La Fleur purtone for Boozey and Hawkes

[1ngram]

selling on ebay just now. Does anyone know what and whose this is?

[singlereed]

I would avoid 'Lafleur' it was a French-sounding brand name used by B&H about 20-30 years ago for entry level instruments that bore the word 'foreign' - i.e. they didn't want to admit to where in East Europe or the Far East they were made! The instruments I have seen are generally best avoided, even though the factories that probably produced them are now making more respectable stuff these days. One things for sure, you are not looking at some undiscovered French jewel.

[StewartMilton]

What you say is largely true... most were built by Amati. However....

I went to see a cheap Lafleur tenor sax a few years back because I couldn't afford anything else.... and it had rolled tone holes!

Turns out it's a Kohlert stencil exactly like the 'Bixley' on saxpics. I tried to buy a new sax recently and couldn't find anything to touch it!

An awesome saxophone.... with a Vandoren Jumbo Java Mouthpiece it's the loudest horn you've ever heard..... but still sings gently enough to play in a worship service at church....

I'll never sell my Lafleur 'Alliance'. Anybody else got one?

[michaelbaird]

If it has rolled tone holes it probably is a Kohlert. They stencilled saxes and bodies as well as Keilwerth. Kohlert saxes are great. I have a Kohlert Deluxe tenor that looks like a Bixley with rolled tones. Even with horrible pads it plays. It has an excellent tone, great intonation and an easy altissimo range. It has a vintage feel. I'm planning to repad it with metal resonator pads that I will have measure individually and special order from www.padsets.com