Holton Tenor Model 241 Ser#178679

[fisherdoc]

A friend of mine recently found this Holton Tenor Sax Model 241 Ser#178679 in the trash. The case is shot but the sax looks VERY restorable, with the worst damage being a "repair" where someone tried to remount a shaft stud to the body with some sort of glue. The finish is original but not too bad. 2-3 VERY minor dings. According to the on line serial number stats this one is from 1947.

I wanted a sax since high school (1973) which is the last time I played one, but never did get one. The shame is that this is the THIRD one he found in the trash! The other two were altos, Conn I think. The others he sold on ebay not knowing I wanted one.

So I guess a really dumb question is if this is worth restoring. Other than the above mentioned defect, I can't find anything else too seriously wrong with it other than the pads are well rotted and were being held one with electrical tape (!!!) which I removed. The stand and mouthpiece are all there and in great shape. Is this a great find or what?

New Member - AL Pugliese

[JayeSF]

Welcome, Al. Did you notice the other thread nearby on "241" ?

If you can post a pic of it, a few shots including both sides, the top of body, middle of body , upper stack, lower stack, (the stacks are the pearl keys on the "front" of the horn, just if you aren't familiar with terminology) pinky table (looks like a big metal "plate" divided into 4 sections also on the front) , bow (the 'bottom'), bell from the front, and bell keys...we can better ascertain how good a shape it's in. Looking for things like dents, smashes, rust, bent or missing keys, damaged toneholes, and whether the body is straight or has warped over time.

Serial number places it at 1947...so is mine.....;)

Quick answer to your Q: if you look at some of the threads in this section, you will find that it is the very SOLID consensus that old Holtons are the most (undeservedly) maligned saxes in the saxophone world. So, theoretically, YES, it's a winner if t can be brought back to life for a reasonable sum....

The 241 was a pro model, many afficionados consider them to be the best the company produced. So..you have a great sax...built like a battleship, beautiful sound, decent ergonomics.

The Q becomes...how much work will it need ? AND...how much $ can you put into it ?


Lastly, Al...can you do ME a small favor ? I just rec'd a 241 yesterday, and I need a picture of the top of the body, with the neck off, from the back, showing the octave "stem" which protrudes beyond the neck collar (it's the one rod which juts out on the top of the horn). If you can snap that and post it, I would be forever grateful....

[jazzbug1]

Fisherdoc-- Nice find. Some mouthpieces are very expensive. Does the mouthpiece have a name or markings of any kind? Your horn is definitely worth investing a few hundred dollars into it. Your friend has nice neighbors. I wish mine threw out vintage saxophones.

[fisherdoc]

Thanks for the encouraging words - I have no problem investing several hundred dollars into this sax after all I paid nothing for it and saved it from a horrible fate.

I am going to upload some pics. The mouthpiece is I think a Ch Chevelle Paris or something like that - I took a picture of the mouthpiece also. If anyone wants any specific shots just let me know. Thanks - AL

[fisherdoc]

more pics of he 241

[fisherdoc]

for some reason I cannot post more pics - system keeps telling me I am not logged in. - AL

[JayeSF]

Hey, Al...thanks for posting those of the octave stem.

Well, it LOOKS to be all intact. Which is cool. I suppose the next thing to do is to take it to a sax tech. Dunno where you live, but you can do a web search of woodwind/sax repair places, or also check out the section here on this forum which has techs listed by region...maybe someone is near you.

Bring it in, and what you basically wanna ask is: How much would it cost to get this in playing shape again ? Now, I dunno how hard a sell techs give you where you are..but HERE, when I took my GF's just-purchased old Keilwerth to get serviced...it took me DAYS to get an answer to that Q because everyone kept insisting it needed a complete overhaul ($800-1200!!!).
In the end, I was able to wrestle a tech to put $300 of work into it, take care of the most obvious and significant issues...and it plays really well now, no issues at all.
You see what I'm saying...it's like taking a car in which needs a tuneup, new hoses and belts, and a fluid change... and having the mechanics tell you "we have to rebuild the engine".

Hopefully you won't have that to deal with...but keep 'em 'on topic': you want to know the most pressing conditions which need to be taken care of in order to get the horn to play without the player fighting it, now. The other conditions, the borderline pads which still seal but are gonna be gone in a while, the slight play/looseness in the keys which doesn't seem to be effecting how they seal now, but may become an issue some day...those can be left for another day and another paycheck if they aren't causing major problems now, IMHO.

I would say with a few hundred to spend, you should be able to successfully get that fine Tenor up and running !:)

[jazzbug1]

If that Chedeville M.P. is good, it may bring you the price of an overhaul on the tenor. Check EBay prices. Good luck.