1970s

Showing all 6 results

  • Couf Superba 1 Alto Original Lacquer Fresh High-End Overhaul Plays Great

    The H. Couf Superba 1 is one of my favorite vintage saxophones. They remain one of the best options for a great sounding alto sax with modern keywork and a rich, interesting tone. Darker and fatter sounding than a Yamaha, with rich, wide upper register, and a full, projecting low register, this alto will do it all. If you are looking for a great all-purpose alto, or even for an ideal smooth jazz or commercial sounding alto, the Couf Superba 1 fits the bill. I just sold one of these to a smooth jazz player who loves the fat sound that stays warm when brightened up with a bright mouthpiece. And he loves the comfort of the keywork. These are among the only saxophones that sound this full and rich and also have modern keywork. (Modern saxophones have, as a rule, moved towards a clearer, rounder, more contained sound, and can’t deal with as much air as a Superba 1 can take.)

    This alto came with its original pads still intact, and it is getting a full mechanical overhaul right now, which means it will be back to like new, or better-than-new condition mechanically, and playing wise. If you’re not used to used saxophone lingo, that means that a highly-skilled woodwind repairman is going to be spending about 30 hours of labor on this horn going over every detail, and replacing everything that can be replaced, (all new pads, corks, felts, mechanical work, setup, play testing, neck fit, full disassembly, cleaning, fresh oil etc.) so that it’s totally rebuilt and ready for its next many years of playing. That’s a big added value for you, because you don’t have to worry about the horn needing more than minor occasional maintenance to play its best for many years to come. It also means that it will play effortlessly, and saturatedly at low volumes, in the low register. Low Bb is just another note, even if you want to play it at pp.

    I have no trouble selling a Couf Superba 1 alto as soon as anyone plays one with the fresh overhaul. It’s really hard to beat, regardless of price. And at this price, it is really hard to beat.

    Only one available!

  • Couf Superba 1 Tenor Near Mint w/ Warranty Papers Overhauled Superb Powerful Player

    $ 3,750

    Just freshly overhauled and in exceptional playing condition. This might be the best playing tenor on the entire site. This tenor has a HUGE, powerful tone, with effortless, fat low register, and crisp, fat upper register. It is just a joy to play. It got the premium TenorMadness hand-machined, slightly-domed, reusable metal resonators that work so well on these horns, and that look great also. 

    This is a very nice condition Couf (made by Keilwerth for Herb Couf) Superba I tenor, which is a great modern ergonomics horn with a lot of the big, fat tone of an old Conn.  Some people also compare them tonally to a good Selmer SBA, and they do indeed share the big, warm sound you can get on a great Selmer.

    This particular sax sports a high F# key and has lived a very cosseted life thus far. It still has the original warranty paperwork as well. I got it with original pads from the original owner in New Jersey. It helped him meet his now wife, who admired his sexy saxman persona and thought she would like to see more of this guy:-) Now it’s ready to improve someone else’s live.  There are no past repairs at all! The original gold colored lacquer (which has a particularly beautiful lustre to it that can often be mistaken for gold plate) is in very good shape.  

    The Couf Superba I sports rolled toneholes and a really cool modern engraving pattern and was built in West Germany by Keilwerth to be imported by Herb Couf, a distinguished professional saxophonist who later was a Vice President of the W. T. Armstrong company.  As told to me by those who knew him and also as evidenced by playing the saxophone he chose to put his name on, the man had good taste in saxophones. If you have been looking for an extremely well built modern ergonomics horn with a bigger sound than you find on most modern instruments, look no further- Couf has you covered.  

    Just for fun, here’s Grover Washington Jr with his Couf Superba 1 tenor. You can hear how it has a dark, fat tone, even with the higher baffle, brighter mouthpiece that he’s using. Fantastic sound!

  • Selmer Mark VI Alto Original Lacquer American Engraved Excellent Condition 233486

    This very clean, American-assembled late Mark VI alto is a good example of why I think the late American-assembled VIs are a relative bargain.  It is very nearly unplayed, sporting most of its original pads (I had a bit of repair work done on it to bring it up to playable) and it possesses an undeniably huge tone, probably the most strident and powerful of all the VI altos.  The American-assembled Mark VI altos in the very late run have a large patch soldered to the inside of the bow at the factory to reduce the overall volume of of the interior of the bow, and they play better with noticeably less burble and resistance down low.   It is a low-tech solution, but one that works very well and was therefore done at the factory to every American-assembled Mark VI alto after around serial number 210,000 or so.

    This particular saxophone is in very good condition, with its original lacquer.  There are a few small scratches here and there and some playing wear on the touchpieces of the side keys and palm keys, but 99% or more of the lacquer remains and it shows no evidence of past repairs or resolders.  This is a nice, solid Mark VI alto in excellent condition that will blow the doors down if called upon to do so.

  • Selmer Mark VI Soprano Saxophone 253537

    $ 4,850

    Beautiful original lacquer Selmer Mark VI soprano saxophone in excellent condition. The pads are a mix of older and newer, mostly older. But it plays nicely on them with a warm, resonant tone. This is a great VI soprano and sounds rich, and also tunes quite well. Original case is in good shape too. No dents or dings, no resolders. A bit of stand wear inside the bell flare is about all there is to say about this very nice Mark VI soprano!

  • Sold Out

    Selmer Mark VII Alto Excellent Condition Original Lacquer Original Pads 281771

    $ 2,650

    The Selmer Mark VII alto is a lot like a late Mark VI, but with different keywork that is designed for slightly larger hands, and with a little bit more powerful and brassy tone. These are very good altos, and they are extremely well-built – better built than new Selmers are today by all accounts. This Selmer Mark VII alto is original lacquer, and it is on consignment from the original owner, who bought it new in Paris in the 1970’s. It still has its original pads intact, and we are leaving it that way for consignment, so that the new owner can buy the horn for a really good price, and get the pads replaced at that point. It will need a full repad, but that’s why the price is so unbelievably low for an original lacquer Selmer Paris alto like this.

    It is in excellent condition, with just some speckling in the lacquer in places, and minimal wear from use. No dents or resolders at all. The original neck is in great shape as well.

    Only one available.

     

  • Selmer Soloist Style C* Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece MPC485

    $ 125

    Selmer Soloist Long shank C* alto saxophone mouthpiece from the later 60’s or 70’s. Tip opening measures a correct 0.065″. This is a nice, balanced all-purpose alto mouthpiece. Maybe you’re buying it for saxophone lessons. Maybe for school concert band. Maybe because you just want a reliable step up alto piece for much less than the retail new price. Not really the best for jazz, but it works well for lots of concert settings. Or completes your set with a Selmer Mark VI from roughly 1965 or later.