Holton Tenor anyone?

[TenTenTooter]

Right now I'm repadding a Holton tenor but don't really know a lot about the brand itself. The tenor has soldered tone holes, Eb fork fingering, G# trill, high D trill, serial number either 11xx or 11xxx (I'll check next time I have the sax in my hands).

Any info would be great, thanks!

[Bernards20040]

sounds like an early one made by Holton i have one made in 1909 in satin gold plate with polished gold plated keys. same trill keys as yours.
repading um i did mine be aware that some of the pads may be of different thickness. some of mine had to be shimmed and keys bent to get alingment. these things where really hand made in those days.
anyway good luck they can play well despite what some people say. they are regularly dissed on this forum but i suspect mostly by reputation rather than first hand knowledge.

[blackfrancis]

Keep us posted on how this turns out for you. I have a recurring urge to get one some day to serve as a backup to my regular tenor. I had one many years ago but it wasn't set up well at all, so I'm curious as to how well a "proper" one plays.

[geauxsax]

Right now I'm repadding a Holton tenor but don't really know a lot about the brand itself. The tenor has soldered tone holes, Eb fork fingering, G# trill, high D trill, serial number either 11xx or 11xxx (I'll check next time I have the sax in my hands).

Any info would be great, thanks!

TenTenTooter,

How did the Holton Tenor work out for you? Are/were you pleased with the final result after repadding?

[TenTenTooter]

It's been a while, but I do remember being pleasantly surprized with the horn. Since then I've also overhauled two Holton C-Melodies and a Holton bari, all of which played very well when finished.

[bruce bailey]

I just finished a Gold plated Alto and it is much better than I expected. As soon as it gets sold, I will start on a Rudy I have.

[geauxsax]

Bruce, TenTen, etc. . .

A couple of questions after searching everything I can find about Holtons (SOTW and other sites):


1. Some older posts pointed to "thin construction" as a source of intonation problems. My old Holton Elkhorn seemed to be really thick and heavily constructed (the bell also seemed to be oversized). What is your take on the construction? Has anyone encountered really thin Holtons, or Holton-made Gretsch stencils? If so, what model and sn range?


2. Holton--Are some really Martin stencils? Many posts over the years discuss the fact that some older Holtons may be or indeed are in fact Martin Stencils (and maybe Lyon and Healy stencils too???) Could the fact that Holton has soldered tone holes have caused confusion, and these were made by Holton all along? For the possible Martin stencils, are they marked "Made in Elkhart" (vice Elkhorn, Wis) or something to that effect? Basically, how sure are folks about this, and what is the evidence?

[bruce bailey]

All the Holtons I have owned have been either Holton (Elkhorn) made which have the extra keys OR Courturier (LaPorte IN) stencils. THe Couturiers look very Martin like but are entirely different. They were used by Lyon & Healy and later bought by L&H around 1928. I think when we talk Holton we usually mean the Elkhorn ones. I have a gold plated Rudy coming in this week to to with my silver one. The alto I just finished is really great and feels a lot like a Martin with excellent build quality. I never heard the thin metal story. What may have been meant was that the tone holes are soldered but are the normal thinness like Conn, Selmer, and everyone else except Martin.
Bottom line - My Holtons are in the same league as my Martins and Conns. Not the same, just different!

[geauxsax]

Bruce,
Thanks for the insight and info.:)