The Couesnon Monopole Conservatoire II alto is one of those sleeper horns that the true vintage saxophone connoisseurs know about and barely anyone else does. For that reason, you can still get a beautiful one like this for peanuts. Overhaul this, and you will have one glorious alto that does everything well, and that vibrates with life like no other. It feels like a great Conn under the fingers the way it comes to life, but the tone is more French like a Selmer but with fatter palm keys, a more even scale, and very good intonation. This one has old pads, but that’s how they tend to play.
