BTW Pete, I know you're not believing me on the CA Wunderlich made by F. Köhler. I'm not sure why--it has been documented--I just need to find it again... I think it might have been in a book somewhere, which is why I can't find it online....
OK, so after much digging around, I did find it, it was in, Saxophone: Ein Kompendium, by Uwe Ladwig, 2nd Edition. p.137.
I could go on and type out all the German, but I have already translated it on my website's
Franz Köhler's page.
Franz Köhler—not to be confused with
Kohlert—was born in Graslitz in 1895. He began learning his trade while at Höfer in Graslitz from 1909-1912. Höfer is a nearly forgotten musical instrument company from the 19th century....
While finishing his journeyman’s certification in 1913, Köhler worked for
Carl Kruspe in Leipzig,
Oscar Adler, and finally with
Gebr. Mönning. He ended up staying with Gebr. Mönning until 1933....
After leaving Gebr. Mönning, Franz Köhler started his own, independent workshop at Erlbacherstr. 22 in Markneukirchen. It was in this workshop that he began making alto and tenor Empor model saxophones. Even in these early days Köhler was already supplying saxophones
to companies like C.A. Wunderlich [emphasis added] and Schuster, and was employing up to 10 journeymen.
As fare as finding an online source for Franz Köhler being the maker of CEA horns, there is this manufacturers chart on the
German saxophone history page on Saxwelt.
Franz Köhler - Empor und Cea - Stellte 1961 den Saxophonbau ein [ Ceased saxophone production in 1961]
IIRC, this was also discussed on the Markneukirchen's Museum Forum somewhere. If I find the reference again, I will link to it here as well.
The point is, I suspect we are not used to seeing F. Köhler horns with split bell keys, b/c we see newer ones with his name on them.
Since he was making saxes in his own shop back as far as the 1933 or 34, and at the time he was supplying horns to companies like Schuster and Wunderlich, it would make sense that his designs changed over the years. His earlier horns would likely not have had the features we see in his latter ones--things like right-sided bell keys.
I can definitely accept that some were. Just not all.
I never said all were. I just said this one was.
As a matter of fact, on my website I have an example of an
Amati-made C.A. Wunderlich, as well as a
Max Keilwerth one.
If it makes you feel better you can cling to the FX Hüller theory as a possible manufacturer, but there is no evidence that this horn has any FX connection. This Dearman alto has all the hallmarks of a F. Köhler-made horn, which was made during the time that the company made the CEA horns for Wunderlich.