Hornlip
09-28-2003, 01:34 AM
Recently picked up an "Imperial" tenor -- not the student horn from the 60's but the pro model that came between the Troubador & Committee I. At his site, Saxpics characterizes the horns as something of a "transitional" horn between the earlier Martin horns & the Committee. Judging from some of the pictures he's got there, that's about correct. This one is in the 112xxx series, just before the Committee appeared, & has several Committee-style features, most obviously in the left-hand pinky table, the thumb rest, and nickel-plated keywork. The earlier Imperials don't seem to have all those features.
This Imperial's also got an unusual feature in the palm keys. The arm on the D key extends beyond the D key cup up and over to rest on top of the palm D# key cup -- like a helper extension. If you only depress the D# palm key, the D opens up with it, correctly sounding the D# note. I don't know if any of the earlier Martin tenors, including the earlier Imperials, had this feature or not. I guess this was intended to made transitions to D# from high F or F# using the front-F key easier, and actually, it is!!
The horn's also got the unusual E-flat trill this horn is known for -- the tone hole is positioned on the right side of the horn under & somewhat behind the low D tone hole, with the trill key extending out under the D tone hole. You still play the trill the same way, by lifting up your right-hand middle finger. This actually seems to be an improvement over the standard two-part E-flat trill with the extra key and tone hole on the left side of the bell -- one fewer component to go wrong. It seems more stable. It also sounds the E-flat note clearer than I've heard on other horns with the more usual arrangement, though it's still stuffier than regular E-flat. Of course, unlike the usual trill arrangement where you can cork the key shut if you like, here you're committed to keeping the trill key in operation, unless you solder the tone hole closed.
It's interesting that Martin kept the E-flat trill, but had dispensed with the G# trill, the reverse of the other American makers of the time. Buescher's Aristocrat & Conn's 6 & 10M horns retained the G# trill in the 30's, and the early Zephys had it, too. Martin subsequently dropped the E-flat trill with the Committee, making them the first U.S. maker to ditch both of 'em. I guess no one knew exactly where the music was headed, & Martin jumped one way while everybody else jumped the other.
The horn's in excellent physical condition, though it's reportedly been cooped up since the late 50's. Consequently the pads are about ready to come apart. It does play enough to make me glad I grabbed it, though. Actions' pretty snappy, quick & light. Quick check on intonation looks pretty solid. Oh, and it's a heavy horn -- no sign of ever having been relacquered. It's got a nice gone-to-brass patina on it.
This is the only Martin tenor I've played since I was good enough a player to discern a sax's essential nature, and I like this one's nature!! Only other tenor I've got is a later 30's Aristocrat, and they're both coming from the same direction -- big & lush, though I find the 'Crat to have more "center" to the tone. Somewhere I heard somebody liken the Martin tenor's sound to a "velvet fist", and I think it's going to hold true here, especially once I get it repadded.
Pads on it now are thin, and feature a mix of smallish flat metal resonators, a couple domed metal resos & some plain leather. I'll get it set up with either larger flat metal or domed plastic, and then we'll see how she sings.
Anyhow, there's a general service FYI report for Martin fans-- 8) .
This Imperial's also got an unusual feature in the palm keys. The arm on the D key extends beyond the D key cup up and over to rest on top of the palm D# key cup -- like a helper extension. If you only depress the D# palm key, the D opens up with it, correctly sounding the D# note. I don't know if any of the earlier Martin tenors, including the earlier Imperials, had this feature or not. I guess this was intended to made transitions to D# from high F or F# using the front-F key easier, and actually, it is!!
The horn's also got the unusual E-flat trill this horn is known for -- the tone hole is positioned on the right side of the horn under & somewhat behind the low D tone hole, with the trill key extending out under the D tone hole. You still play the trill the same way, by lifting up your right-hand middle finger. This actually seems to be an improvement over the standard two-part E-flat trill with the extra key and tone hole on the left side of the bell -- one fewer component to go wrong. It seems more stable. It also sounds the E-flat note clearer than I've heard on other horns with the more usual arrangement, though it's still stuffier than regular E-flat. Of course, unlike the usual trill arrangement where you can cork the key shut if you like, here you're committed to keeping the trill key in operation, unless you solder the tone hole closed.
It's interesting that Martin kept the E-flat trill, but had dispensed with the G# trill, the reverse of the other American makers of the time. Buescher's Aristocrat & Conn's 6 & 10M horns retained the G# trill in the 30's, and the early Zephys had it, too. Martin subsequently dropped the E-flat trill with the Committee, making them the first U.S. maker to ditch both of 'em. I guess no one knew exactly where the music was headed, & Martin jumped one way while everybody else jumped the other.
The horn's in excellent physical condition, though it's reportedly been cooped up since the late 50's. Consequently the pads are about ready to come apart. It does play enough to make me glad I grabbed it, though. Actions' pretty snappy, quick & light. Quick check on intonation looks pretty solid. Oh, and it's a heavy horn -- no sign of ever having been relacquered. It's got a nice gone-to-brass patina on it.
This is the only Martin tenor I've played since I was good enough a player to discern a sax's essential nature, and I like this one's nature!! Only other tenor I've got is a later 30's Aristocrat, and they're both coming from the same direction -- big & lush, though I find the 'Crat to have more "center" to the tone. Somewhere I heard somebody liken the Martin tenor's sound to a "velvet fist", and I think it's going to hold true here, especially once I get it repadded.
Pads on it now are thin, and feature a mix of smallish flat metal resonators, a couple domed metal resos & some plain leather. I'll get it set up with either larger flat metal or domed plastic, and then we'll see how she sings.
Anyhow, there's a general service FYI report for Martin fans-- 8) .