Latest Catch - an old R&C alto

[tictactux]

Last sunday I saved an old R&C alto from the dumpster. Rolled toneholes, aux vents, some touchpieces (but fortunately no key cups) missing. I just hope the inscription over the serial number doesn't hint at it being high pitch.

If anyone needs photos of a different spot, let me know.

Not sure if I'm going to remove the patina (probably won't). The pads don't look too bad, but it'd certainly needs some TLC as the action is sluggish and some keys are slightly misaligned. The horn has been "stored" on a shelf near the coat racks in a music school, and probably countless pupils had it in their hands. Amazingly, not a single dent...

 

[jbtsax]

That is way cool! I'd love to polish that within an inch of its life and give it white roo pads with seamless domed resonators---maybe semi precious stones in the centers of the keyguards. I'm curious as to what the right hand keytouch just above the fork F# does. Would that be a high D to Eb trill key? Notice the "Connesque" features like the thumb ring found on Conn sopranos, the G# trill, the Eb trill, and the Mercedes keyguards. I think Pete could tell if it is high pitch or not. Thanks for sharing.

 

[tictactux]

That touchpiece overrides the LH G#, it's directly linked to the G# key cup.

Apparently, originally the LH palm keys were duplicated by right hand touchpieces:

What's also interesting is that the RH Eb key doubles as a vent.

I've never seen that on a sax, or I just haven't looked close enough.... :???:

Anyhow, at some point in this instrument's history, the then owner decided to have the additional touchpieces removed. I'll see if I can find some images of the original setup, maybe I contact the manufacturer...

 

[Gandalfe]

This horn is so ugly, it's beautiful. Thanks for the share Ben.

 

[pete]

I think Pete could tell if it is high pitch or not. Thanks for sharing.

Only if I see that it has "HP" or "High Pitch" marked on it, if you played it against a LP horn or if you put a HP and LP horn of about the same serial range next to each other . I think that all the A=435hz (sometimes stamped A=870) saxophones -- which would be a lower low pitch -- were only manufactured in German-held territories during WWII. That'd be somewhat easy to "lip up" to play in tune, tho.

Rampone & Cazzani sax lineage is a bit difficult because there's another "A. Rampone" out there that's not the "A. Rampone" of R&C -- he was a cousin or something. The further amusement is that I've seen at least one horn that looks at least superficially like TTT's horn identified by R&C as an A. Rampone. I think R&C mis-identified it, though.

TTT, does it have the Rampone & Cazzani stamp on it? It looks a lot like a Buffet stamp.

Moar pics, please!

 

[tictactux]

It's definitely an R&C instrument:


Here's a closeup of the LH table. Notice the MoP.

 

[jbtsax]

Pleeeease polish it. I'm like a raccoon. I like to pick up and collect shiny silver things. This old True Tone looked just like your R & C once.

 

[tictactux]

Yes...it cleans up nicely:

I'm still unsure about how much energy to put into that horn. The pads don't look too bad, so maybe I just give it a whirl...