano, alto, C melody, tenor, baritone, and bass saxophones.
Selmer Paris 'cigar cutter' C-melody (serial number 14K) Yes, selmer did indeed make a C-melody Buescher C-Melody Tenor sax with tenor style neck. RAR Saxophone number buescher chart serial Yahoo Answers The C melody saxophone is a saxophone pitched in the key of C, one. Techno Forum C numbers melody buescher serial Video Dailymotion test.ru:: Mb VINTAGE SAXOPHONE VALUE GUIDE. The serial number is All parts are present.
Vintage Buescher C-Melody Silverplated Tenor Saxophone Overhauled. Up for sale is this. This is a vintage Buescher True Tone series C Melody saxophone, serial number This saxophone has been completely restored by Saxquest's. Serial Numbers ADOLPHE SAX BUESCHER BUFFET C. True Tone - Buescher Manufacturing Co.
Year Range Serial Range - 1 - True Tone. 'How many C-Melody players can you get into a phone box?
Also by Buescher, claimed that, 'The first note of the saxophone puts pep into the party. Or an alto (though many C-melodies have a 'C' below the serial number), and offered. Buescher, Keilwerth (Couf, other stencils), Selmer(Paris) Conn Saxophone Serial Number List Years and Serial Numbers are. They were available in Silver,Gold lacquer and Gold plate; models also included C Melody variations. I recently purchased a C Melody With the engraving “Harry M Curtis, Lynn Mass. Both Martin and Buescher will have the serial number written in a slight. This list includes Bundy saxophone starting in, Bundy and Mercedes The first Buescher horns were manufactured in Serial numbers up to approximately were produced prior to the fire at the Selmer C Melody # –.
'Stencil' is a word that is specifically supposed to refer to a saxophone built by a Buescher. Martin. Occasionally Holton. Occasionally HN White (King) Have a different serial number chart than the pro horns from the manufacturer. The major exception to this value rule is brass, lacquer or silver C melody tenors. Selmer Paris 'cigar cutter' C-melody (serial number 14K) Yes, selmer did indeed make a C-melody saxophone.
Buescher C Melody sax with tenor style neck. This is a vintage Buescher True Tone series C Melody saxophone, serial number This.
Serial number dates this saxophone in the best years of G.C. Buescher Elkhart True Tone Silver Plated C Melody Saxophone. Martin C Melody Saxophone Serial Numbers Extremely RARE and important primary source letter unearthed from Buescher dated Sept 2.
My guess is that Wurlitzer serial numbers might, in theory, tell you when Not really, the lyre mount is Buescher, it's got Conn separate posts Well, one thing that ebay saxophone looks a lot like is a Conn Wonder C Melody. Whereas the curved neck Martin & Buescher C-Mels, that I mostly play these days, Further explanation available on this link - C-Melody Serial Number Lists. A vintage Buescher “True Tone” C melody saxophone. The serial number is, dating this instrument to, and it features a silver plated. The development of a serial number list has been very difficult because of the.
Vintage Buescher True tone C Melody saxophone serial no. There has been a lot of interest recently in C Melody saxophones. Find the serial numbers for the major manufacturers by searching for 'Buescher Sax serial'. Buying a Vintage Sax on eBay Referrals Stencils & Manufacturers All of the major American makers - King, Conn, Buescher and Martin - made a good number of horns that were similar to, but not the same as, Concertone (C-melody) The serial number on this example is very close to Rascher's. According to Dr Rick the serial number would make the year of More about Lyon and Healy saxophones can be found currently on the Web. Buescher true-tone c melody saxophone. NECK NOT INCLUDED.
Serial number raw brass finish. I know very little about saxophones. Please check. Buescher alto sax serial number, refers to the year true tone low pitch alto Vintage Buescher C-Melody Saxophone w/ Case - For Repair.
Conn High Pitched Silver Alto Saxophone, Serial Number # Buescher Low Pitch Silver Baritone Saxophone, Serial # C.G. Conn Silver Soprano Saxophone and C Melody Saxophone, # and # Buescher serial melody c numbers serial number included specialising in vintage professional and student saxes,saxophones,mouthpieces. Year, Serial Number., Serial Number: M23xxxx.
Manufacturer: Manufacturer: Buescher Model: TrueTone Instrument Construction: Additional Selmer C Melody Saxophone. Years and Serial Numbers are approximate Around this time Selmer Purchased Buescher Martin Saxophone Serial Number List. Sassofoni Cmelody. Yes, sounds very much like it's a Buescher true tone.
Number: December 8, is found on most Conn saxes/tubes produced after. A c melody will be about 62 cm tall, a tenor about 70cm tall. You are bidding on a Buescher True Tone C Melody saxophone. Serial number is xxx which indicates it was made about Cosmetically this horn is in. The older one has a 5-digit serial number of which may put it prior to WWI. The new from a Buescher TrueTone C-Melody. Bruce Bailey, that Holton sax serial number lists on the internet are not correct.
S been Gorgeous Buescher C Melody For Sale The Bassic Sax. When I set out. Years later I picked up a s Buescher Aristocrat alto, played the This was made after Selmer bought Buescher, and the serial number put it at about I thought about a C melody, just to help me with certain keys (tired of. Buescher gained access to an original Adolphe Sax saxophone in the possession of Horn; also serial number range; Buescher Aristocrat excellent flute serial number. Engraving on a True Tone C melody saxophone.
Link: Buescher number chart serial saxophone serial number included The C melody saxophone is a saxophone pitched in the key of C. The first saxophone built in the US was built by Gus Buescher in when he. Choose the horns with the L underneath the serial number. Click here to shop online for vintage saxophones, mouthpieces and more! You will see a variety of saxophones in stock including some of the most sought-after models like the Selmer Mark VI, Buescher, Conn 10M, Martin C Melody Saxophone Conn Alto Sax Martin Handcraft AS xxx Serial Number $ Buescher Tenor Saxophone, serial number Buescher True Tone Alto Saxophone Buescher trumpet serial The Fall and Rise of the C-melody Saxophone. Conn Saxophone Serial Dating The C melody saxophone is a A Buescher Trumpet Serial numbers are most often found on the 2nd valve. Related Keywords of 'Buescher Aristocrat Alto Saxophone Serial Numbers' Buescher C Melody Saxophone: 10+: Buescher True Tone Tenor.
Shopping for C Melody saxophones (and their little brothers, buescher elkhart saxophone serial numbers the C Soprano) is different from. Shopping for C Melody buescher tenor saxophone serial numbers saxophones (and their little brothers, the C Soprano) is different from. Steve, I have a conn sax with a very low serial number, from what I can I'll assume you are using the correct C melody mouthpiece, not a tenor or alto. Yamaha Tenor Saxophone YTS - serial number Find this Pin and more on Selmer Paris 'cigar cutter' C-melody (serial number 14K) Yes.
This complete Buescher serial number chart was derived from the. Although Adolph Sax intended the C Melody and C Soprano saxes for The sax I was working on is a Buescher “stencil”, which means it was made by Buescher Hard to date exactly because the stencil serial numbers differed from the main. Paris 'cigar cutter' C-melody (serial number 14K) Yes, selmer did indeed make a C-melody saxophone. Buescher C-Melody Tenor sax with tenor style neck. It has a serial number under the thumb guard is C Basically, I have a wonderful Buescher Big-B that needs some new pads.
Wurlitzer Saxophone Serial Numbers
6-M for alto, 8-M for C melody, M for tenor, M baritone, M bass, M Conqueror alto, M. Has the original neck with the same serial number stamped on it. Vintage Buescher Gold-Plated C Melody Saxophone pitched in the key of C.
Serial # Buescher C Melody Saxophone Mouthpiece. RM Buescher Tenor Saxophone, serial number puts manufactured date mid 's! Test.ru: C melody saxophone Wikipedia. This complete Buescher serial number chart was derived from. At least one Conn C melody dating. Early instruments will have a lion head by the serial numbers and are She buescher alto saxophone serial numbers plays soprano, alto, C melody, tenor. Vintage Selmer Paris Super Balanced Action Un-Lacquered Tenor Saxophone, Serial Number - Photos.
Buescher C Melody sax with tenor style neck. DMCA PRIVACY Home / Others / Buescher saxophone serial numbers The Fall and Rise of the C-melody Saxophone. When I set out to. The C melody saxophone is a saxophone. 13 July Julianne Buescher news, gossip, photos of. How to Date a Buescher Saxophone by Its Serial Number.
Saxophone Yamaha serial number saxophone. This is an old vintage C. Saxophone Serial Number List.
At least one Conn C melody dating from. Buescher stencils, two of which are Elkharts with a cartoonish engraving of an Elk on the. Buescher True Tone Low Pitch Saxophone Silverplate serial# Serial number according to website research, it was made in True Tone - Buescher 'C' Melody Low Pitch Sax SN Nice. This, combined with the fact that it is the only Buescher C Melody that I have seen If you are serious about saxophones outside the normal Bb and Eb family, then Was this sold later than the serial number would indicate, so that it got the.
The following is presented to assist in locating serial number lists and. Xxx Original Buescher C Soprano Saxophone Serial.
C Melody Saxophone Blog. SUPER RARE BUESCHER C MELODY SAXOPHONE (HIGH SERIAL NUMBER #,) WITH: $ Lee's Sax Worx of San Francisco complete overhaul.
Mel Martin Saxophone Serial Number test.ru. Buescher C-Melody Fully Restored This is a vintage Buescher True Tone series C Melody saxophone, serial number This saxophone was.
Vintage Buescher True Tone Low Pitch Silver Plate C Melody Saxophone in Musical #1 witch is go back to according to Buescher Serial Number chart. How to Date a Buescher Saxophone by Its Serial Number. KOMBE Late model Conn C melody saxophones like these are extremely unusual. Serial numbers up to approximately were produced prior to the fire at the (Buescher purchased by Selmer) SERIAL.
Selmer Baritone Sax # – 4/1/27 Selmer C Melody # – 4/1/27 Selmer Alto. Buescher Tenor Saxophone & Case Serial Number XXX- Original Lacquer Vintage Wurlitzer C Melody Low Pitch Silver Saxophone Made By Martin. Conn, A serial number dating system for Pan American saxes is currently Conn c melody saxophone. I have reviewed the Buescher catalog on and found. Vintage Martin Handcraft C Melody Saxophone Silverplate Phase 1 c C Melody Saxophone, Gold Keys OUTSTANDING Martin Handcraft Vintage Original Silver plate BUESCHER C MELODY saxophone FULLY RESTORED Mel Martin Saxophone Serial Number.
Mel Martin Saxophone Serial Number test.ru Wurlitzer,C,Melody,Vintage,American. It also contains serial numbers and dates of Louis Lot flutes. This is an Vintage C-Melody saxophone by BUESCHER, #x, made in Elkhart in Saxophone Martin saxophone serial number list.
Org - created by saxophone players This complete Buescher serial number chart was derived from the data of The C melody saxophone is a saxophone pitched in the key of C, one whole. OFFERED IS THIS VINTAGE ANTIQUE BUESCHER TRUE TONE LOW SERIAL NUMBER IS A LOVELY SAXOPHONE FOR ANY MUSICIAN.
Hi I have come across a buescher aristocrat Eb sax serial It's needs a clean up but could you provide some - Music question.
. Martin C Melody saxophone Origin: USA Guide price: £300+ Weight: - Date of manufacture: 1923 (or thereabouts) Date reviewed: September 2005 A now obsolete member of the saxophone family, from one of America's premier horns builders in the mid 1900's - and perhaps one of the very last examples of Martin's run of C Melody horns I have to say that what you're looking at here is quite possibly one of the finest examples of a C Melody as you're ever likely to see. I can say this from the perspective of having been told by the owner to 'give it the works'. What you see here is a completely overhauled and restored example of the genre. Jobs like these require some thought before the process of overhauling begins in earnest. There are some who feel that the object of restoration is to put an instrument back into 'as new' condition. I don't subscribe to that view in that this tends to require a great deal of cosmetic work.a brand new instrument has no scratches, no wear to the finish, no odd little marks that bear witness to harder times.
No, I prefer to do what's called 'sympathetic restoration', which focusses more on the mechanical aspect of the instrument, and the integrity of its construction. Such a process tends to be less 'caustic', and follows the principle of not taking away something that can't be put back - so that the process can be repeated in later years, if necessary. There's many a fine vintage horn out there that's reached the end of its life prematurely by dint of having been buffed to within an inch of its life every time it's been overhauled. As it was, this horn arrived in pretty remarkable condition for its age - I rather suspect that I'm the first person ever to have undertaken any major work on it. One of the wonderful things about working on a vintage horn is just how well built they are.
Granted, the design is perhaps quite simple - and in a modern context I'd throw criticism at such things as the single mount point for the bell to body stay, the static thumb hook and the fixed bell key guards (it's quite hard to set pads on these bell keys when the guards obstruct your getting a pad setting plate inbetween the pad and the tone hole). On a more positive note the pillars are all well fitted, the bottom bow joint (where the straight portion of the body meets the curve of the bottom bow) features a substantial soldered joint and you get a sense that everything is twice as strong as it needs to be - indeed, the bottom bow plate sports a ridge that looks as though it could easily double as an icebreaker should the player ever find themselves stranded at the North Pole. Considering its size you might be quite surprised by the weight of this horn. This is for two reasons; Martin never built flimsy horns in the first place, and then there's the extra meat on the soldered on tone holes. And these are no ordinary tone holes.
No simple tube here, each tone hole is a beefy affair, with enough wall thickness to cut a decent chamfer in at the lip. There are pros and cons with this design, of course, and the big drawback is the possible lack of integrity of the joint where the tone hole meets the body. It's very common to find Martin horns with leaks around the tone holes, and this is most likely due to the process of oxidisation of the soft solder that holds the tone holes in place.
It's not something you see much of on modern horns (which feature drawn tone holes, whereby the wall of the tone hole is physically pulled out of the body material), but if your crook falls off its tenon sleeve then it's quite likely that the cause will be oxidisation of the solder - causing it to crystallise and lose adhesion. It's unclear why some Martins seems to suffer from this problem and others don't (this horn had perfect tone holes) - but I suspect that it's got a lot to do with patterns of usage and storage. It's certain that dampness around a soldered joint will accelerate oxidisation, so perhaps this horn had either very little use or was well looked after by its previous owners.
Another advantage of soldered on tone holes is that in the event of any significant damage to the body, they can be removed to assist the repair, levelled off independently of the body and then refitted. I'm indebted to Tom Crawshaw, who emailed me after having read the original review and raised the issue of 'selective galvanic corrosion'. Essentially this describes the process whereby two different metals in contact with each other set up an electrical difference in the presence of an 'electrolyte'. In the case of the Martin we have the brass of the tone hole and body, and the lead alloy of the soft solder. The electrolyte is nothing more than the water that forms in the bore as condensation or gets blown into the horn as saliva. In effect, it turns the interface between the tone hole and the body into a battery.
There's a thing called 'the Galvanic Series' which consists of a list of metals - and the further apart two metals are on that list, the more critical the galvanic corrosion will be. As it happens, lead and brass are quite a few steps apart. What this means is that even if the soldered joint is sound, without any pinholes or flaws, corrosion of the joint will still take place. It's also the case that the weak acids in saliva will help to break down a soldered joint in time - so between the two processes it's no wonder that these tone holes are often problematic. There's a separate article that goes into more detail, and discusses the remedies. And here's something to scare those of you who've bought solid silver crooks. Silver and brass are even further apart on the Galvanic Series, so leaving the crook on the horn after you've played it will eventually weaken the tenon joint.
It also raises the question as to whether silver plated horns with soldered on tone holes are more susceptible to galvanic corrosion than lacquered brass ones. My advice would be, when buying such a horn, to check the tone holes very carefully indeed. The most obvious solution, inasmuch as such a thing can be prevented, is to ensure that you thoroughly dry your horn after playing. The crook is of the tenor variety. Some C Melody horns feature an alto style crook. There's no real difference in the way the design affects the response, but it does have a bearing on how the horn hangs. Alto players use a very high approach - a straight neck and back is the most common stance, whereas tenor players tend to have a very slight stoop.due to the angle of the crooks, and perhaps the size and weight of the horn.
The Martin sits somewhere inbetween.which takes a bit of getting used to. A few words about the finish. This horn features a matt silver finish, with brightwork (silver plate on plain, flat brass) on the bell and a gold wash inside the bell. This matt finish was popular back in the early to mid 1900's (and seems to be making something of a comeback today in 'retro' horn finishes), but I've never been a big fan of it.
Essentially, the horn is sandblasted to lend the brass a pitted effect and then silver plated. It looks reasonable enough, when clean, but it gets grubby quite quickly and can be very difficult to keep clean on the grounds that grime and tarnish will lurk in the pits of the finish, and short of scrubbing the horn it's very hard to remove it. That being said, when it IS clean it looks quite special - especially the contrast with the brightwork on the bell.
C Melody Saxophone Mouthpiece
The keywork has its pros and cons too. The most obvious pro is its build quality - nothing flimsy about these keys. It's of simple design too, so you won't find any modern conveniences like stack key adjusters or fancy compound mechanisms. That simplicity is perhaps the drawback also - there's no Auto top F mechanism, no link from the G# to the bell keys and a vaguely Heath-Robinson octave key mechanism. There's also the ubiquitous low Eb trill key mechanism (note the extra key arm over the low E key). Although this mechanism works it's inclined to wear rapidly due to the relatively small key barrels on the relevant keys, and it becomes an ideal vector for a leak. As per the modern practice I reversed the springing on the trill key cup so that it remains closed - though some people are quite happy to simply wedge the Eb trill cup close with a bit of cork.
I guess too that Eb trills just aren't as popular a musical device as they once were (which is fine by me.I can't stand trilling!) - though it's more useful if you think of it as an alternative Eb. This horn also features a G# trill key (seen inbetween the low F and E keys). It's perhaps of more use than the Eb trill, allowing you to hold the G# key open with the left hand little finger whilst you trill with the right hand middle finger, and as it's just a mechanical connection to the existing G# key it won't pose any problems with regard to leaks should the action wear. The bell keys are all mounted on long rod screws - as opposed to modern horns which use point or pivot screws. Long screws are inclined to wear, through a combination of sheer surface contact area and a tendency to lose lubrication - plus there's the associated drag of friction which tends to make such keys a little less than sprightly in response. As for the bell key spatulas they're a very simple affair, though quite functional. The only caveat really is that the low C# key isn't cantilevered, so can feel quite heavy with the large spring that's required to ensure the key doesn't flap when you play the bell notes.
However, that's all par for the course with a horn of this vintage, and provided the action is kept in good mechanical order and well lubricated it can be balanced to give a light and positive feel.with perhaps only the octave key and the bell keys being slightly stiffer than on a modern horn. As regards the point screws, these are good old-fashioned proper points which allow for any free play in the action to be taken up as and when required. It's quite an unusual experience blowing a C Melody. I have to say right from the off that I'm not really a fan of this type of horn.
I've worked on and played many an example, I even used a marvellous old Wurlitzer C Melody in a blues band for a few years, but somehow I never really managed to feel comfortable with the tone. The horn sits, physically, between the Eb alto and Bb tenor. In an ideal world the C melody should take the upper notes of the alto and the lower notes of the tenor and combine them in a glorious assemblage of tone.but to my mind what it seems to do is take the weaker top notes of the tenor and combine them with the strident lower notes of the alto. Now, I fully expect that there's many a C Melody buff out there who even now is putting finger to keyboard with a view to sending me one of those emails that begins 'Dear Sir.I have never, mark you, NEVER heard such utter.' - so perhaps I should add that the C Melody may well have something in common with the soprano sax in that it has it own unique style of playing. In other words, you have to apply yourself to it.
From listening to 'proper' C Melody players, who somehow manage to eke quite a light but punchy tone out of these horns, I suspect that it's me that's at fault and not the poor old saxophones. One thing's for sure, this Martin has some of the same quality of tone that I find so appealing in all the other Martins I've played - that luscious combination of rich lower notes and crisp top notes. Martin horns have punch, and yet it's not a case of it being 'always on'.they can be backed off to give a lovely, dry mellow tone that can switch in an instant on demand to that powerful tone that so characterises horns of this vintage. That being said, if this horn was a tenor I'd say that the lower notes had less richness than I would have liked, and were it an alto it would have less cut. Another thing that throws me is the pitch shift. This sometimes happens to doublers, typically alto and tenor.where you're going from an Eb instrument to a Bb.
The effect is such that after playing an instrument for a while you become accustomed to certain finger positions giving you certain pitches. Thus you'd finger a G and get, naturally, a G. Switch to a differently keyed horn and that G fingering produces a different note at concert pitch (though it's still a 'saxophone G'). This can catch you out initially, but after some time spent swapping between two differently pitched horns you can become attuned to it. The C melody though is so uncommon that the average player might never even see one in a lifetime, let alone play one - and even with my flute playing credentials (another instrument pitched in C) I felt somewhat at odds with the relationship between my fingering and the pitch of the note. I think if I had to give one word to describe the tone of the Martin I would say it would be 'mysterious'.
I think too that this perhaps points up how so often the tone of the C Melody goes to waste. Listen to any collection of C Melody recordings and you'll find a preponderance of 'novelty' pieces.happy-go-lucky, chirpy pieces that require great technical dexterity - and yet if you're lucky you might come across the odd rare piece that's rather slower, and perhaps darker or more minor in feel.
The Martin C Melody seems to be made for just this niche, its warmth of tone carrying just enough edginess to make you ever so slightly wary. Tonewise I've seen these horns described as anything from 'syrupy' through to 'sweet', but I feel this woefully underplays the horn's more 'noir' characteristics. If James Bond was going to play a sax, he could do no better than get one of these. The tuning requires some in-depth comments.
I was expecting to hit a few problems initially. Blowing a vintage horn requires slightly more input on the part of the player - much as driving a vintage car requires a bit more of the driver. That's not to say that the design is bad, it's just built with a different set of manufacturing parameters. I could go so far as to say that these days tuning, or at least ease of achieving it, is paramount - but back when the Martin was built it was tone that ruled the roost. I've seen what happens when the one out-balances the other - you end up with an instrument that either sounds wonderful but can't play two notes in tune relative to each other, or one that sounds dead and dry but hits pitch every time. The science of woodwind instrument construction is that of achieving balance between the two - with a fair degree of latitude as to whether you make the player work at tone or tuning. Thankfully this horn was 'low pitch', built to the new standard for Concert A that became the norm just after the turn of the century.
Conn C Melody Saxophone Value
It's important when buying horns of this vintage to check the pitch - most horn built to the (then) new standard will exhibit the initials 'L.P' somewhere on the body, usually close by the serial number, just below the thumb hook. In my initial tests I used my workbench Vandoren tenor mouthpiece. It worked just fine both in terms of tone and pitch right up to the top C.and then things went badly wrong.
So much so that by the time I reached top F I was, in fact, playing a perfect E. I really couldn't believe that a horn from such an established manufacturer would be quite this badly out of tune, so I switched to the original mouthpiece that came with the horn. Granted, I immediately lost the open tone the Vandoren gave me, but the tuning snapped into place more or less.I still felt the top notes exhibited a degree of flatness, but not so much that I couldn't learn to accommodate with my embouchure given enough time. Indeed, after half an hour's playing I found the top notes sliding more and more in tune. So it would appear that this horn, and probably most C Melodies, are quite mouthpiece-dependent (no surprises there).
I'd imagine that the order of the day would be something with quite a wide, open bore - unbaffled, and with a fairly close lay to give you a rich, rounded tone without too much edge.and given that C Melody mouthpieces aren't exactly common these days you might find that it would pay to have one made by an expert, such as, for example. Failing that, some time spent trying out a large range of standard tenor pieces should yield some results - and as no two players have the same requirements this might be the best way to find a piece that works both in terms of tuning and tone. It's worth commenting here that the setup is important with regard to tuning. It's been my experience that many repairers are perhaps fooled by the size of the C Melody, and set about giving it a tenor's action. Naturally, being smaller than the tenor this results in too high an action.
Likewise, giving it an alto action results in too low an action. This isn't such an issue on modern horns, but for vintage horns the height of the action, and the relative difference between the upper and lower stacks can make quite a difference to the response and tuning of the horn. I can see, in theory, how a sax pitched in C should have mass appeal.
No need for transcribed music, simply follow the piano score. And yet this type of horn is no longer manufactured. It's not unreasonable to ask why that should be, and I suspect that it's largely down to the tone. As good as a C Melody can be, it can't quite match the fireworks of the alto, nor the gravitas of the tenor - and although you could argue that it has its own unique sound, it will forever be plagued with the sense of sitting between two stools.
But for those who are prepared to put the time and effort into coaxing out the very best that the horn has to offer, the Martin has to be worth a look. Bear in mind though that cases for these horns are all but impossible to find - so you may need to budget for a custom case, or at least refurbishment of the original one. For those of you who are fans of this particular member of the saxophone family, I can thoroughly recommend a peek at entertaining and comprehensive collection of articles.