Recently I drove there from NJ to hand carry back to the East Coast eight TS, three AS and one SS. The danger of damage in the mail is great. It doesn't work to put all this detail into a horn and ship it so it can be damaged.
Here's Why:
1. Intonation is the most stable of all American made vintage saxes. There is not so wide an octave.This model is made with a large bell which gives the horn a more contemporary sound while still retaining some of the virtues of flexibility of the other great vintage American horns like Conn Chu Berrys, 10M's, Buescher 400's & Aristocrats, and the King Super 20's. There are no key bounce issues like you often have on Selmers. This is a good thing.
2. The instruments have the best basic ergonomic feel of any American made sax.
I now have all my unfinished The Martins stored at Tenor Madness. They will all be given complete TM detailing and sold from there and from my shop, which is in the NYC area. This is about as close as anyone has come to making a new custom sax! We hope you will make the trip to one of these 2 locations and try something new and exciting.
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3. They are made with soldered tone holes. This gives the instrument a stricter tolerance to the dimensional integrity of the tone holes like a hand made flute. The tone holes are in a straight line so response is totally even. No one makes a soldered tone hole sax today. Pitch stability would be better if they did. Martin tone holes are soft soldered. Silver soldered tone holes would be even better. And this can be done. On the Martins the back of the pad needs solid contact with the pad cups. Tenor Madness sometimes has to thin the chimneys near the contact area with the pad and cup. If the contact area is too thick at the top of the tone hole it will allow the key to blow open easily and cause a leak. Keys like side C & Bb, & low C, Eb, and B.
4. The neck angle on the Martins is the best of all the Vintage American saxes; thus they are the best balanced of all American saxes from the neck strap.
5. Neck tapers are all carefully dialed in by the Tenor Madness Shop.
Resonators: Options
1. Small nylon buttons for concert work.
2. Nylon - domed ala selmers, sweet and light sound
3. Brass-flat (resotec) gives a great staccato or domed with a low profile (brighter)
4. Sterling silver flat (resotec)- same great staccato but brighter or domed with a low profile is even brighter.
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Other Models detailed by TM
Conn 6M and 10M
These instruments are lighter horns and less resistant. Their ergonomics can be improved greatly by TM. They do not hang as well on your body till the strap hook position is lowered. The right thumb also often needs to be repositioned. The small left thumb button also can be enlarged. These models are the mother horns of the Bebop Era and this music can be learned best on them. Witness early Dexter Gordon and Charlie Parker.
©2004 Bob Ackerman Progressive Winds
Tel : 973-375-5859 Fax : 973-371-8781
e-mail pwsax@comcast.net
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