Description
This saxophone is sold! But click here to see our current selection of tenor saxophones.
I got a call from a guy in a warehouse in Minnesota who found this horn in a case. It had been sitting in the warehouse since it was first imported to the USA from Paris! The lacquer had gotten mottled, so I had that stripped, and then I got the horn totally overhauled by Aaron Barnard, who does excellent saxophone overhaul work. These photos were just taken in summer 2016, and this is what the horn looks like right now. The brass has not even been able to develop much patina yet, but over time it will change color depending on your body chemistry – anything from matte to grayish to rainbow colored patterns! Or you can just wipe it off and it will stay shiny for a long time.
This horn has all the features of a Gold Medal 1, and is not at all a cheaper version of an SML, except it has straight tone holes, like all SML saxophones after 21xxx serial. This is actually better for you because your repair guy will be much better at adjusting a horn with straight tone holes over the years.
It plays GREAT with a huge voice that is dark, full, and powerful like a Conn New Wonder II or 10M, while remaining somewhat focused and centered, like a typical French-made saxophone (think Selmer but fatter and darker). Aaron’s $1200 overhaul was done very well, with a $100 set of TenorMadness, reusable screw in brass resonators that are ideal for this horn. Whoever gets this is going to be very pleased! Intonation is good, and altissimo is easy. SML tenors are almost always beat up, but this one is super clean and nice. I think it had one small dent removed in the bell that happened in storage, and that’s it for past repairs of any kind.
In comes with the pictured $200 ProTec case which fits the large bell of the SML very nicely.
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