Some Grassi serial numbers

[milandro]

As I promised long ago, I was going to get some information on the Grassi serial numbers. They are from a reliable source.

Unfortunately the information is rather sketchy for both the beginning and the end of the company's production lifespan so I will quote here only the SN upon which there is relative but sufficient certainty.

As it always happens these SN charts are never absolutes so one can always think that if an item was produced at a certain date it might have been sold even several months after.

Apparently Grassi started somewhere in 1960 or thereabouts with a SN of 1000 (unconfirmed SN) so SN from 1000 until 27395 mark the period between 1960 to 1974.


from 27395 to 30266 1974 / 1975

from 30267 to 34880 1976

from 34881 tol 37478 1977

from 37479 to 39871 1978

from 39872 to 41835 1979

from 41836 to 43836 1980

from 43837 to 45619 1981

from 45620 to 47344 1982

during these following years these SN are also an estimation due to a less than regular sales pattern

from 47345 to 53420 1983 / 84 / 85 / 86

from 53421 to 60885 1987 / 88 / 89 / 90

from 60886 to 65645 1990 / 91 / 92 / 93 / 94

[rhysonsax]

So my Grassi Prestige alto (from eBay UK) which is #44,352 is from 1981. Older than I guessed, but maybe it hasn't seen much action. It's nice looking and plays pretty well.

Thanks for the list

Rhys

[milandro]

Cheers man, don't forget that some of these horns could have been laying around in shops for quite some time before they were sold........my alto is from 1976 and looks very new indeed.

[Ken]

Thanks for that list! So my soprano bought used in '85 is from 1977 which is a bit older than I would have guessed ('80).

[Pharmasax]

milandro:

Thank you for the useful information!

[milandro]

actually, to be absolutely fair, our thanks should go to my reliable but incognito source

Thank you man! ;) :)

[sonofjabba]

Thanks Now I can Date My Bari! Mine is SN 222XX Figuring like 1972-73 ish. From Your Numbers anyway. My Buddy I bought it From thought it was late 70's... Kinda Close.

Low Bb with the Jade Rollers.

Shame I'm only using it for Mummering... Such a Choice Horn..


:treble: <--- Bari & Bugles

:bass: <--- TUBA

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc200/sonofjabba/Horns/Bari001.jpg

[milandro]

the serial numbers come from an absolutely precise source but he told me that many horns were produced at a certain date and sold at a later date from either the shops or the company, this would have been particularly true of Baritones. I see your baritone's neck hasn't got the bands or rings that mine has, making it sure that my neck was , at some stage made longer, could you please measure it for me? BY the way you write in your signature Ida & Maria but that is incorrect. Ida Maria Grassi (one person ) is (she is still alive) the last owner of the true Grassi factory even though they sold the name to a company which is currently importing Asian Saxophones.

[SearjeantSax]

Ida Maria Grassi (one person ) is (she is still alive) the last owner of the true Grassi factory even though they sold the name to a company which is currently importing Asian Saxophones.

does the factory still produce horns? that could make a nice holiday to italy :)

[milandro]

no, they don't, the current Grassi " production "is just baking on the cachet which an Italian well known name in the business can give to Asian horns.

The factory which Grassi had in Quarna sotto (the same town in the mountains above the Orta lake where Rampone and Cazzani makes their horns) is closed and ,as far as I know, i completely inactive but the premises should still contain parts and probably some machines.

[sonofjabba]

I'm not near my Bari But I'll Measure it up when I get home.

[milandro]

thank you! ;)

[sonofjabba]

Underside (Bottom) is 7-7/8 inches the Top 9-3/8 inches.

Hope this Helps you out
PJ

[milandro]

thanks , could you repeat the measurement in cm.......sorry that I didn't say it in the first place......I am surprised that you are not metric in Spain

[sonofjabba]

thanks , could you repeat the measurement in cm.......sorry that I didn't say it in the first place......I am surprised that you are not metric in Spain

I don't have any metric Tape Measures. And I'm in the United States, reason I'm still standard.. Sorry.

[milandro]

ooooooops andalusia Pennsylvania !

[rhysonsax]

Just to help out - UK still uses both inches and metric.....

7 7/8 inches = 200.0 mm

9 3/8 inches = 238.1 mm

Rhys

[milandro]

cheers! I've lost touch with Imperial measures , I was more familiar with them when I lived and studied in England :)

[PNiem]

I probably have a Grassi alt saxophone. I have bought this one some years ago with a case with the Ida Maria Grassi logo on it. However I can not find the logo on the sax. I did find a serial number: 6059A. What is the letter A at the end of the SN? Could this be a Grassi? According to the serial number list, this one has been produced between 1960 and 1974.

[milandro]

if it has a letter in the serialnumber it is not a Grassi. Most probably it is a Orsi, put some pictures up for positive ID

[PNiem]

These are some photos of my sax:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KpxDZJgFxTvOFha2U3erRg?feat=directlink

Hope someone can identify it.

thanks

[milandro]

These are some photos of my sax:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KpxDZJgFxTvOFha2U3erRg?feat=directlink

Hope someone can identify it.

thanks

I can see one not too revealing picture of a VITO

[milandro]

look it up here

http://www.doctorsax.biz/vito_ser_nos.htm

since it says VITO in big block letters on the bell, it is a Vito (!) from the serial number it is a Kenosha assembled horn made in the Seventies

On that site you can also find all you possibly need to know about VITO horns

[PNiem]

Thanks a lot. I can see the letters myself, but I didn't new the recognise it as the manufacturer name.

[milandro]

yeah those big V I T O (the name of VITO Pascucci) letters can be really difficult to see as a brand because they are a bit undistinct , any way , now you know anything you want to know about your horn, they good and underrated , htey can ve acquired very often for very little money. Of course you have the special series of Vito's with the leblanc system mechanics but those are a different sort of animal. I have seen special engravings on some special Vitos that were stunning.

[simso]

Hey milando, thanks for the info

I was just having a poke around the site when I saw this topic. Dissapointed however, I have a Grassi Tenor with a S/No 16XX, thought it would be older, 60-74 thats barely old let alone vintage8-)8-)

[Grassiknoll]

Don't be dissapointed! I think it's pretty cool you have such an early serial number range. My nephew thinks anything older than 2 years is ancient! (He's currently waiting for Apple to release a touchscreen Isaxophone)