what is this olds ambassador??

[saxviking]

i've come across this olds ambassador , and at first I thought it was a conn stencil,looking at the mercedes keyguards...-but the g#cluster has me thinking buescher due to the orange/brown rollers...I can't seem to find any info of conn ever stencilling for olds...-What do you think??

[Oric Muso]

i've come across this olds ambassador , and at first I thought it was a conn stencil,looking at the mercedes keyguards...-but the g#cluster has me thinking buescher due to the orange/brown rollers...I can't seem to find any info of conn ever stencilling for olds...-What do you think??

The older Olds models were made by themselves and it was when Reynolds took over in 1964 that they used other manufacturers.
Ambassador was their student model.

[bruce bailey]

IF the serial number starts with a P, it is a Conn.

[saxviking]

well, it certaily looks to be older than 1964, so maybe it is made by olds themselves....-not sure about the serial number , but ill give the seller a call and find out...-still think it looks awfully lot like a conn...

[bruce bailey]

Pre 1932.

[DavyRay]

The "Mercedes" key guard is not the most reliable indication of a Conn stencil. If you can get the text near the right thumb hook, which includes the serial number, that will help the most. The Conn patent and serial number text is usually distinctive.

[Jorns Bergenson]

The older Olds models were made by themselves and it was when Reynolds took over in 1964 that they used other manufacturers. Ambassador was their student model.F.E. Olds used Buescher and Martin for their saxes in the 1950's. I have a Olds Studio model that is a more like an Aristocrat stencil than an "Elkhart" A20 model. I also have a couple of Martin-made Olds Ambassadors from the 1950's.

[saxviking]

I got the alto and it IS a conn!
not exactly sure why the seller believed it was an olds saxophone...It's been relaquered and the engraving is almost invisible...-only able to make out a few letters here and there.. -but based on the serial number P 21xxx it should be from around 1911, so in two years time , it'll be 100 years old. I guess that would make it a wonder. must be one of the first conns to have the single octave mechanism. and it plays...-like a dream...-not like any alto I've ever heard before, very lush in the bottom and almost poeticand altissimo just seems to slip right through it. VERY easily..
I feel very lucky to have this sax, and would definitely recommend people to try the old conns unbiased.

thanks for all the help.
John

[bruce bailey]

The stencils do NOT follow the Conn numbers. I think Pan-Americans didn't exist until the late teens. Since there are no lists for these, they need to be compared the Conns of the time. I would guess early to mid 1920s.

[DavyRay]

Congratulations on your Conn alto!
Bruce is right. You have to compare features to see what era this one is.
What patent and patent date are listed?
Are there pearls on the key touches?

[bruce bailey]

It should have the 1915 patent date. My guess from the keywork (pearls, single G pad cup, opposing bell keys) it was made in 1922-31.

[saxviking]

i'm not sure it's a stencil...-cant make out what the engraving says at all... its just shiny, with a few successive dots here and there. above the thumbrest it says ...some illegible stuff and below that theres an A, below that theres P 21xxx, and below that theres L. I think the left pinky cluster tells me its pre new wonder, because its gis on top, below that its cis and b ( not Bb) and below those 2 its Bb.

[saxviking]

Voila! here's some photos of the thing.

I can make out some of the patent above the serial number, and it doesn't say 1915, but 19*4...can't see what it says between the 9 and the 4.

[SearjeantSax]

thatll be 1914 patent date then.

[bruce bailey]

1914 indicates rolled tone holes but the ones I see are straight. Some of the Pan-Americans had rolls on the smaller holes. If it has a P in the serial number, it is either a Pan-American or a stencil not a Conn branded horn.

[woodwinddad]

Hi, I just purchased an Olds Ambassador Tenor Sax Serial #390XX, made in Italy. On the front of the sax is etched a large O with the word Olds under the O, all in an etched box and under that is etched the word Ambassador. It has some scratches (not bad) and one small dent. The pads are all fair to good condition nothing sticks and it came with a case with keys that is pretty banged up on the outside but looks good on the inside. It came with (3) mouthpieces a Brilhart 3* Tonalin, that has a screw with a plug in the middle Serial #2094XX. A metal Wolfe Tayne 4 mouthpiece. Also a Brilhart 4* Ebolin mouthpiece Serial #819XX, that has a crack by the white part of the mouthpiece (so I guess I should toss that one???). All the mouthpieces have ligatures and caps. Finally my question: Can anyone tell me anything about this sax and also these mouthpieces. Even though I paid $150 for it (I hope I did OK) I would really like to know the background of this sax, and the mouthpieces, because I would like to give it to my son as a present. I just hope this is not a beginner’s saxophone.