King
Saxophones made by King
Showing 1–100 of 150 results
-
Sold Out
King C Melody Saxophone Original Silver Plate Good Condition needs Overhaul 63607
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of tenor saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Full Pearls SilverSonic Alto 303030 Fresh Matt Stohrer Overhaul Original Lacquer Charlie Parker Vintage!
Well, well, well, what have we here? One of my favorite saxophones of all time! This is an extremely rare early King SilverSonic alto with sterling silver bell and ‘full pearls’. I have only seen a few of these altos come up for sale in many years of watching the market fairly closely. There are probably fewer than 100 altos like this in existence, and there are fewer that still have their original lacquer. Charlie Parker famously played King SilverSonic Super 20 alto SN#295173, which sold for an ungodly sum at auction several years ago. This horn’s body serial is 303030, which is the same version as Parker’s, and the neck serial is 295182, which is only 9 serial numbers later than Parker’s, so same small batch of horns. Not sure why the neck serial is different, but maybe because this neck played best. This horn was one owner going way back several decades before I bought it.
It just got a full overhaul by the best saxophone repairman for Kings that I have experienced, Matt Stohrer. Matt is a friendly and unassuming guy who has a passion for learning and sharing as much as he can about saxophone repair. His attention to all the little, time-consuming details of repair that take a horn from good to great is pretty hard to beat. This horn certainly deserved the best, and it came out great. It feels super great under the fingers – dry and snappy, with light, easy action and great response. The tone is that classic, warm, punchy, projecting, brassy-when-pushed, King alto sound that Parker and Cannonball made, at least for me, the classic jazz alto tone. It sounds like that sound you have in your head that you just can’t quite get on a Selmer or any modern horn:-)
You get a nice original Silversonic King alto case, as well as a delxe black BAM France Trekking case, both included with the horn. The BAM for safe shipping, and the King just for fun. Hard to beat the Trekking for an all-around alto case, and it fits the King like a glove.
There’s certainly only one of these available. I’ve had this in my personal collection for years, and it’s up here in the museum for your enjoyment. If you want an alto that looks gorgeous, has a high likelihood to keep going up in value, plays great, and is not so perfect that you’re afraid to play it, you couldn’t do better than this.
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Original Gold Plate Soprano Saxophone Beautiful Engraving 56362
This is an original gold plated King soprano from about 1922. The engraving is exquisite, as it usually is on gold plated King saxophones, and the horn itself is in very good physical condition. Keyed to high Eb, it currently plays ok on old pads, and the tone is very warm and pleasant. As is typical with sopranos of this age, the intonation is pretty flexible, but given a good ear and voicing it is entirely possible to play in tune- just don’t expect this to do the job for you like a modern Yamaha or Yanagisawa! The trade-off is, as it usually is in my experience, richness of tone for flexibility of intonation, although a large chamber soprano mouthpiece (like a vintage Buescher) will make the job a lot easier. I was playtesting this on a modern Yanagisawa piece though and enjoyed it quite a bit, without any notable intonational problems for me personally. This is from a collection and has old pads. But just the gold plate is worth the entire price of the horn. It’s a super deal. You could easily find this priced double somewhere else. Includes the nice Buescher soprano mouthpiece in the photos!
The original case for this instrument is in good condition and fits it very well.
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of soprano saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Saxello Original Silver 83xxx Great Shape
This is one gorgeous silver King Saxello! Original silver plate, original case, pads are sealing, and it plays well.
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of soprano saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Saxello Soprano Bent Neck and Bell Original GOLD Plate Fresh Overhaul!
-
Sold Out
King Saxello Soprano Original Silver Excellent Condition 72077
-
Sold Out
King Saxello Soprano Original Silver Old Pads Nice! 72266
-
Sold Out
King Saxello Soprano Saxophone – Near Mint!
This is a beautiful, nearly mint condition King Saxello semi-curved soprano saxophone in original silver plate.
-
Sold Out
King Saxello Soprano Saxophone 81782
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of soprano saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Saxello Soprano Saxophone Original Silver Plate Playable 68745
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of soprano saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Saxello Soprano Silver 71xxx
This saxophone is sold! But click here to see our current selection of soprano and sopranino saxophones!The King Saxello is definitely the vintage King that generates the most interest, and rightly so. It is a bold, innovative design that accomplishes two things at once. The curved neck moves the body tube down onto the neck strap for a nice, easy feel. And the upturned bell projects the sound out and up so that you can hear yourself better than on a straight soprano. Cosmetically, it does not get much nicer than this. This horn has no dents or dings and no past repairs. It has almost all of its original silver plate. The bell is really beautiful on these horns, with delicate engraving and bright silver. Saxello’s are usually beat up, and this is one of the rare survivors. Someone should grab this quickly before it disappears!
-
Sold Out
King Saxello Soprano Silver Plate 71xxx Great Deal!
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of soprano saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Saxello Soprano Tipped Bell Bent Neck Near Pristine Silver Plate
This is a rare and beautiful example of a King Saxello soprano. The King Saxello is not just cool, but practical. The bent neck moves the horn down to rest on the neck strap for added comfort. The upturned bell means that you can hear yourself when you play! Condition wise, this is among the best I have seen. There was a very small dent that was removed from the neck, and it was done well. That’s it for past repairs. This thing is clean! Body tube, keywork, posts, bell flare etc are all very good.
The King Saxello has a big, wide tone that is way larger than any modern soprano. Really, you have to play a Saxello like this in order to even imagine how different it sounds from a modern soprano. Simply put, many modern sopranos sound more like an oboe than a sax, but the King Saxello sounds like a saxophone! This horn needs an overhaul to play, so plan on getting pads replaced! But it’s a great example to have overhauled, and it’s priced to move.
The original silver is almost all intact, and the horn just looks great. The price is extremely low for one of these, and this horn is a great purchase and a delight to own. Plus it’s cool to bring to gigs and to show people. The King Saxello is just intrinsically cool.
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of soprano saxophones. -
Sold Out
King SilverSonic Alto 1962 Original Lacquer Fresh Pads Excellent Condition 390796
There’s no other saxophone that is quite as beautiful as a King SilverSonic with gold in the bell. This one has original lacquer and was overhauled not long ago. The pads are almost all dark leather with slightly domed plastic resonators but a few are lighter leather also with domed plastic. So it was either overhauled longer ago than it looks like (and than I was told when I got it) or it was overhauled with two kinds of pads, or it was overhauled and then very shortly after had a few pads swapped out. Anyway, the horn plays great, responds well, and feels good under the fingers. It has tons of projection, and a big, powerful voice that easily cuts through a band. As you probably know, Cannonball Adderley famously played one like this, as did Charlie Parker. I don’t see any signs of significant past repairs, and the original lacquer is nearly all intact with only some regular wear from use. You often see these Kings with solid silver neck and bell priced higher, but this one is in the affordable range and will probably go fast. Only one available!
-
Sold Out
King SilverSonic Alto 1962 Original Lacquer Recent Overhaul Excellent Condition 390503
-
Sold Out
King SilverSonic Alto 1969 Gold ‘Leaf’ Original Lacquer 450877
This is a gorgeous original lacquer King SilverSonic alto with solid silver neck and bell. This has the more desirable gold ‘leaf’ (heavy gold plate) in the engraving and has an older overhaul done West Coast style with red painted pads and Hollywood resonators. There is a pickup removed from the neck that has a flush plug there now, which is very hard to see at all. Doesn’t affect anything playing wise, but it saves you some money on the horn versus not being there. No other significant past repairs, no dents or dings, original case also looks great. Only one available!
-
Sold Out
King SilverSonic Alto 328xxx Original Lacquer
This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones. -
King SilverSonic Alto Near Mint with Gold in the Engraving – Early Series III 358843
$ 9,000This is the nicest King Series III SilverSonic alto that I have seen, and it’s also the earliest serial one that I’ve seen in person. If you’re into Kings, then you already know what this is, but if you’re not, then in my opinion, this is the second best version, and to many players, this is the best version. The Series II Super 20 is what Cannonball played on Kind of Blue and Somethin’ Else, before switching to one of these after the new ones came out (he went through several horns over the course of his career). The Series II has the ‘full pearls’ on side keys etc, and the Series III lacks the extra pearl key touches, but it gains much more modern feeling keywork in exchange, while keeping the full, rich King tone of the Series II. The ones like this, made shortly after the end of the Series II (which ends around 343k serial), have a little warmer tone than the later Series III horns, more like the Series II, in my opinion. That makes this something of a unicorn – excellent to near mint condition, original factory pads and setup still intact like a time capsule. Double socket solid silver neck in perfect shape. No dents or dings. No past repairs. Solid silver bell with the thick decorative gold in the engraving, which makes this extra rare. All in all, hard to beat. You’d need to get it overhauled. I’d be open to using one of my reserved spots with Matt Stohrer to get this overhauled for you, if you wanted to get Matt to do it for you. He overhauled my personal King alto, and it’s just fantastic. His work on these feels like the King factory just finished building the horn for you. If this suddenly disappears from the site, it’s because I decided to keep it. These altos are really hard to beat, and among the best ever made.
Only one available!
-
Sold Out
King SilverSonic Alto Original Lacquer Late Serial Beautiful! 534816
-
Sold Out
King SilverSonic Alto Original Lacquer Mint Exceptional 448357
This is one of the best playing King altos that you will find! It’s freshly overhauled, and it’s in near mint condition with original lacquer and absolutely gorgeous condition. This is pretty amazing to play. Tyler said it’s a stand out player as well, when he gave it back to me after recording this clip.
-
Sold Out
King SilverSonic Alto Saxophone Super 20 Fresh Overhaul 346xxx
This is the King to get if you want all the bells and whistles AND you want the most modern version of King keywork. It lacks only the side/palm key pearls to be virtually the same as the coveted Series II SilverSonics, and it plays the same as those, but with more comfortable left hand spatula keys.
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones. -
Sold Out
King SilverSonic Super 20 Alto 367xxx
This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones. -
Sold Out
King SilverSonic Super 20 Alto 367xxx
This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones.Here’s a career-making lead alto for someone to pick up. It also includes a fresh overhaul just finished! The Super 20 altos with sterling neck and bell and gold leaf on the silver bell are perennial favorites for lead alto players because of their bright, warm, singing tone that easily cuts through a band or a section. You get that classic Cannonball/Charlie Parker King alto tone that is warm and bright at the same time. It’s “that sound” that everyone thinks of in a jazz alto. The SilverSonics with gold leaf are really uncommon. and this is a rare chance to get a clean, beautiful, problem-free example of this alto. Grab this horn before it’s gone. It is even nicer in person than it looks in the photos.
-
Sold Out
King SilverSonic Super 20 Alto Saxophone Original Lacquer Excellent Condition 411063
This beautiful, original lacquer King Cleveland SilverSonic alto is getting an overhaul starting end of March 2022, and that is INCLUDED in the price.
-
Sold Out
King SilverSonic Super 20 Alto Saxophone Original with Gold Leaf Fresh Overhaul! 346933
Getting overhauled early March 2019. Price includes overhaul! Email me at [email protected] to reserve it or pick your resonators. Superb example of a King SilverSonic alto with solid silver bell and neck, and gold plate in the engraving, with original gold lacquer over that! Cannonball Adderley tone all the way. These are just about the best altos ever.
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones. -
Sold Out
King SilverSonic Super 20 Cleveland Alto Sax with Gold 415048
-
Sold Out
King SilverSonic Super 20 Tenor 411xxx Cleveland
This saxophone is sold! But click here to see our current selection of tenor saxophones.Everyone wants a King SilverSonic. This one was made in Cleveland in 1965. It has a solid silver neck and a solid silver bell. This horn is priced much lower than one normally sees SilverSonic tenors selling for, because the bell looks relacquered to me. The lacquer actually looks like the right color and style, so it was probably done by King. The engraving looks great – nice and sharp, much like an original lacquer horn.
This is a good deal, and this horn should make someone really happy. There’s only one available. Get it now before it’s gone!
-
Sold Out
King SilverSonic Super 20 Tenor 427xxx
This is a great deal on a King SilverSonic Tenor that is beautiful, has a fresh, full overhaul, and is a superb player. It is loud and projecting. This horn was original lacquer when I got it, at about 75%, and I had the lacquer stripped and the horn gently hand polished when it was overhauled to remove the dirt and tarnish. It cleaned up great! It’s now bare brass and silver, and it has all new everything: a complete restoration consisting of mechanical work, new pads, corks, felts, everything leveled and properly setup. This horn is now ready to go for many years to come, and it is in better than new playing condition.
-
Sold Out
King SilverSonic Super 20 Tenor Saxophone Original Lacquer Fresh Overhaul! 418944
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of tenor saxophones. -
Sold Out
King SilverSonic Tenor Cleveland ‘Series III’ Double Socket Neck Good Pads Plays Great! 376648
This amazingly clean Series III King SilverSonic tenor is a great deal and a huge player! It’s entirely original lacquer on neck, body tube, keys, bow, and inside the bell, but the silver on the bell has been lightly polished and lacquered to keep it shiny. The engraved B and Bb key cups, for example, are obviously original, as is the body tube and the rest of the horn (easy to tell in person). The neck has a tiny amount of original lacquer intact near the octave pip. So it’s original except for the outside of the bell lacquer.
The pads are in good shape, and the horn roars on them! They are regular leather, with medium sized flat metal resonators, which is a great, authentic setup for a King. The tone is FAT, and sort of Dark-Bright, which sounds like an oxymoron but isn’t. The tone is big and fat and thick, but has tons of projection and edge, so it sounds dark and bright depending on how you think of it. That could be the definition of the “King thing” (those who play them, know).
Past repairs: the double socket has been resoldered on the neck, probably so the neck could be “fit” (made air tight) in the last overhaul. It’s nice and round in the inner socket, as it should be. There’s minimal evidence of any other repairs. No other resolders; no signs of other damage. It’s a remarkably clean example of a SilverSonic tenor, which is the horn everybody wants, whether they know it or not.
The Series III in the title refers to how this horn has the updated keywork. If you like modern ergonomics, then the Series III is the King for you. Warm and fat like the Series II, but easier to get around in and cheaper (and findable) in solid silver neck and bell like this one.
only one available! Fantastic price too! -
Sold Out
King Silversonic Tenor Excellent Condition Original Lacquer Silver Neck + Bell + Treypack 448262
Super nice original pads King SilverSonic tenor saxophone – one owner bought brand new! This horn has been babied, and still plays quite well even on the original pads. It has been tuned up regularly on them, and it’s on consignment, so I’m not overhauling it pre-sale. It is in really excellent condition throughout.
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of tenor saxophones. -
Sold Out
King SilverSonic Tenor Overhauled Early Eastlake 430459
Super nice King Super 20 SilverSonic tenor in excellent condition. This horn has a fresh overhaul and plays great, with a huge, punchy, projecting tone that stays fat well up into the upper register. This is a naturally loud, bold sounding King. It sports both solid silver neck and solid silver bell with gold wash inside. These horns are hard to beat, and they are definitely undervalued at the moment! Early Eastlake (or late Cleveland) tenors like this with single socket neck are many people’s favorite version, who are looking for a beautiful vintage King with silver bell and great build quality that doesn’t cost as much as a new car. Only one available. These always sell quickly. It will come in a new BAM case for maximum protection, or if you want to buy a vintage King alligator style black and silver case, I could sell you one from my little case collection for extra.
-
Sold Out
King SilverSonic Tenor Saxophone 376938
-
Sold Out
King SilverSonic Tenor Saxophone Exceptionally Fine Player Overhauled 402584
Here is a freshly overhauled King Super 20 SilverSonic (solid sterling neck and bell with gold inlay engraving) in excellent shape with a *monstrous* sound. The overhaul is extremely clean and well done, and sports high-end reusable Tenor Madness resonators. The action is quick and light and smooth and feels absolutely fantastic under the fingers. Even the left hand pinky table, which can be challenging for some repairers to get right, is light and snappy as it was designed to be. Seriously, hand this horn to the guy next to you on the bandstand just to let him feel it for a sec if you want to ruin his day.
Physically, this sax is in great condition as well. The lacquer is original and has signs of honest wear, but there are no signs of any major or even minor damage or resolders, past or present. The body is straight and the keys are all tight with no lost motion. Owner’s name lightly engraved on bottom of bell. Could be removed if you wanted to, but it is not noticeable. SilverSonics like this with the gold in the engraving on the silver bell are few and far between, and this one is bona fide Great.
It is hard to find a Super 20 SilverSonic tenor in good physical shape, and even harder to get one overhauled this well. Buy this horn and you’ve got it all right out of the box- no worries, no mystery, no gremlins awaiting you down the line. Just a great American-made sax that is ready to make bandmates jealous, project all the way to the back of the room, and look great doing it.
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of tenor saxophones. -
Sold Out
King SilverSonic Tenor Series III Gold in the Engraving Double Socket Neck 375203
**Price includes Matt Stohrer’s overhaul which was JUST finished!
If you’re reading this, then welcome! I’d like to introduce you to one of my favorite tenor saxophones. There are many versions of King Super 20 tenors and King SilverSonic tenors and it can be confusing for people who don’t regularly geek out about vintage saxophones to know which ones are the best. The short answer in this case would be – this one! The reasons, you ask? So, the next earlier SilverSonic version, the ‘Series II’ with pearl side keys, will cost you many many thousands of dollars more money (because only around 200 exist). This is the next version after that, and it has the best combination of features that you could ask for: solid silver (not plated, but all the way through silver) neck and bell; thick gold plate inside the engraving on the bell, gold wash inside the bell with lacquer over it; double socket neck with underslung octave key. All of those features go away at one time or another on later Super 20’s and SilverSonics. So to have them all in one horn is what you want.
That’s the first big reason. The second is keywork. People always seem to want keywork that feels modern, even on a vintage horn. This is a barrier to lots of players getting to experience best vintage horns – they can have trouble with the idea that a Conn 10M or a Buescher Top Hat and Cane has different pinky key layout, and are afraid they won’t be able to adjust. If you’ve had the pleasure of spending a week playing a horn with an unfamiliar key layout, you’ll know already, that this fear is overplayed. Your brain makes the changes in your muscle memory and you very soon feel comfortable and at home. Nevertheless… if you’re someone who wants it both ways – vintage horn build quality, beauty and tone, but modern-ish keywork, then this is the horn for you. The Series III Super 20’s and SilverSonics are the first ones that feel pretty much modern under the fingers. No, low Bb does not tilt like your Yamaha, but it’s still in the same location and is the same basic shape. So it’s easier to make the move to this version of SilverSonic.
And why move? Well, to me, beauty alone is a sufficient reason. It’s easily one of the most beautiful saxophones ever made.That gold over silver on the bell, plus the neck – people are still imitating that look today, to varying degrees of success. This tenor just got a complete overhaul done by Matt Stohrer, who does King overhauls as well as anyone on the planet, if not better. Now, everything on this horn is clean, straight, tidy, and snappy, just like it should be. It probably plays better now than it did when it was brand new! It’s just fantastic. As Kings go, it’s in the medium category between dark and spread (Zephyr Special/ Super 20 series 1) and bright and focused (series IV and V Super 20). This has the earlier double socket neck design like a Series II, but the sterling silver bell seems to give it some extra zing, and it plays a little brighter than my Series II Super 20 brass bell that I compare everything to, and a lot more focused than my Zephyr Special, but not as bright and laser focused as the last few later SilverSonics that have come through. Lots of power though.
This version of the SilverSonic deserves to be worth more than it is, and I have this one priced actually lower than the last one I sold 10 years ago, so it’s definitely a great deal. You just don’t see Series III SilverSonics with doube socket neck and gold in the engraving very often. And they have a super-powerful, fat but not too shrill, projecting tone that is really hard to beat. This could easily be your only horn for the rest of your life, and you would never need to upgrade, and probably would never even be tempted to. Now that I’ve written this description, if the horn suddenly disappears from the site, you’ll know I decided to just keep it and play it.
Only one available! (Here it is playing a ballad, and it sounds quite different playing straight ahead.)
-
Sold Out
King Soprano Saxophone Gold Plate Fresh Overhaul Amazing! 99847
Just freshly overhauled!! This got a full restoration, so it’s back to like new mechanical condition.This is the vintage soprano you should get!
This amazing gold plated King soprano saxophone will blow the walls down. It is in excellent condition, with nearly all the original gold plate intact. It has just received a full overhaul and restoration, which is not a small job on a 90 year old instrument. It is now back in like-new playing condition and ready to make music for many many years to come.
King sopranos are rare, and were only made in low pitch (regular concert pitch). They tune nicely, and have a big, warm, medium-focused tone that is less polite sounding than a Buescher, and really fills a room with ease. This example in gold plate and in such amazingly good condition is extremely rare. The great depression in 1929 spelled the end of most of the saxophone market, and marked the end of most makers building sopranos in any kind of quantities. So it’s not surprising that you don’t see a King soprano later than this serial. This is one of the very last ones made, and the latest serial I have seen. The later the better is my motto on vintage sopranos generally speaking, so getting a late one also in gold plate is really exceptional.
Only one available!
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto 1946 Series 1 Full Pearls Relacquer 283007
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto 1948 Original Lacquer Full Pearls 283216
Getting overhauled may 2021
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto 1954 Full Pearls Recent Matt Stohrer Overhaul Original Lacquer Excellent! 338052
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto 305xxx Full Pearls
This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones.This is a beautiful, original lacquer King Super 20 Alto Saxophone from 1950. It has pearl side keys and G# like Cannonball Adderley’s Super 20, and Charlie Parker’s Super 20. It has that tone too – warm, projecting, jazzy. It’s pretty hard to beat.
This horn is in excellent condition. Cosmetically, it has almost all of its original lacquer intact, and it has no dents, no dings, no past repairs. The original, solid silver neck has the matching serial number. The original case is even in excellent condition. The engraving is beautiful, including on the bell keys.
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto 308xxx Full Pearls Near Mint Original
This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones.This is a near mint condition, original lacquer King Super 20 Alto SN#308xxx with full pearls and solid silver neck. It has no dents, no dings, no resolders and 99% lacquer at least. This is about as nice as you will find for a 60 year old horn. It comes with the near mint original case with case key, and it still has all original pads as well. With an old Meyer piece, it is easy to sound a lot like Cannonball Adderley without too much work. This is one of the greatest vintage altos you can get, and it is one of the most beautiful as well. This horn should make someone very happy, and I’ll be sad to see it go when it sells.
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto 333k Full Pearls Gorgeous Original Lacquer Overhauled
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto 339xxx
This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones.This is an excellent condition, original lacquer King Super 20 Alto SN#339xxx with full pearls and solid silver neck. This is a primo serial range for Super 20 altos, and this one features the more comfortable left hand pinky setup that some people really like. It has a fresh overhaul done by Steve Collins for me, and it feels *really* good under the fingers. I am sorely tempted to keep this one because it just SINGS! Tonally, it is Cannonball all the way and super-responsive. This is one great horn, and I will be sad to see it go when it sells. Its last gig was playing Charlie Parker with Strings in a NYC show! This is a turn-key purchase for a superior King alto that should make even the pickiest players very happy.
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto 367k Original Lacquer Beautiful Condition
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto 415046 Original Lacquer Very Good Condition
Nice clean King Super 20 Alto Saxophone ‘Series IV’ from 1965, meaning it’s a late Cleveland one with the more modern keywork style. That’s good if you want a King Super 20 tone with minimal keywork compromises. This has the solid silver single socket neck. This sax has its original pads, which are 57 years old, so plan on an overhaul. Enough of my customers want a less expensive Super 20 that I’m leaving this one original pads for the moment. Almost every other King on the site is overhauled, so check those out if you want one that is a turnkey purchase.
Only one available!
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto 501874 Brass bell Great Deal! Original Lacquer and Pads
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Cleveland Original(!) Silver 423xxx
This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones.The King Super 20’s that were made in Cleveland (like this) are the most desirable type among most players and collectors. (As a side note, the early Eastlake horns can also be very good.) The unusual thing about this alto, is that it is original silver plate, which you almost never see on a Super 20. I have heard of a few other original silver Super 20’s, and one gold plated one, but there are VERY FEW of these out there. So this is one of those “good luck finding another one” type of horns. It looks to me like a factory special order, a one-off made for a customer who paid extra for a custom silver alto.
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Cleveland Silver Neck 402xxx
This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones.The King Super 20’s that were made in Cleveland (like this) are the most desirable type among most players and collectors. (As a side note, the early Eastlake horns can also be very good.) This one is original lacquer at about 90% with some honest wear from playing on the back of the bell (which doesn’t show when you’re playing). Grab this one at a good price and get it overhauled how you like, and you’ll have a cool professional vintage horn for less than a new Yamaha.
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Eastlake 460xxx
This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones.This is a later King Super 20 alto sax made in Eastlake. It’s not a super-late Eastlake, like some you see. It’s still a Super 20 design, just with the brass neck instead of silver. The lacquer on this horn looks like other original lacquer later Kings that I have seen before, so it looks like original lacquer to me – no evidence of buffing, lacquer over wear, or overspray/touch ups. Any of you King experts out there let me know if your eyes see anything differently. This should be a good chance to get a structurally sound King Super 20 in beautiful shape for a seriously good price.
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto from 1948 Full Pearls Original Lacquer
This is a very clean, original lacquer King Super 20 alto! It is one of the nicest ones I have seen, and even has some of the original gold lacquer remaining on the solid silver neck, which only the most gently used Super 20’s do. It has the original case, end plug, even the lyre screw intact. Just a beautiful example of one of the best altos ever.
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto from 1952 Original Lacquer Full Pearls
As far as I am concerned, the 50’s King Super 20 is the jazz alto. It’s the total package of beauty, craftsmanship, tone, ergonomics, and sheer pleasure. Pair it with a GS Special Alto mouthpiece, and you’ve got an unbeatable combination. It’s what I play, anyway. The price includes a full overhaul!
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Full Pearls 1952 Fresh Overhaul 328xxx Outstanding
$ 5,150ON HOLD SEPT 2020
King altos are the best altos ever, full stop.
This one has original lacquer and looks good in a played in way, with the only past repair being a resoldered low C key guard. It just got a full, fresh, high-end overhaul, done by the highly-skilled Jan Olsen (Norway). This means it got many hours of painstaking labor done to make the mechanism all factory fresh, and to replace everything that can be replaced so that it is back to new playing condition and pad wise. It now performs great and will be ready to go for many many years to come with only regular maintenance needed.
This King Super 20 alto is from just about the most desirable year, 1952, which is the same version and serial of Super 20 that Cannonball Adderley played on Kind of Blue and Somethin’ Else. It is in great shape, with no serious past repairs at all. This is the ‘Series II’ which has the best combination of beauty, features, and key work of all of the Super 20 altos. You really can get the Cannonball Adderley vibe going on one of these (with lots of practice) better than almost anything else. Cannonball played almost exactly this serial alto on Kind of Blue.
Why do I say that Super 20’s like this are the best altos ever? The overall combination of tone, beauty, and ergonomics. For me, great tone that you get from these full pearls Super 20’s is pretty hard to beat. It’s warm, full, rich, and projecting, but without any hint of shrillness or thinness. Cannonball’s tone, I always think of as a tenor saxophone reincarnated in the body of an alto, and that’s pretty much what a Super 20 alto like this allows. It feels like the tone is coming from a bigger, deeper instrument, but in the alto register, which is really remarkable. You can of course do a million other things with it. Check Francois Carrier’s music for another take on Super 20 tone (also same serial as this). The Super 20 is going to keep getting more and more desirable, and harder and harder to find. They’re just fantastic, and they are way rarer than Mark VI’s or any other top notch vintage or modern alto.
This horn is priced to MOVE. Once you figure in the overhaul, it’s absurdly cheap. Particularly for the tone you get. Someone should grab it now and not look back. You never need to ‘upgrade’ from this. If you don’t love it, send it back. I take returns.
Just for fun, here’s Cannonball on his Series II Super 20 playing one of his classic ballads, Dancin’ in the Dark.
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Full Pearls 298xxx Original and Overhauled
This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones.If you are looking for one of the best jazz altos I have played, this is it. It is a freshly overhauled King Super 20 298xxx from 1948-9, and it has a very good overhaul that will last for a LONG time with nothing more than regular maintenance. The tone on this horn is that concentrated essence of mainstream jazz alto that people look for in a Super 20. It has a flexible, punchy, medium bright tone with a unique “American” core that is powerful and projecting. Very free blowing – easy altissimo. This is lots of fun to play. Pair it with a NY Meyer, and you sound a lot like Cannonball Adderley tonally.
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Full Pearls 313xxx
This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones.This horn is already sold, but if you are wondering what a factory relacquered King Super 20 looks like, it looks like this. As you can see, the pads, resonators and lacquer are correct for a King of this period, but there is lacquer over the pearls and just enough little hints to show that it is definitely redone. Comes in a nice original case as well. This horn was a good player, as many relacquers are when they are in good physical condition with a good overhaul. This horn pre-sold off our waiting list, so if there is a specific horn you want, please contact us and we will let you know first before it becomes available more generally.
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Full Pearls 336xxx Outstanding
This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones.This is an excellent condition, original lacquer King Super 20 Alto SN#336xxx with full pearls and solid silver neck. This is a primo serial range for Super 20 altos, and this one features the more comfortable left hand pinky setup that some people really like. It has a fresh TenorMadness overhaul (costs around $1400) and feels really good under the fingers. Tonally, it is exactly in that classic Cannonball Adderley tonal universe. It’s that jazz alto sound that is in your ears and in the air at book stores and coffee shops everywhere. It’s also a super-responsive horn. It makes you just want to play and play. I have had a lot of luck finding good Super 20’s recently– they are just such great altos, it’s hard to exaggerate how much fun they are to play.
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Full Pearls 336xxx Outstanding
This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones.This is an excellent condition, original lacquer King Super 20 Alto SN#336xxx with full pearls and solid silver neck. This is a primo serial range for Super 20 altos, and this one features the more comfortable left hand pinky setup that some people really like. It has a fresh TenorMadness overhaul (costs around $1400) and feels really good under the fingers. The overhaul is really important to how a horn plays, and this one deserved a really good overhaul. This was only done a couple of years ago, so the pads are still very fresh and in excellent condition, and I have also just had it setup again to my very picky standards. I have kept this as my personal alto for the last year – it is Super-Awesome.
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Full Pearls Original Lacquer 303405
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Full Pearls Original Lacquer Gorgeous
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Full Pearls Series II Original Lacquer Very Good Condition 318035
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Full Pearls Series II Original Lacquer Very Good Condition 318k
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Full Pearls Solid Silver Neck Matt Stohrer Overhaul 318290
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Original Lacquer Full Pearls 308xxx
This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones.This is the kind of alto that gets me excited. And if you want the best possible alto tone (which is a ridiculous blanket pronouncement, but oh well) then this is what you get. The early Super 20 altos with silver neck are easily some of the best altos ever made for jazz. The tone is just so much fun to experience. I had a jaded, world-weary saxophone player and collector in here a few weeks ago, and he said “I like the Mark VI, but playing a Super 20 just makes me smile.” I couldn’t agree more. Cannonball’s classic alto tone is NY Meyer+Super 20, and I just don’t think you can beat that for alto. (see our GS Special Mouthpiece for the closest I can get you to this tone in a modern mouthpiece.)
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Saxophone 1950 Full Pearls 308k Original Lacquer Fresh Matt Stohrer Overhaul!
King altos are the best altos ever. This one has beautiful original lacquer and looks great, with the only past repair being a resoldered key guard foot. It just got a full, fresh, high-end overhaul, done by Matt Stohrer. This means it got about 30 hours of highly-skilled labor done to make the mechanism all factory fresh, and to replace everything that can be replaced so that it is back to new playing condition and pad wise. Matt is something of an authority on vintage King repair You can watch his repairman’s overview of King Super 20 saxophones here. I’m tempted to wax eloquent about what a proper overhaul includes, but think of it like rebuilding an engine or replacing a transmission, and you’ll have the right idea. It now performs great and will be ready to go for many many years to come with only regular maintenance needed.
This King Super 20 alto is from just about the most desirable year, 1950, which is the same version of Super 20 that Cannonball Adderley played on Kind of Blue and Somethin’ Else. It is in great shape, with no serious past repairs at all. This is the ‘Series II’ which has the best combination of beauty, features, and key work of all of the Super 20 altos. You really can get the Cannonball Adderley vibe going on one of these (with lots of practice) better than almost anything else. Cannonball played almost exactly this serial alto on Kind of Blue. This plus a Meyer 5 or Ted Klum NY Model plus a soft reed and lots of guts is what you need for what I consider to be the benchmark for good alto sound.
Why do I say that Super 20’s like this are the best altos ever? The overall combination of tone, beauty, and ergonomics. For me, great tone that you get from these full pearls Super 20’s is pretty hard to beat. It’s warm, full, rich, and projecting, but without any hint of shrillness or thinness. Cannonball’s tone, I always think of as a tenor saxophone reincarnated in the body of an alto, and that’s pretty much what a Super 20 alto like this is. It feels like the tone is coming from a bigger, deeper instrument, but in the alto register, which is really remarkable.
Just for fun, here’s Cannonball on his Series II Super 20 playing one of his classic ballads, Dancin’ in the Dark.
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Saxophone 1953 Full Pearls Original Lacquer Overhauled!
Cannonball Adderley vintage of King Super 20 alto that now comes with a complete, high-end overhaul done right! This is exactly the same as my personal alto. It’s cosmetically a little nicer than mine in fact! Really clean original lacquer, great condition. Full pearls, solid silver double socket neck, the more comfortable left hand pinky keys – this is the Super 20 you want. The ‘full pearls’ means that it has all the bells and whistles that people look for in a King alto. Extra pearls on G#, palm keys and side keys/F#. The bell keys are engraved; the double socket neck seals beautifully. The solid silver is in great shape. The serial numbers on horn and neck match. Cannonball Adderley played an alto just like this on Kind of Blue and Somethin’ Else. To me, you can’t really beat this among alto saxophones for jazz or all purpose playing. I just got it freshly overhauled and it plays its best according to me. (I am very picky about this.)
Kings like this are at least 10x rarer than 5-digit Selmer Mark VI’s, and they have strong potential to go up in value over time. That makes this a smart purchase as well as an extremely fun alto to play.
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Saxophone 290xxx Original Overhauled!
This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones.Tonally, this is just a gorgeous alto to play. It has that “King thing” – a lively, projecting, soulful kind of core tone that is natural for jazz and lends itself to a wide range of settings. It is medium dark tonally – Super 20s are robust and brightly lyrical generally, but this is more lush and thick than some of the later ones. It recently had a a full overhaul by the best repairman in Germany, Max Frei, for 1200€ ($1475), and it is about as mechanically perfect now as it could possibly be. This is a turn-key purchase for a super example of a Super 20. This horn is going to make someone really happy!
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Saxophone 290xxx Original Overhauled!
This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones.This is the best jazz alto on the site right now. It kills. Kings have a bit of a learning curve because there are so many different versions of the Super 20, and each version has its particular features. This is one of the best versions of the Super 20 in my opinion, and comes from 1947-8. It has original lacquer, a solid silver, double socket neck, and full pearls (pearl side keys and G#).
This is a turn-key purchase for a super example of a Super 20. This horn is going to make someone really happy!
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Saxophone 298298 Original Fresh Overhaul!
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Saxophone 346986
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Saxophone 352xxx Original Lacquer
I have been spending the last couple of years getting to know King saxophones better. Kings have a bit of a learning curve because there are so many different versions of the Super 20 and Zephyr and each version has its particular features. This is one of the best versions of the Super 20, and comes from 1957. It is the only horn that competes price wise with the Selmer Mark VI, and with good reason – these things are great. More rich, and complex than a modern Yamaha etc, but naturally full-bodied and projecting. Cannonball Adderly famously played a Super 20, and I suspect that his tone is more than anyone else’s – the quintessential jazz alto sound.Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Saxophone Full Pearls from 1950 Original Lacquer
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Saxophone Full Pearls Original Lacquer Exceptional! 298279
On Hold for three weeks till April 21.
Get this alto! If you’ve been looking for a fantastic King Super 20, this is it! Don’t wait. You could mess around and buy several that wouldn’t play as well, and waste a lot of time and money. This is close to Charlie Parker’s alto’s serial number and is the same version of Super 20 he played. It has solid silver double socket neck, ‘full’ pearls on the G#, side keys, palm keys, and octave key; bell key engraving, and all the other bells and whistles that you want. It’s kind of shocking with how much Selmers and new saxophones like Yamaha and Yanagisawa have gone up in price, that you can still buy one of the BEST altos ever made, by King that is like 10x rarer than a 5 digit Mark VI, for such a relatively low price. I play kings like this myself, so I’m biased for sure, but they really do have the best alto tone that ever existed. Pair with the new GS New York for a classic Cannonball Adderley Kind of Blue / Somethin’ Else era setup, and then practice, and you’ll get pretty close!
Only one available. Price is not flexible. This is worth every penny.
Ah, in my enthusiasm, I almost forgot to list past repairs – this alto has been played professionally by a superb local alto player, who is only selling it because he has to for financial reasons. It had some key guard feet slightly pushed in and some dings on the back of the bow when I got it, and those are now gone, leaving little trace. No major repairs, and no current repair issues. The pads are medium through their usable life, and I wouldn’t overhaul this anytime soon. It currently absolutely roasts on the current setup.
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Saxophone Full Pearls Series II 1953 333537 Excellent!
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Saxophone Full Pearls Series II 319xxx Original Lacquer
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Saxophone Full Pearls Series II Fresh Matt Stohrer Overhaul One of the Best Altos Ever 308951
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Saxophone Full Pearls Series II Orig. Lacquer Exceptional Player! 339676
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of alto saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Saxophone Original Dark Lacquer Very Good Cond 283009
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Saxophone Original Lacquer Excellent Condition Good Pads 402601
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Saxophone Original Lacquer Fresh Overhaul 362420
Great deal on a silver neck, King Super 20 with a fresh overhaul, original lacquer, and the more modern keywork version, but still with the features that are most important. Nothing else sounds like a good Super 20 alto! This one is already all overhauled and setup to perfection. You can just play it and not worry that you’re missing out. The Super 20 is as good as it gets on alto for a great jazz tone. Pair it with a Meyer 5 or 6 and a pretty soft reed for the Cannonball Adderley style tone (and practice a lot).
Only one available!
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Series II Full Pearls Original Lacquer Old Pads 318290
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Alto Series III Original Lacquer Very Good Condition Overhauled! 376523
Great King Super 20 alto that is also on the affordable side for one of the best vintages. This is 376523, double socket, solid silver neck, engraved bell keys, underslung octave key, but the more modern style pinky keys and a tone that is more like the ‘full pearls’ Super 20’s. This horn just got a full, top shelf overhaul with Pisoni italian leather pads and nice reusable slightly domed, metal resonators. It feels brand new under the fingers, and it is still in excellent original cosmetic condition. Only one available! $4950 incl the overhaul, which is about what you’d pay for a Yamaha, and this is much better and holds its value better too.
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Baritone Saxophone Good condition Old Pads Great Deal! 502055
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Baritone, 513xxx
This saxophone is sold! But click here to see our current selection of baritone and bass saxophones.This warhorse of a Super 20 Baritone will blow the walls down.
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Series II Tenor Saxophone Good Pads Black Roo Full Pearls 339845
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 SilverSonic Tenor 295xxx
This saxophone is sold! But click here to see our current selection of tenor saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Super 20 SilverSonic Tenor 675165 Near Mint Original Lacquer
Can you find a more perfect late SilverSonic Tenor? No you cannot. This is SUPER clean – almost new old stock condition. Original pads have hardly been used, and it still plays surprisingly well on them, despite their being over 50 years old. The solid silver bell is gorgeous with its glowing gold wash inside. Nothing looks quite as good as these King bells. Silver neck is also perfect. What a time capsule. This was saved in a small collection by a pro tenor player. He double bagged the cases and just put the horns in the closet and left them for like 50 years! The matching alto sold already. This tenor is a superb deal. It plays medium bright, and has lots of projection. Feels great under the fingers. Super loud and punchy when pushed. You can cut through a band. This would be a great performing instrument if you need to play over a section or project over some guitars and drums. Looks amazing on stage as well. Priced super reasonably, and the price is firm.
Only one available!
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Tenor 1947 Full Pearls Original Lacquer Good Pads 290165
This is a beautiful original lacquer King Super 20 tenor saxophone from 1947. It has the light ‘coca-cola’ lacquer that these almost always have in the 290k range. The pads are in excellent condition and almost new. These late 40’s Kings are wonderful players. Big, dark, spread, powerful tone with lots of projection. The neck has the matching serial to the body. It’s kind of amazing to me that you can still buy an original King Super 20 tenor with a good overhaul and full pearls, solid silver neck, and full pearls on all the side and palm keys for this kind of a price. Heavily marketed Taiwanese horns are priced in the same range.
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Tenor 1948 Original Lacquer Full Pearls Good Pads 298084
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Tenor 287xxx
This saxophone is sold! But click here to see our current selection of tenor saxophones.Since this is one of the most beautiful saxophones that I have ever seen, this horn is in my personal collection. If you have something equally interesting that you want to trade, I’m open to that. -
Sold Out
King Super 20 Tenor 298061 Series 1a Full Pearls Original Lacquer (mostly gone) Recent Overhaul
$ 4,650This is a 1948 King Super 20 tenor saxophone with ‘full pearls’ on the side keys, G#, octave key, and palm keys, as well as on the rest of the key touches. The pearls, solid silver neck, double socket neck tenon, and fancier engraving mark this out as being the deluxe version of the Super 20 that sells for more and that is highly coveted by players for its beauty and unbeatable tone. This tenor is original lacquer, meaning that it hasn’t been refinished, but the original lacquer was chemically removed from the body tube, and still remains on the keys giving the horn a cool two tone look. It came to me from a pro player on consignment, and it plays well, like you might expect for a horn that had been recently restored. It was overhauled by Ivan Lukyanets in Encino, CA, who has a great reputation among pro players in the LA area. It feels nice and snappy under the fingers, and the black kangaroo skin pads are sealing well. They have flat, medium sized metal resonators that work well on a King and are similar to factory spec for this era.
This tenor is very clean condition mechanically. I don’t see any past dent work or any resolders or other past repairs at all. The original solid sterling silver neck is also in excellent condition, and has not been damaged or pulled down. It has the matching serial number, as you can see.
The main reason to get a King Super 20 tenor saxophone is the tone. These late 40’s Super 20 tenors are big and bold and projecting while still being medium dark and very saturated and punchy. If you put on a brighter mouthpiece, like the classic Berg Larsen / King Super 20 pairing, then you get a killing sort of dark/fat/bright/projecting sound that you can’t get on any other saxophone. It’s the reason why there is such a thriving community of King Super 20 players even 70 years after horns like this one were manufactured. It’s my favorite tenor as well, out of everything that I have played.
If you’re looking for a very good professional tenor to play and enjoy that won’t back down no matter what you throw at it, that will cut through a band with ease, even without amplification, and that has the beauty of the pearls, engraving, and silver neck, then by all means, get this one. I try to keep a good selection of King Super 20 tenors around, so check them out, and email me with any questions. If you want to pair it with a new case, I can get you a great deal on a BAM that will fit it well. Just for fun, here’s a clip of Charlie Ventura playing his ’48 King Super 20 tenor. And I suspect, but cannot prove, that Sonny Rollins played Saxophone Colossus on a Super 20 much like this!
Only one available!
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of tenor saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Super 20 Tenor 319xxx Full Pearls Original Beautiful
This saxophone is sold! But click here to see our current selection of tenor saxophones.This is a super-clean, original lacquer King Super 20 tenor saxophone that has the matching solid silver neck and pearl side keys. These are generally speaking the most desirable versions of the Super 20 saxophones, and have a rich, flexible tone that makes this a natural jazz tenor. I really love these horns, and I heartily recommend this to anyone who wants a great jazz tenor, and who wants to own an unusually-well-preserved example of one of the highest-quality saxophones ever made in the USA.
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Tenor 349xxx
This saxophone is sold! But click here to see our current selection of tenor saxophones.This is a super-clean, original lacquer King Super 20 with solid silver, double-socket neck. The tone of this horn is classic Super 20 from the best era. It has that warm, medium bright, full-bodied, projecting sound that people love in these horns. It is one of the nicest Super 20’s that I have seen, and the whole horn, neck, and case all look remarkably clean. I see no evidence of any past repairs or damage to the horn. It just looks great. The current pads are also in good condition and look like they haven’t been played much, so this should be good to go for quite some time without a repad being needed. If you have been looking for a nice Super 20 tenor, but you have been frustrated that most of the available options looked really beat, look no further.
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Tenor 382k Original Lacquer Near Mint and Overhauled!
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of tenor saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Super 20 Tenor 443xxx Original Lacquer and Clean!
This saxophone is sold! But click here to see our current selection of tenor saxophones.This is a beautiful, original lacquer Super 20 tenor. It has very little wear and still plays a bit on its old pads, but it could use a repad soon. Offered here at a lower price to be a deal for someone. This is a super clean example with no more than a few small dings removed and nothing resoldered, and no serious repairs of any kind. It’s just a solid horn and promises to be a very good player as well.
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Tenor Full Pearls From 1947
It’s not every day that I can call a horn among the nicest I have seen. This one is, among Super 20 tenors.
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of tenor saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Super 20 Tenor Full Pearls From 1948 Big Player
This is a bold, loud Super 20 tenor that will cut through a band with ease. Priced low on the chance that it might not be original lacquer.
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of tenor saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Super 20 Tenor Full Pearls From 1951 Original Lacquer
This is one of the nicest King Super 20 Tenors that I have had in for sale. It is in gorgeous original condition, with original pads. Nobody has messed with this horn. The factory gold lacquer is still on the solid silver neck! A really clean King is about 10x harder to find than a clean Mark VI, and this is it.
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of tenor saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Super 20 Tenor Full Pearls From 1951 Original Lacquer
This is one of the nicest King Super 20 Tenors that I have had in for sale. It is in gorgeous original condition, with original pads. Nobody has messed with this horn. The factory gold lacquer is still on the solid silver neck! A really clean King is about 10x harder to find than a clean Mark VI, and this is it.
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of tenor saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Super 20 Tenor Full Pearls From 1954 Original Lacquer
This is a horn that I might end up just keeping. If you are looking for a Super 20, this is the vintage to get. Full pearls on side keys, palm keys and G#, lots of engraving, double socket neck. Neck is solid sterling silver, which gives you an unbeatable tone. This horn is one-owner! Super 20 tenors from the best vintages are about 10x more rare than a 5-digit serial Selmer Mark VI. It is actually really hard to find one that is clean and nice like this. It makes a good investment too.
Sell us a saxophone like this! Read the details here, or email us directly at [email protected]We pay the best prices for great saxophones.This saxophone is sold! But click HERE to see our current selection of tenor saxophones. -
Sold Out
King Super 20 Tenor Full Pearls Refinish Great Deal! 315933
This is a GREAT price for one of the all time best models of tenor saxophone ever made. The Series II King Super 20 Tenor is what Johnny Griffin played on his classic albums, and it is one of the fastest, most powerful, full throated, most satisfying saxophones to play. This one is priced ridiculously low, because I want to move some horns along, and I got it for a good price with a batch of horns. It’s in very good condition and just got a new coat of lacquer sometime along the way. It was likely done by the factory, since 1. that was standard procedure back in the day and what everybody did, and 2. the lacquer was definitely removed by chemically stripping it, and not by buffing it off, as the original engraving is still almost as sharp looking as it was originally, and because there are no signs of destructive buffing anywhere on the horn. (Tone holes all look great, key arms are undamaged, and keywork is still pretty tight and not worn down.) Chem stripped lacquer only requires a very light prepping of the brass before the new lacquer is sprayed on, so in and of itself, it leaves the horn nearly as good as new. However, that’s not what the market things, so you get one of the best tenors ever for the price of a used Yamaha or the price of 1 1/2 Yas-26 tenors, which is truly insane. But true, at least for the present, till the market catches up to reason and good taste. This tenor plays down to low Bb as is, but the pads are older, and you have to work for the low register. That said, it’s clear that it will be a good player overhauled, so get it, and get it done well, and you’ll have a real gem at a bargain price.
Only one available!
-
Sold Out
King Super 20 Tenor Full Pearls Silver Neck Good Shape Relacquer Old Pads Great Deal 298205
If you want a nice early serial King Super 20 tenor sax that has an old relacquer and makes it way less expensive, that’s what this is. It has old pads, and it has had some small dents removed from the back of the bow / body tube that are now gone and look fine. Get it overhauled, and you’ll have a top grade tenor for about the cost of a pro Yamaha, which is great.