Moderne Instrumente:

1965 - Beaugnier “Vito” Sopransaxophon in Bb für Leblanc USA gebaut. Ser. Nr. 23684. Buffet Crampon Mundstück (ca. 1960), .052 Öffnung, Vandoren Klassik 3.0 Blätter. 

1958 - Couesnon Monopole II, Ser. Nr. 9625, erweiterte Klappen, Tief A und Hoch G, gebaut ca. 1958 in Paris. → Hier ist ein Video von Marcel Perrin der dies Saxophon im Französischen Fernsehen vorstellt.  Adolphe Sax Mundstück (Paris 1930), Vandoren 3,5 Klassik Blätter. 

Historische Instrumente:

1929 - CONN F-MEZZO Soprano mit Buffet Crampon/Evette & Schaeffer Mundstück (ca. 1955), optimiert von Phil Engleman (Phil-Tone) zu einer .060 Öffnung, Vandoren Klassik 2,5 Blätter.

1865 Adolphe Sax Bb Sopransaxophon stencil Lacreussete Valenciennes, ca. 1865. Gebaut von Adolphe Sax (nach dem 1. Patent) für das Musikgeschäft Lacreussete & Quandieu in Valenciennes, Nordfrankreich, Hauts-de-France, mit Briard Soliste / Garde Républicaine"Mundstück, 3,5 Vandoren Klassik Blätter. 

1880 - Adolphe Sax, Eb Altsaxophon stencil Lacreussete Valenciennes, ca. 1875. Gebaut von Adolphe Sax (nach dem 2. Patent) für das Musikgeschäft Lacreussete & Quandieu in Valenciennes. Adolphe Sax (Jr.) und Buffet Crampon (1878) Mundstücke, Vandoren Klassik 3,5 Blätter.

Flöte:

Powell ORKON Flöte (Edward V. Powell, ca. 1951) aus dem Nachlass des Fernsehmoderators „Buffalo“ Bob Smith, New Rochelle, NY, ca. 1950, mit Piezo Barrel©pickup.

 → Hier ist eine detaillierte Beschreibung dieses Instruments

REFLECTIONS ON PLAYING MODERN AND EARLY SAXOPHONES

I. Playing a modern saxophone

The best tools are the ones where you can concentrate on your task, on what you want to achieve through and with the tools. Some tools might look particularly good to you, some might have been extraordinary expensive. But in the end, the ones that get your job done, that you do not even notice while working with them are the right ones.

Using an artful tool does not make one a dry technician. It seems to me that people that are anxious about our technical advancement, confuse means and ends. Naturally a person that only works for material gain will not harvest something that is worth living for. But the machine is not an end in itself. (…).It is a tool.(...) We are all youthful barbarians, and only our new toys bring us excitement. That has been the sole purpose of our flights. This one flies higher, that one faster. But now we will make ourselves at home. We will forget the machine, the tool. It is no longer complex; it does what it is supposed to do, unnoticed. And through this tool we will find again the old nature, the nature of the gardener, the navigator, the poet.
Antoine de saint-Exupéry, Terre des hommes (Wind, sand and stars) (1939)

Saxophones are tools to make music. Some saxophones might look particularly good to you, some might have been extraordinary expensive. But in the end, the ones that you create your music with, that you do not even notice while working with them are the right ones. The ones that help us to find our nature as musical poets. The right Saxophones are the ones that you forget immediately and throw you in the process of creating music. Because of us being youthful barbarians (Antoine de saint-Exupéry,) our tools, the saxophones, reeds, mouthpieces, necks … will always get improved which brings excitement to the inventors and crafters as the artists alike. But for making music, improving the tool is a craft, the art starts by applying the tools.

The majority of saxophonists have always used throughout its history the most modern and innovative saxophones of their era. However, since the 1930s-1950s, around 80-100 years after its invention, a certain standard was reached in saxophone construction that provides contemporary saxophonists today with choice of a considerable range of older(vintage) saxophones next to the most modern models according to their artistic vision and needs.

A player´s sound is created by the mouthpiece/reed combination in close interaction with the player. A fitting (often the original) ligature and a tightly fitted neck can influence or optimize responses, but the saxophone body itself is a mere amplifier of that basic sound,  plating and lacquer have NO objectively measurable influence on the sound in my experience testing otherwise identical instruments.  However, the interplay with the ergonomic design of the key-work and the resonance and response from the instruments are significantly inspiring for the player and can help the overall performance - even if these subtle experiences are noticed only by the player itself of course. 

II. Playing PRE-20 century saxophones

I think modern saxophones are great tools for making music in a way that gives space to the most virtuosic and flexible musical expression and might even help us to think differently about music or create new music because of playing an innovative instrument. However, like a 21 century flute in comparison to a baroque flute, mechanical innovation can also lead us as performers astray from the essence of the instrument, its core qualities, its heart and soul. I love the way how a teacher of mine, Joel Speerstra, thinks about instruments as sources of artistic affordance- affordance being the quality or property of an object that defines its possible uses or makes clear how it can or should be used.

In playing early pre-20 century saxophones from Adolphe Sax and others, I constantly discover new aspects of what I find being the core qualities of the saxophone. I cannot play as virtuosic in terms of chromaticism or mechanical on these instruments (at least not with the same ease as on my modern ones), but I am immediately drawn to the lyrical side of the saxophone, to its ability to „sing“ melodies rather than to play them.

III. Studying saxophone and mouthpiece designs

Since 2000 I have studied American and European made alto saxophones and saxophone mouthpieces manufactured between 1910-1950 to understand better the development from the early saxophone to the modern saxophone and discover where my own voice on this instrument is situated. I agree with saxophone technician and researcher Matt Stohrer that the 1930s were pivotal years for all major saxophone manufacturers to transition from the art of saxophone building to the science of saxophone building. In other words, the birth of the “Modern Saxophone” can be identified with refined instruments in the late 1930s such as Selmer Balanced Action saxophones and their American counterparts (CONN 6M, Buescher Aristocrat, King Zephyr Special, Martin Committee). Likewise, the 1950s can be considered as a period of the last innovative hand made saxophone designs: the Selmer Super Balanced Action and Mark VI, the Couesnon Monopole Series, the Buffet Super Dynaction and S1 series, the SML Gold Medal, The Leblanc Paris System in France and the CONN 26M, 30M and 28M, Buescher 400series, Martin Magna, Holton Stratodyne, King Super 20series in the USA setting new standards in saxophone design. 

Fascinated by the different designs of saxophone manufacturing in the USA and Europe I have performed with and recorded on these saxophones together with vintage mouthpieces of their respective era, often on several of each model and type so far:

ADLER „Triumph“ Modell, bis hoch G
BEAUGNIER Special Perfect and American stencils: Noblet, Antoine Courtois, Vito 37 and 38 - Duke Special etc.
BOISTE Maurice, model with “Selmer/Buffet” LH pinky table
BORGANI (ca. 1990), sterling silver bell. 
BUESCHER True Tone Series III+IV, Tipped Bell Soprano, New Aristocrat, Big B and Top hat and Cane (and later 400 models)
BUFFET POWELL (beide Modelle mit Mechanik komplett rechts und rechts/links).
BUFFET Apogee, Evette & Schaeffer, Dynaction, Super Dynaction, S1
B&S Serie 2001 und Guardala
CONN 6M, New Wonder I+II, Transitional, CONN 28M 
COUESNON Monopole Series I & II
DOLNET Bel Air, Royal Jazz and M70
J. GRAS (ca. 1940)
GRASSI „Jade Roller“ models and Model 2000
Grafton 
HAWKES & SON 20th century models
HOLTON Rudy Wiedoeft, “231” (Resotone) and “234” (Stratodyne) 
F.X. HÜLLER, Menge System, ca.1938
KEILWERTH Toneking, Toneking Special  
KING Zephyr, Zephyr Special, King Super 20 (first and last series)
KOHLERT Pennsylvania Special (VKS prototype model with full pearls)
LEBLANC Rationale (SR + SRB), Paris System 100, VIto 35 (vergoldet, von Boots Randolph) / 135 Johnny Hodges Modell mit SilberGravuren
LYRIST Altsaxophone und Sopransaxophone
MALERNE “Series Malville”
MARTIN Handcraft, Handcraft Imperial and Committee I+II
FRANCOIS MILLERAU frühe Modelle, ca. 1885
OLDS „Super“ model
PIERRET Virtuor with Vibrator, Super Artiste, Artiste Competition and Model 67
RAMPONE CAZZANI R1 Jazz und ein historisches Modell mit doppelten Tasten für die Linke Hand
A. SANTONI gebogenes Sopransax (wie Jan Garbarek)
ADOLPHE SAX SON Rue Myrha models and SELMER „Adolphe Sax“ hybrid models
SELMER 1922, 1926, Large Bore (u.a. das Modell Ralph James, alle Klappen mit Ziersteinen besetzt), Cigar Cutter, Radio Improved, Balanced Action (aus dem Nachlass von Bud Shank), Super Balanced Action, Mark VI, Mark VII, Series III
SML Reverence D, Coleman Hawkins Special and Gold Medal I & II
VITO „Deluxe Model“ fully engraved, made in USA
C.A. WUNDERLICH (Franz Köhler Stencil, Artist model, full pearls, 1938)
YAMAHA 62, 62R Sopran, Custom Z, 875 und 675 Sopran
YANAGISAWA Elimona Sopran, 991 und 992 Alto
YORK (ca, 1940) C-Sopran bis Hoch F und Bb Sopransaxophon (vergoldet)

My „Most Inspiring Vintage Saxophone Top 5“:
Buescher New Aristocrat
Buffet Powell
Conn 28M
Leblanc Paris System 100 
Selmer Balanced Action & early Mark VII Saxophones

My „Most Inspiring Vintage Alto Mouthpiece Top 5“:
Berg Larsen Hard Rubber (offset) 1950s  
Brilhart Great Neck Streamline 1940s
M.C. Gregory Model A 1940s
Meyer Brothers New York 1950s
Otto Link 4*** metal, Tonemaster and HR Reso Chamber 1940s