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Super Classic Amati Kraslice Tenor

83K views 40 replies 24 participants last post by  milandro 
#1 ·
I have a question for anyone who has come across an older Amati horn. I have a chance to score a Super Classic Amati Kraslice tenor from a garage sale in a few weeks for about 200 cash. I have no further info on this horn other than the fact that it is a brass lacquered model with minimal scratches and was purchased by the current owner in the 80's. No mouthpiece with the horn, the claim it is in great shape. I play alto with my group primarily but we just lost a tenor player and need some people to fill in. I used to play tenor in school so I am looking to score a tenor for not too much (I just bought a MK VII alto) cause the wife would kill me if I spent more than a few hundred. Anyone think this would be a bad option, should i hold out and look for another horn? Thanks for the input.
 
#3 ·
make sure you like it...there doesn't seem to be much of a resale market for the horns...here in NYC, a Super Classic tenor sat on Craigslist for over a year (and the price was pretty low.)
 
#5 ·
Amatis do have that huge German/Vintage American sound. I just find the action slow and clunky (haven't played an older model though). Their quality does vary, so try before you buy!

Don't overlook French, American, and Japanese (Yanigisawa) Vitos either.
 
#9 ·
Second-hand Amati tenor sax in The Czech republic is price 4000-9000 CZK, it's c. 220-450$ (USD). It depends on instrument quality, model and year of construction. Newer sax from around 1980-1990-... price up to 16000CZK (800USD).
General repair is around 5000CZK (c. 280USD).

New sax Amati price 22000-50000CZK (1200-2800USD).

You can see web of Amati http://www.amati.cz/en/ for information about new models.
 
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#8 ·
I have Amati deluxe clasiic tenor and it has very full and warm but percussive sound with bit heavy action (not too much), usually has very good intonation, and I think is pretty undervalued. They are Keilwerth construction from mid forties. Quality of the early ones was very good but it started to vary from mid sixties, if Your is well built it is a good choice, but You`ll never get good money if You decide to sell it (when You decide to buy something better-more expencive it is going to be good backup horn).
 
#10 ·
My 2001 Amati ATS32B I bought new, in 2001, for $800 USD. Prices for the model in 2004 dropped to $600 new, and raised to $1200 new in 2006! I re-sold mine on e-bay in 2009 for $355.
 
#11 ·
Play it before you buy it. Amati horns excellent horns, undervalued by the market.
Make sure the horn is in good condition. If you spend a lot a money on repairs, plan on keeping the horn as it may be difficult to recover the expense upon resale.

Enjoy

Dennis
 
#12 ·
I've just bought one classic Super tenor for kicks and I have discovered that these things are seriously good, way above my expectations .......very well made, not worse than West German horns and definitely better than some east German Weltklangs.
 
#21 ·
I'll second milandro on his saying that a Super Classic is a nice horn. I just finished up a repad on one, nice silver finish, and it's great! Great intonation and really very comfortable. I don't know why people are critical os Amatis. This is the second one I've played and they're both just fine. Dirt cheap, too. I may do another post with pictures and go into a bit more detail as to what I did,to it and why.
 
#22 ·
I have an Amati Kraslice Classic Deluxe Tenor Sax that I'm looking to sell (I'm a keys player and realised I was never going to be John Coltrane some years ago!). I've no idea how to value it or how old it is as I acquired it from a relative. Serial no. is 82004. Would appreciate a point in the right direction! Cheers,M.
 
#23 ·
I'm the new owner of an Amati Kraslice ATS 61.

Very reasonable price. Feels good. Looks good. Sounds good.

I met a guy playing the same model Baritone and thought I'd try the tenor out at the local brass and woodwind.

Compared to the Cannonball and The Jupiter XO I had I like the Amati way better.
 
#24 ·
I'm the new owner of an Amati Kraslice ATS 61.

Very reasonable price. Feels good. Looks good. Sounds good.

I met a guy playing the same model Baritone and thought I'd try the tenor out at the local brass and woodwind.

Compared to the Cannonball and The Jupiter XO I had I like the Amati way better.
Hi , newbie on this forum.
Been playing on Amati alto and tenor for sometime now (own Amati's, Bueschers, owned Yamaha).
I always, always wanted to react when someone -who clearly has never owned or played a well setup Amati - was bashing this original brand (these guys are really not hard to find) but I kept quiet because….I hate to loose… bargains! It's a fact :you can buy Amati for scratch and...I have a nice collection already so here I go " breaking the silence"…

So littlewailer …I have that ATS 61 as well (and a AAS 61…and…well, don't get me started…) Good horns, marketed as their best at that time (mid sixties) .Weak points : the springs and the pads. Get those replaced, have the horn setup by an expert and it easily holds it's own next to really really expensive horns. Playability and tone ! 15 years of studio-work (I recorded many saxplayers ) and 35 years of been a musician" with good ears" will guarantee you that.
That said: the Super classic's (especially the Nickel ones) are really …well..Super. You will read that they are student horns: forget it! They were meant as being the best they had at that time and they are mind-boggling good horns (once setup by an expert).
Let me share one other thing: when you read things like: Amati badly copied this or that: don't even bother ! They have their own models. They are "original", both in form , function and sound . The Amati Alt Super and Tenor Super (better known as AAS 61 and ATS 61) first appeared around 1964, just about the same time Yamaha introduced their YAs 61'series (1965 if I'm correct). As Amati was government-ruled, the changing of the "name of the models " probably took…(well…you know how fast administration worked in those days…One can only guess "how many" years it took) Yamaha -at that time-was like all other Japanese companies: copying , copying and copying and taking the market by storm. So…I leave it to common sense to help one guess "who copied who". I'm not even starting a discussion on that.
The "Tjech " also have a good reputation for instrument building (and not only instruments.) . The idea that anything coming from behind the iron curtain is mediocre was based on cold war propaganda . To get a more realistic idea how much "technically behind" they are…Mmmmm…lets' see...just check the space-program from USSR and the US and see which country made the most (and biggest ) mistakes. USSR hasn't lost 1 rocket /shuttle yet.. .even their dog came back safe and sound (well, it barked and informed about cats when it came back.. sounds healthy to me)
If my English isn't that good, do forgive me. I am Belgian, Dutch is my language and French my second language.
 
#27 ·
I am working on one of the Amati Super Classics. It is built like a tank. I think the springs are not very good and the lacquer seems to be poor.

I was doing a tone test between my 68 Mk VI and my 1937 Balanced action Tenors. I do these for my wife with my many Tenors and she has a good ear for the different tones. She is a vocalist.

I then picked up the Amati and got my first tones out of it because It was unplayable when I first got it. We were both very surprised at how big and rich it sounds. I would say I am a fan of these.
 
#28 ·
I'm the proud owner of a Amati Super Classic tenor (silver plated). Built in the fifties.

Pro's: BIG great, rich, powerfull, warm sound! Wow!!!!! The Dexter Gordon- feeling. Sturdy as a tank!
Contra's: Playing while standing the Amati is really off- balanced and the neck needs a big twist to the left. Applicature is old fashioned but that's no surprise. And it needs a polishing once in while :)
 
#30 ·
I just got a King Lemaire which is the same as the Super Classic. It was unplayable when I bought it off of Ebay but I paid so little for it I just decided to let it slide. I showed it to my repairman and he wants 300 bucks to get it back into playing condition. I balked on the repair because I have 5 other saxes to play. It looks like a really well made and crafted sax, it seems to me it would have a Conn 10M vibe to it. Now I'm curious about it, looks like I'll be taking it in.
 
#31 ·
I have owned one for quite some time, my first "modern" tenor. Bought it used but like new in '77, and traded it in an almost similar state in '96. So I can assume it was made in the mid-70'.
A very well built horn, sturdy like a truck. Easy to play all over the range, and excellent intonation, on par with any tenor of that era. To compare, I owned a Yani T500 during that time, and it's only advantage was the easier keywork.
My biggest concern by then was that it was a rather dark sounding horn. Great for a "Brothers" (Zoot, Getz, Marsh,...) type of playing, but frustrating for the King Curtis or Lockjaw fan I was (and still am...). No clue about the market value.
 
#33 ·
Hey njmac, forgive the late response but I just started on here. I've played an Amati tenor since 1986 (now that I know more about it's history, I can't believe I came across it!!) It has an amazing big sound, several sax players far better than I have asked about it when they've heard me play it (not because of me but because of it), and I've even had someone offer to buy it from me. I paid $475 CDN in 1986 and still have it, bought an ATS 61 in 2013 (paid $450 CDN) from the same era and it's even better!!! I have run in to NO ONE else who know anything about Amati, or even plays one. I would say always buy Amati, especially from the '80s!!!
 
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