bloke wrote:I've owned/sold a Buescher bass saxophone and a Couf/Keilwerth bass saxophone. Other Bueschers have passed through my shop. The German instrument had a new appearance and was quite well-made. The Buescher would easily be judged to be the superior instrument.
So would a Keilwerth easily be judged to be superior, if for example the person doing the judging were inclined towards a more modern saxophone sound.
All bass saxophones (as do all bass tubas, contrabass tubas, soprano-alto-tenor-baritone saxophones) have their quirks.
So true, and so unreasonable to criticize tubas for intonation quirks, when it's something we just ought to take for granted. But there have been some improvements in what we can expect, since the '30s. About the only quirk left in that '80s Keilwerth is the need to use the D palm key as if it were a second octave vent with 2nd register D.
Adrian Rollini (who played with Bix) is my hero. I've never heard better bass sax playing than on those recordings with Bix.
I think the story I heard was that he was not only self taught, he learned to play the instrument on very short notice. Along with vibraphone, etc.
Mr. Rollini played a Conn. They are quite rare.
Inasmuch as bass saxophones are rare, but I would have guessed Conn bass saxophones to be the most numerous.