Klarinet Archive - Posting 000386.txt from 2005/06

From: Gary Smith <gary622@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] OT (sax) question
Date: Tue, 21 Jun 2005 11:16:46 -0400

I can't really add much to Bill's excellent response, other than to
say my alto is a Martin Indiana, overhauled by Charles Fail Music in
the ATL, GA area back around 1996 or so, and it has served my needs
beautifully. Martin may not have been consistently as good as Selmer,
but I think their better models were quite good. I appreciate Bill
letting me know that my Indiana was not considered QUITE at the bottom
of the heap, as I've heard the Indiana called a "student line" and
just had to assume for all these years that student horns must just
not be what they used to be.*

I think the whole idea of "student horns" vs. "pro horns," while based
on the reality that obviously some horns are better than others, is
about 80% marketing gimmick. Plenty of pros and serious amateurs use
so-called "student horns" for certain situations, and with the right
setup and a little PRACTICE you can play them in tune. If you can't,
they're not a "student horn," they're a BAD horn that no student
should have to suffer with. I have the Noblet 40 I started out with,
and while I would hate to use it on recitals, it does just fine when I
get stuck doing an outdoor concert with a band or orchestra.

I'm aware that my Martin has shortcomings compared with the top-line
horns, either past or present, but it plays well enough that my
teacher (who owns a recent vintage Selmer S80) played it and really,
REALLY liked it (and I've gotten pretty good at telling when people
are just being polite).

The major question, which of course none of us know anything about, is
what kind of shape is THAT particular horn. Hopefully it's been
adjusted recently enough and not been knocked around since then. Good
luck!

*not that I imagine Bill would argue with that one, either.=20

On 6/20/05, Diane Karius <dikarius@-----.com> wrote:
> Hello all - I have a question regarding a saxophone I
> was given to play tonight:

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