What the xxxx is this??

[DougR]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2514707197&category=10 184

I have no idea what this is.
My daughter suggests a hybrid /mongrel/metisse
but she prefers a flashy pedigree.

I may be in danger of adopting a stray, plaese save me!!!!

[stitch]

Could be one of those strange Indian ones - they turn up on UKebay quite often - don't usually get to >50GBP so fast though....

[paulwl]

Aren't they made in a leper colony?

Or do they just play that way? :wink:

[Helen]

From the Ebay ad: "Nice tone. A good instrument..."

The trick for a nice tone is obviously to play it with the reed in the upright position... :)

His link for more info also took me to a page on collectible Swatch watches...

Seriously, does anyone know what it really is? Any idea what key it is pitched in? I saw something similar to this in a music store once. They wanted more than $600 for it. The staff at the store called it a "young student model" horn. I'd hate to be the kid who ended up taking it to school because my parents didn't know better.. :Shocked:

[djonk]

<<A good instrument on ebay which someone will pick up for a song>>
What song will that someone be able to play?

[paulwl]

Helen! What is that apparition at the end of your post?
The Thermonuclear Smiley? The Electric Chair Smiley? The Psychoactive LSD Strobe Smiley?
It's creeping me out just looking at it...

[MusicMedic]

Paul have clicked the "View More Emoticons link?"

:guns: :dazed:


:A-Run: :borg:

[Helen]

The Thermonuclear Smiley? The Electric Chair Smiley? The Psychoactive LSD Strobe Smiley?

ROTFLMAO!!

My favorite new one is :Rant2:

But since I'm not prone to ranting, at least not on a sax discussion board, it is unlikely that I'll be able to use it...

[cmelodysax]

And it went for £178, that's $275....... you could get a real sax for that !

- always interested in this rubbish, after I got caught by a New-Delhi Eb Clarinet - suspect this is from the same stable as the bell seems strangely stunted :cry:

[MojoBari]

It only goes to low B.

[singlereed]

By the way, I think the red (plastic) pads are one of the giveaways of the Indian woodwinds.

[Joseph Boucher]

I too think this sax is from India, New Dehli I believe. They also come in silver. They all look like antique saxes from the 1920's. One EBAY add stated that it had a nice tone and would also make a great 'wall hanging'. Hmmm?

[stitch]

A rare instance of honesty re these horns:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3239941652&category=36 30&rd=1

:P :P

[Paul Coats]

The first link did not work for me, the second one did.

Actually, traditional Indian music uses the alto saxophone to represent the male voice. Another instrument, much higher, represents the female voice. Only the alto saxophone has gained popularity because it is tradition that musicians play while sitting on the floor. The larger tenor saxophone would make this difficult.

The alto saxophone was adopted into traditional Indian music from the British military bands. The alto saxes made in India now are copied from instrument made in the late 1800's and early 1900's.

Yes, these instruments are handmade copies of older instruments. But, I would bet none of the fine sax technician I know (and I know some of the best) could not make as nice an instument back in the shop as these guys do. I would love to see how they do it.

There was an informative article on the use of the alto saxophone in Indian music about 7 or 8 years ago in Saxophone Journal. One of India's most popular musicians was featured on the cover of the magazine.

For those not familiar with Indian music, there is much improvisation within standard forms (Ragas) and though perhaps unfamiliar to Western ears, it is quite jazzy! The playing skills involved are the same as riding on How High The Moon for umpteen choruses.

[HohnerBlower]

Oh the HORROR............

These "things" are NOT saxophones. I have had the misfortune to handle and attempt to play one of these bent bits of tin and they are dire in the extreme. The red pads are not leather but some kind of PVC and wont seat on the toneholes at all....and even if they did the toneholes are SO uneven it wouldnt make a seal anyway. It started to make a semi musical honk in the low register but once your right hand fingers were off the keys the pitch dropped again rising to a sound that can only be likened to a flock of geese undergoing some vile form of medieavil torture....the "octave key" or "keys" as there were two, had no obvious effect on the pitch whatsoever. These things come in chrome finish and bare brass finish and I have seen LOTS on ebay....watch for the "I don`t know anything about saxophones" and the "It makes a noise...ha ha, but then I`m not musical" lines that accompany the waffle about the "good cheap starter sax". I cannot fathom the reason behind making these things in the first place...they can`t be played...by anyone! and they are not decorative! they look awful, the chrome is flaked and corroded and the keywork is rough and sharp.
Its bad enough when unscrupulous dealers try to offload these things but when I see some fool who bought one from them trying to offload it to some other unsuspecting mug I get really angry :x . They should either try to get their money back or just chuck it in the garden with a flower growing in the bell.

Er...I`ll stop now then.....(cough).........shuffles off stage right........... :oops: