Discrepancy on descriptions of finishes??

[CU399333]

Hello.
I've been reading the forum postings and most people agree that Vintage Gold Lacquer Keilwerth has the darkest sound out of all the finishes. However, when I was doing some web surfing, many musical instrument site said Black Nickel has the darkest sound. What's going on? Who's right? Which one has the darker sound?

Thanks.

[colibri]

What exactly is "vintage" gold lacquer?
If it's just ordinary gold lacquer, given that the set up of the horns are about the same, the black lacquer would be darker.

[Morry]

I've been told that the dark gold and black finishes over nickel sound virtually identical. Just because a finish looks darker, doesn't make it sound darker. IMO, the mouthpiece and reed contribute much more to "brightness" and "darkness" of tone than do the finishes.

[CU399333]

I believe "vintage gold" is same thing as nickelplated/gold lacquered.

[sarge]

My experience has been that nickle silver is the brightest and black gold the darkest... it has a black nickle plating and then is lacquered over the top of that. It really accentuates the lows and sweet darkness. i have a bg tenor, and assume the alto, sop and bari would be the same.
amazingly, my h couf superba one, in honey lacquer, sounds identicle to the JK SX90R BG... same big dark sound. i couldn't pass a blindfold test...
sarge

[Kosma]

Sarge- Thet's basically what I've been saying all along-that they all sound about the same. But you can't tell some of these hardheads anything...

[luckyace1111]

why do keilwerth black nickel saxes have rainbow looking lines on the lacquer under fluorescent light?

[Bootman]

The vintage Gold lacquer is a lacquer that is made according to the old lacquer formula of the earlier vintage saxes. This is applied over the nickel plate and then clear lacquered on top. This is distinctly darker in sound than the black nickel models I have tried.

If in doubt about the finishes speak to Stephan Bosken, he will have the answer for you.