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| KOHLERT BIXLEY tenor SAXOPHONE vry vry clean! |
| Item #1407792793 |
| Music:Musical Instruments:Woodwind:Saxophone |
| Currently | $305.00 (reserve not yet met) | First bid | $250.00 | ||
| Quantity | 1 | # of bids | 3 bid history | ||
| Time left | 5 days, 20 hours + | Location | New Orleans, LA | ||
| Country/Region | USA/New Orleans | ||||
| Started | Feb-02-01 04:46:43 PST | ||||
| Ends | Feb-09-01 04:46:43 PST | ||||
| Featured Category Auction | |||||
| Seller (Rating) | tungp
(37)
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| High bid | smooter77@aol.com (0) | ||||
| Payment | See item description for payment methods accepted | ||||
| Escrow | Accepted. Buyer will pay for escrow. learn more | ||||
| Shipping | Buyer pays actual shipping charges, Seller ships internationally (worldwide), See item description for shipping charges | ||||
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| Item Revised Before First Bid | To review revisions made to this item by the seller, click here. | ||||
| Seller assumes all responsibility for listing this item. You should contact the seller to resolve any questions before bidding. Auction currency is U.S. dollars ($) unless otherwise noted. |
| Description |
KOHLERT BIXLEY TENOR SAXOPHONE
This auction is for a Kohlert Bixley tenor saxophone, made in Germany (stamped on neck tenon), possibly circa 1960-1966. It's extremely difficult to date Kohlerts made that were not of the late 1950s series both because information is scarce and manufacturing locations varied as a consequence of both WWII's outbreak and the company's bankrupcy (due to poor financial arrangements with a US company) in the late 1960s. There are relatively few Kohlerts in circulation -- the highest serial #'s are in the 80K's -- so there is a relatively small market and, consequently, very small amount of information available about them on the web. If you sprecken ze deutsch, you might be able to find a good amount of information on the web. I've provided some links below to sites in English with info on the Kohlert company and Kohlert saxophones. My guess is that 1964 is probably close to the manufacturing date, as I've seen another Kohlert Bixley (an alto) with a very cloes serial # whose lacquer showed its age -- the Kohlert tenor I'm auctioning has exceptionally good original lacquer, and that is one aspect of the difficulty of dating it. My own guess at the vintage is based on the information in Paul and Janet Lein's paper (see below) on the Kohlert company, and their dating of the company's saxophone line ending production in 1966 at serial # 85,000 -- and additionally the resemblance in the design of certain parts of the saxophone, especially the rolled tone holes and left hand spatula design. It seems reasonable to infer that the serial # on this Kohlert Bixley is from that same series, as the rolled tone holes, the left hand pinky spatula design, and the heavy material of the neck are all features of professional line Kohlerts of that, and the earlier, period.
The skinny: This is a loud, brash playing, newly repadded and regulated saxophone. It is tight as a drum, excellent for rock (or a rock/R&B/gig horn), and it's in optimal playing condition. It is absolutely ready to be played, right out of the box. The pads are sealing so well that you can play percussion in tune, fingering the keys without blowing; when i say it's tight as a drum, I'm speaking literally. Notes articulate clearly and crisply, the sound is full and round. I'm selling it because I bought it for a backup, but recently bought a Martin Magna that I think has more promise for me than the Kohlert. I'm more interested in studying jazz, and this horn wants to play hard and edgy. It plays very big and loud, with an especially powerful bottom end. Subtone is wide and powerful, altissimo pops out nicely. Because the horn has nickel keys, if you've never seen a Kohlert Bixley before, your first question might be about the horn's status, within the company's line -- whether it's a student or professional model. It's a question I can't answer definitively. Nickel-plated keys, during the era of this horn's manufacture don't necessarily denote student/intermediate status in Germany -- indeed as they didn't in the vintage American years either (e.g. the Martin Magna, other Martin pro horns, etc.) -- and several features of this saxophone are very uncommon in anything but professional horns. It has, for example, very heavy material in the neck; the serial # engraved on the back of the G# trill key, as well as on the back of the body tube (this is more trouble than companies normally go to with a student line); the keywork is very precise and sturdy, unlike student models whose keys don't often fit together smoothly; the tone is fat and loud (student horns tend to be 'volume challenged'); the quality of the lacquer that was applied, and the process employed, is very high; and, again, it has rolled tone holes (again a feature that is more trouble to manufacture than companies normally devote to student lines). The rolled tone holes may be especially noteworthy, as "The Vintage Sax Gallery" (click on link to view) notes that Kohlert did manufacture a student line, but that line was called "The Regent" and that student line, unlike the Kohlert Bixleys, did not have rolled tone holes.
The details:
*** Lacquer is unequivocally original, and is in remarkable, excellent condition. There is almost no lacquer wear, save a spot below the thumbrest (from rubbing), and a spot on the bell -- hopefully you'll be able to see these in the pics. In some pics, it may appear that there is some redness, or corrosion in the finish when in fact there is not. The lacquer is very bright and reflective, and in several pictures objects reflected by the lacquer (as in a mirror) appear to be marks on the saxophone. For example, in the first picture, on the neck, the redness is the reflection from the floor of the room. Likewise, next to the palm keys in the same photo, the orange-ish color is not rust but the pads being reflected from underneath the key cups.*** Neck is dent free, fits the tenon snugly and without play. The bell has one shallow (1mm or less deep, about 1cm in length) crease on one side; two small pings (less than 1/2 cm each) and a pencil tip- sized indentation on the other side. I can find no other dents, but I remember at least one spot where there was a very slight indentation (.5mm perhaps, in depth) under one of the key feet, as sometime occurs when a cork shim falls off and the horn is played for a short period without replacing it.
*** Overhaul was done with Selmer plastic resonator pads, about 1 month ago - I did the work myself with the help of a local repairman, and I spent hours and hours working on the keyheights with a tuner, as well as in making sure every pad seats so tightly that the horn sounds like a tuned drum when the key cups are closed without blowing through the instrument. Because I was setting this instrument up for myself, I went many extra miles in getting it tight. The playing condition of this saxophone is guaranteed, as is the accuracy of all ("non-subjective") claims made in this listing (please see below below for conditions of guarantee). The way it plays when you get it out of the box is going to be very close to the best the horn can possibly play. The action is crisp and carefully tensioned, the rods (inside and out) have been cleaned and lubed with high quality, 'non-gunking' key oil.
*** Body tube is straight and true.
*** Rolled tone holes.
*** Comes with vintage faux-wood veneer case. Mouthpiece not included, but if desired for $45 I can include an excellent #2 Brilhart Ebolin tenor mouthpiece (serial # 1416xx). I do have a Bundy student mouthpiece that I can throw in, but would prefer not to subject buyer to such a piece of junk mouthpiece.
- please do feel free to email me with any questions you may have -
If you'd like to find out more about Kohlert saxes, I've found a few links that provide info on either the company, or that have pictures of other Kohlert saxophones. I wish I could provide more, but there really just isn't much Kohlert info out there on the web (unless in German, which I can't read).
worldwidesax.com - Photo Gallery - info on Kohlert company & a Kraslice alto
cybersax.com - some info on a '57 Kolert tenor, & one pic
Vintage Sax Gallery - rare makes - more pics and Kohlert info
About the pics: Only the first 9 are included in this listing page. For more pictures, please click on the links that follow the jpg's.
* Many thanks for taking the time to check out this lengthy listing! *
The fine print: Shipment will be by buyer's preference, with buyer paying actual shipping
charges. International buyer will pay by international money order. Money order, cashier's check,
personal check are all OK, but personal checks will have to clear. Payment with credit card by
PayPal will entail sharing of the PayPal credit card commission (1.1% of transaction amount to be
paid by the buyer). This seems only just to me, as (in addition to sparing me extraneous expense)
bidders who cannot or aren't comfortable using PayPal are able to lose the auction while actually
making a higher net bid. Buyers may also pay by direct transfer, but will have to add $12 to the
price as my bank charges a commission for these transactions. Packaging will be sturdy box,
filled with soft materials, with saxophone padded in the case and the case completely suspended
in soft materials. For a cost of $30, I can include key clamps to further ensure safe shipping.* Limited Guarantee: Buyer may return the instrument within 5 days of receipt, in which event returned funds will
be bid only, and eBay commissions and listing fees will be subtracted from the original bid amount. This is the best
return policy I can offer, as it protects both buyer and seller.
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