Case for Dolnet tenor?

[morgan]

Man, that's one big fat bow - - the whole final section of the body (the bell and the big tube that holds low B Bb keys) juts away from the main body tube so far that

you can't jam this tenor into a Conn case
you can't jam this tenor into a Protec contour case

It's not a big bell issue. It's a wide-curve issue.

So.

What kinda case will do it?

[Sax Hut]

If you are talkin' Belair mid-50s, I can tell you that mine does fit in an SKB 150 contoured model, without mods, and did also fit in a Protec contoured albeit with the front lip just a bit too tight against the zipper side for comfort.

When I got my Belair about two years ago, I had no other horns, and the original case was mummified and turning to dust, so I bought one of those student-ready TKL plastic cases for it. Very sturdy, but I had to peel back the crush velvet on the lid part and remove lots of styro and poly before those bell key guards would even begin to let me close the thing shut. The Belair sleeps in this case now, but the SKB 150 for my King Tempo fits it better, as I say, without any modification. Your mileage may vary.

[morgan]

It's a Universal Export, s/n 84xx. Saxpics says that's from the 80s.

[Sax Hut]

I'd say from your description that they share a similarly wide angle between body and bell.

[morgan]

Always trying to skimp on the $$, I grabbed a SKB150 cheap off eBay. It ... uh... I think it fits. At first, though the bell fit in ok, the top wouldn't close at ALL. With some crushing and peeking I guessed that the obstacle was the low C# rod and post, which jut way out from the LHS of the body. I kinda poked and dug at the padding hoping to seat that hardware deeper, and gently but firmly pushed and . . . well, I got it shut . . . I hope I didn't actually crush the horn.

[Sax Hut]

Well do you have a body-pierced Dolnet now? The low C# keywork sounds unusual; it is not that obtrusive on the Belair. If anything, I'd've thought the bow and bell keyguards likely to cause problems.

[morgan]

Not body-pierced, but somewhat concerned lest it knock the rod out of alignment.
At this point the horn is unplayable anyway (in the "please overhaul me soon" heap) .

The keyguards fit (surprisingly)

Lying in the open case, the horn tends to seesaw back and forth resting on the trouser guard as a fulcrum. This CAN'T be healthy. I guess I can crush the padding some more to fix this.

[Canada Bob]

:?: Hmm. I have just located and sent payment for a two-tone Dolnet tenor (my first horn). I believe this tenor is a Bel Air (going by sax pics. site) . It is serial number 653xxC, which I would guess would place it close to 1960. I would have loved to have an original case with it, even a rough one, but it is being sold with a fairly new Keilwerth square case. I will definately be looking for a case that will fit this horn, and can be closed and transported without causing damage. Is the SKB 150 the best bet? Morgan, how did you make out with your horn in the end? It sounds like that case worked well for wind_mill's sax. It is not too late to upgrade cases prior to shipping, but I will have to make a decision fairly quickly. me, I would rather not take any chances. Any other ideas for cases?

[Mack]

I would also like to know what cases would fit. I just bought a Bel Air tenor and would like something to protect the sax while travelling. I tried several cases in the shop where I bought it, but the only one which seemed to fit was a Keilwerth case. It was not a perfect fit, though. Seems like the wide bow and the way the bell curves make it difficult to find a case that fits. What cases di you Dolnet owners use?