"the indiana" alto [Archive] - Sax on the Web Forum

opusex

11-16-2003, 06:31 PM

hi,
since 2 weeks i am owner of a martin "the indiana" alto with serial number 74538. can anybody tell me something about the "indiana" series? i could not find any info on known sax-sites.
thanks
kurt

Stencilman

11-16-2003, 11:41 PM

I've had a few Indiana's and Indiana stencils all from the late 1940's. They appear to be very similar to Martins from the late 1920's through the mid 1930's. For instance, the tone holes on my 1949 Indiana stencil are of the same bevelled design, size and location as the Martin Handcraft stencils from 1929. I would guess that when Martin bought the Indiana Band Company, this factory used Martin's old tooling for the student/intermediate line horns.

I use a 1929 Martin Handcraft as my main alto, which is an awesome horn, but the Indiana would serve just as well. The Indiana sounds just a tad brighter and is not a heavy as the Handcraft. That might be partly due to the fact that the Handcraft has heavy silver plating and the Indiana I have is bare brass.

I have played a more recent Indiana and a Martin Medalist from the 1960's. Both of these horns felt like the brass was thinner than the older horns. The Medalist had a very bright sound. They looked like student-line horns and had minimal engraving.

I hope that helps.