Rudy Wiedoeft is calling to me

jbtsax

jbtsax

Distinguished Member
Distinguished Member
This Holton Rudy Wiedoeft alto looks like it would clean up real nice. Too bad they are not worth a great deal even after they have been restored.

I am intrigued by the dual low C toneholes to facilitate the venting of the D, and of course the cylindrical "tuning slide" neck apparatus. It might be fun to do even without a profit motive. I could maybe enter her in the contest for "Miss July" in the Saxpics calendar. ;)
 
I always wanted a clean Holton Rudy Wiedoeft C-Melody, until I found out that Rudy always played a Selmer, despite endorsements for many other manufacturers.
 
Groovekiller said:
I always wanted a clean Holton Rudy Wiedoeft C-Melody, until I found out that Rudy always played a Selmer, despite endorsements for many other manufacturers.
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+1. I always found that factoid quite telling.

FWIW, it's a little hard for me to tell that the horn has "gold plated" keywork. Considering that it does look like it's a consistent color on both the keywork and in the bell, I'd assume it is gold plated, but this IS eBay we're talking about. Caveat emptor and all that.

The Holtons, especially the Rudy Wiedoeft horns, are becoming more popular at SOTW. I think this is because of the Holton-Couturier link, but that doesn't really mean that the horn is good.

Anyhow, I still remember that vintagesax.com had advertised a minty RW alto for years (four or five, IIRC) for around $700. Either vintagesax.com put that ad out of its misery or someone else actually bought it.

I've only played one or two Holtons from appx. the RW era and my impression was, "Sounds tinny." Other people have commented on that, too.
 
Celebrity endorsements...

...are shaky ground, when it comes right down to it. Push comes to shove, people are going to try to make more money, but they are also going to operate with their preferred tools unless someone holds their feet to the fire.

About ten years ago, there was a dustup in the hockey world, this when it was discovered that equipment manufacturers, the ones who make the gloves in particular, were producing one-off sets of gloves for selected pros with other manufacturer's names on them, this to circumvent sponsorship deals that teams entered into with, say, Bauer to feature their products.

Thousands of Canadian kids buy their own equipment based upon what the pros wear, so getting that Bauer or CCM (Canadian Cycle Manufacturing) logo on the gloves or skates was an important marketing tool. However, all hockey players have their own preferences in this regard, so a pro (whose skills often depend upon optimum working conditions and equipment) are loath to give up "their" preferences. So, semi-legitimized counterfeits are the result.

I know that I would strenuously resist any attempt to make me give up my Selmer Series 9 clarinets (or my nail keg-sized Defender hockey gloves (with their extreme ventilation features for my hot, sweaty hands). It's not easy to get an artisan to give up his tools...
 
Be careful what you pray for (bid on). :)

Watch in the coming months for the Holton Rudy Wiedoeft restoration pictures. I got it for just over $300 which wasn't a bad price for one with gold plated keys. It will be fun to study the mechanisms that are unique to this sax and to do some mouthpiece volume vs. tube length pitch and intonation measurements with the "tuning slide" neck.
 
When I received the sax and saw it close up, the gold plating on the keys had deteriorated to the point that in order to restore the sax it would require replating them $$$$$$$$$$$$$$. I decided it would not be worth the expense. Sorry to disappoint. If I ever get into gold plating, I might have another look at it.
 
Nah. I'd take a couple springs or something, rendering the horn unusable. Wait. It's a Holton. It's already unusable :p.
 
Here is a quote from "The Encyclopedia of Band Instrument Repair" by Frederick Kirschner published in 1962.

"If ever there were changes made on saxophones, the Holton Company made them. What would normally seem to be changes for the better. made this saxophone in the past seem like a farce. The high Eb trill key put out by the Holton Company with the advent of their Rudy Weidoft Model was a museum piece. Their attempt of clarification of the middle D by the insertion of the C auxiliary tone hole was. without question, the worst key arrangement that could possibly be conceived by the minds of men. Their G# trill lever was, without any doubt, one of the biggest mistakes ever made by any saxophone company. The insertion of an extremely long rod to hold the Eb trill lever and the high E key was undoubtedly a horrible mistake in saxophone planning.

However, the more recent Holton instrument, although it cannot be considered among the finest in the professional field, has made such fine improvements that it ranges as one of the top instruments for the amateur student lines."
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Don't hold back Frederick, tell us how you really feel. :)
 
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