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Guess what followed me home today??!!

Finally took a look at the writing.

Front of bell reads - Super Olds -

Wrapped around the rest of the bell is -

Made by F.E. Olds & Sons Los Angeles California U.S.A.
 
Interesting, I must say. Especially as these horns are separated by 20ish years.

Can you post a full pic or a few of your Contempora? I've seen a couple different ones (not to mention the SML Contempra stencils) and I want to be sure what you've got is what I'm thinking of.
 
Interesting, I must say. Especially as these horns are separated by 20ish years.

Can you post a full pic or a few of your Contempora? I've seen a couple different ones (not to mention the SML Contempra stencils) and I want to be sure what you've got is what I'm thinking of.

That one in the picture is not mine but I used to have one. It played every bit like a Martin Committee and measured the same as well (body tube, tone hole sizes and placement, etc). I cropped the octave key pic from this one on eBay.

For a short time, I had an F.E. Olds Studio model that was an Indiana stencil. It also had a different octave mechanism from Martin's although it was an Indiana through and through.

I believe that it was Joe Gillespie, who had several patents while at Martin, that went to F.E. Olds. I can't remember where I read that, or maybe I just dreamed that up :)
 
Yah. Other Olds saxophones are a variety of stencils. The Opera was a Buffet Dynaction or SuperDynaction, depending on the year, as another example.

I had some nice pics of the Reynolds Contempora in one of my calendars. I also had a couple on saxpics.com. I also remember making the statement that the Reynolds Contempora -- at least the ones that look like the one in that eBay ad -- were Committee ("The Martin") stencils.

I'm quoting myself being quoted in that eBay ad:

FA Reynolds worked at FE Olds. Reynolds went on to form Reynolds Music Company, which was in turn bought by Olds. (Paul) Richards Music Company, then bought Martin around 1961, and then Olds merged with Norlin music (FA Reynolds) in 1964.

So, this makes me want to look at really late Committees and Magnas and see if I can find one with that keywork. I think, still, that it's probable that Olds Super was 100% Olds, but havening a much newer horn out there (the Contempora) with that odd keywork is somewhat off-putting. There is some precedent of newer instruments using old keywork, generally when it goes off patent.

Hmmm. Things to ponder.
 
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