Saxhorn?

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Minkrott
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Saxhorn?

Post by Minkrott »

Is this a saxhorn? It is missing the leadpipe and mouthpiece. 5 keys for each hand.

https://www.shopgoodwill.com/Item/47942588" target="_blank" target="_blank
King 2341 New Style
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Tabert
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Re: Saxhorn?

Post by Tabert »

Looks like a sarrusophone to me.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarrusophone
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Donn
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Re: Saxhorn?

Post by Donn »

Close! See if you don't agree with me that it's a Reed Contrabass.
Image
Image

They're quite unusual, so obscure that we don't have much to go on as to how they sound - or didn't, the last time I looked, but now there's this bravura performance online, Reed Contrabass with Recorder Ensemble on Let's All Sing Like the Birdies Sing.

I had a chance to play a contrabass sarrusophone very briefly years ago, or try to play it anyway - it struck me as a pretty feeble contrabass. In the semi-famous Sidney Bechet contrabass sarrusophone solo, he sounds like he jumped right on the mike. The reed contrabass has a much wider bore, which I guess gives it more volume - enough to keep up with recorders, anyway - but at an obvious sacrifice in tone quality and pitch stability, so you have to practice like crazy, just to sound as good as a reed contrabass can sound, which is not very good. And I imagine you have to manufacture your own reeds.

Clarence Williams' 1924 record, Mandy, Make Up Your Mind, with Sidney Bechet on contrabass sarrusophone.

Note that the instrument for sale apparently is missing its "bocal", and it's going to be awfully hard to find a replacement! That's the equivalent to the "neck" of a saxophone, and of course its exact dimensions are quite critical to the sound quality, such as it may be.
Minkrott
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Re: Saxhorn?

Post by Minkrott »

Yes Donn, I believe you are right. Here is more detail and pictures.

http://www.contrabass.com/pages/anche.html" target="_blank" target="_blank
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Donn
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Re: Saxhorn?

Post by Donn »

Saxhorn ensemble Opus 333 on Langsamer Satz, Anton Webern - all, I think, the same bass (?) size (9 foot), and I get the impression that these days that's the family member that has really survived under that name. I think most of the conical brass commonly found under other names (e.g., tuba) depart enough from the proportions that they couldn't really be called saxhorns, but the alto horn might qualify.
Minkrott
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Re: Saxhorn?

Post by Minkrott »

Currently over $1900. Ends in 4 hours.
King 2341 New Style
King 2341 Recording Bell
GRBIC 1907 Eb
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