R&C Saxello Owners

[mountainman]

Does anyone in New England own an R&C Saxello? I would like the opportunity to see/hear one in the flesh and perhaps have the opportunity to try it?

[mountainman]

Does anyone in New England own an R&C Saxello? I would like the opportunity to see/hear one in the flesh and perhaps have the opportunity to try it?
Let me expand the search. Anyone in the DC area own one? I'll be there over Xmas. Also any good jazz clubs? Best instrument store?

[mountainman]

Let me expand the search. Anyone in the DC area own one? I'll be there over Xmas. Also any good jazz clubs? Best instrument store?

Does anyone in the USA own an R&C Saxello? Are they really this scarce?

[Joe Jazz]

You may have to take a road trip to saxforte! Someone on the forum used to own one. There was some talk about using a trumpet stand to put them on if I remember correctly....

[Joe Jazz]

Dave1953 has one! See the for sale section. He's keeping it though.

[Dave Dolson]

Mountainman: Several years ago, WW&BW was selling new gold-plated Rampone tipped-bell sops for around $1800.00. I bought one sight-unseen and was not disappointed. I also bought a R&C sopranino (same 24kt-gold-plating, too) from them, sight-unseen.

I have since sold both and don't miss them. They were fine saxophones, though - just not as good as what I had I already had.

I have never seen one (the tipped-bell sop) anywhere else. I doubt if you will, either, unless you locate one and travel to it. They are NOT that plentiful.

My recommendation is to look for something else more conventional. My '28 Buescher TT, Yanagisawas (S992 and SC902), and my Antigua are just as good (better in some cases) than the R&C. DAVE

[mountainman]

Mountainman: Several years ago, WW&BW was selling new gold-plated Rampone tipped-bell sops for around $1800.00. I bought one sight-unseen and was not disappointed. I also bought a R&C sopranino (same 24kt-gold-plating, too) from them, sight-unseen.

I have since sold both and don't miss them. They were fine saxophones, though - just not as good as what I had I already had.

I have never seen one (the tipped-bell sop) anywhere else. I doubt if you will, either, unless you locate one and travel to it. They are NOT that plentiful.

My recommendation is to look for something else more conventional. My '28 Buescher TT, Yanagisawas (S992 and SC902), and my Antigua are just as good (better in some cases) than the R&C. DAVE
Ahh! ,but Dave ! I am seduced by the look of the Saxello. All silver, all gold, or silver with gold keys they all look great. If it plays dark and has reasonable mechaicals it could be the one. Maybe I need to got to Italy?
I have tried many Selmers, the P Mauriats and the Yanis( but not recently) and no straight horn is dark enough. Even the P curvy was too bright. Will try the Cannonball soon.

Which cases do you feel were better and which were as dark or darker. Antigua? Can you eloborate?

[Dave Dolson]

Believe me, for most sopranos, "dark" vs. "bright" is subjectivity at its worse. We all hear it differently - my "dark" may be your "bright". And, it changes entirely when you step behind the horn and put it in your mouth.

For example, a fellow sat in with my band not long ago, playing a Martin alto of 1920's vintage. We switched altos before the gig, he playing my Ref 54 and me his Martin. I'd always considered the Ref 54 to be "dark" (at least when I played it). After he handed it back, he said, "Nice and bright." That was the LAST term I would have used to describe what I heard from him on my Ref 54.

Yes, I've played a few sops that were "bright" (a recent play-test of a new Yanagisawa S901 comes to mind - not a negative, either), but for the most part all the sops in my closet are bright when I want them to be and mellow when I play 'em that way. The R&C tipped-bell was no exception. It sounded like all the others I have. Oh, there were subtle tonal differences but only I heard them, and after a minute of playing one after another, the differences became moot.

That R&C's main appeal, at least in my view, is its appearance. The gold-plated one I owned was gorgeous. Everyone remarked about its appearance and I suspect that is what affected the way they heard it. The mechanicals were fine. I thought if it had any weakness (other than being unrackable), it was a weak hi-end. But My S992 has a weak hi-end too, the best for hi-end being my two TrueTones.

I had it at a time when tipped-bell sops (with the exception of the King Saxello and the even more rare Buescher tipped-bells) were almost unheard of. Since then, the Taiwanese have issued many of them. And, there were no stands available for them. So, it turned out to be a hassle trying to set it down when I played alto or clarinet. I finally jury-rigged an old baritone stand and hung it upside down by the bell. Talk about a pain! I think there may be some tipped-bell stands around now, but I'm out of that game.

I have six sops now. The darkest of the bunch are my Yana S992 and Antigua-MKVI clone KUSTOM. The brightest is my Yana SC902. In between are the Bueschers and Antigua 590LQ. But like I said, the differences from one extreme to the other are subtle at best - and out front from an audience's persepctive, I doubt that anyone cares - or hears it. DAVE

[Joe Jazz]

MM- Carolina is closer than Italy!8-)

[t-duck]

MountainMan - I have an R&C saxello in silver plate and a gold plated bell interior. I opted for the engraving over the length of the horn and the elaborate engraving on the bell. I am in North Georgia. I'm happy with the horn and would be happy to let you play it if you're ever in the Atlanta area.

[saxforte]

Hi All!

A brief note about (the now bankrupt) Woodwind and the Brasswind. They never carried or sold R&C R1 Jazz models.

And, while Yani produces wonderful horns, I'd place an R1 Jazz up against any Yanagisawa when it comes to a contest over which has the fullest, warmest most complex sound. It is not even close.

Regards,

Mathew Aaron

[Joe Jazz]

Mathew, not fair to drop a bomb like that and run! :shock: Does this mean they are going out of business or just reorganizing? Oh, I see that Dave Kessler previously broke the news....

[mountainman]

MM- Carolina is closer than Italy!8-)
Yeah! That's a kick. Only 1000 miles to my nearest dealer! Italian food is better. Actually I've been contemplating the SAXOPHONE GRAND TOUR. Selmer to Keilwerth to R&C. Only $600 airfare round trip to Milan! Trouble is I would probably buy a sax at each place.

[Joe Jazz]

That's a problem?;)

[Dave Dolson]

My S992 Yanagisawa is every bit the soprano that my tipped-bell Rampone was. The S992 is more than a match for the R&C soprano I owned. DAVE

[mountainman]

My S992 Yanagisawa is every bit the soprano that my tipped-bell Rampone was. The S992 is more than a match for the R&C soprano I owned. DAVE

I tested the Yanis 15 years ago in Tokyo but not recently. At the I time was most interested in the curvy. Price was a factor then over 4k Tokyo pricing. I'll have to give the 992 a try. Thanks Dave.

[Dave Dolson]

I agree that a test of the S992 would be in order. But don't pass up an S991 - the bronze-vs.-brass thing has been discussed elsewhere on SOTW and even after owning three bronze Yanas (still have the S992 and an SC902), I'm still not convinced that brass is inferior. For sure they are less expensive. DAVE

[dave1953]

I have a R&C R1 Jazz in vintage gold, which I bought because I sometimes have problems with pain in my hands when I hold the straight sop, and the curved neck relives that. A curved sop would do the same thing but I think they look silly and do not care for the way the sound comes up in my face. The saxello has a very rich sound like dark velvet. I have to disagree with those who say that all sops will sound the same when played by the same player using the same mouthpiece and reed setup. I also have a R&C R1 straight sop in silver and its sound is very rich, though not quite the same.

The saxello is not my primary sop as the resistance is a bit more than I prefer. I have a King Marigaux that has perfect ergonomics (between vintage and modern) and no air resistance. The sound is very different from the saxello though I can not describe it.

I would highly recommend the R&C sopranos to anyone, though I doubt there is any sound difference between the R1 and R1 Jazz, and between silver and gold finishes.

[Dave Dolson]

dave1953: When you disagree that all sopranos sound the same with the same player and set-up, you may be right.

But I argue that while there may be subtle differences when playing GOOD sopranos of any design, it takes the player about a minute to adjust to the particular horn's tonal characteristics. Then that particular soprano becomes another good playing and sounding soprano.

I currently have six sopranos and each one has its own sound, at least to my ears. But trying to rank them is impossible. Yes, they sound different to me, but after spending all afternoon switching among them, I'm STILL up in the air as to which one is better. They are just different, not better or worse.

However, when you take them all out in public, it becomes even more subjective and the parsing becomes so detailed as to lose the topic among all the disagreement. I still contend that 98+% of the audience doesn't hear it - and doesn't care. DAVE