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The Grassi "Wonderful" model

31K views 135 replies 14 participants last post by  milandro 
#1 ·
Some weeks ago, I bought Milandro's Grassi "Wonderful" alto.
It is just that....simply wonderful; probably the best horn that I have ever played....effortless, & so comfortable to play with the rectangular keyboard style pearl touches. A super, chunky, & colourful sounding horn. For years I had a Selmer BA alto but that did not impress me to the same degree.
As a tenor player I have been weaned to the alto; I have played it continually since I received it.
Does anyone know the history of this model & is the tenor variant equally good? If so, I would gladly swap my Professional 2000 for one.
Shame about the naff name....perhaps "Meraviglioso" would have been more appropriate.
 
#40 ·
Re: The Grassi "Wonderful" model.

well, it is you ears and you money....... mine tell me a different story. It is generally off everywhere (which suggests to me that both player and mouthpieces are not used/suited to this horn) I could quote different notes in particular at 1:03 , 1:22,
 
#43 ·
Re: The Grassi "Wonderful" model.

What was the asking price for that alto in the video? It is in rough shape, cosmetically but it does seem to play okay. I got a much older Grassi alto with a finish in much better condition for under $200 a couple years ago. It needed all new pads and a full adjustment but it was still under $400 total.

Also, to Milandro, the guy playing this Grassi may not be completely familiar with it -- this seems to be a play test by the shop guy -- so I am willing to cut him a little slack on intonation. The same guy play tests several different horns. See:
http://www.youtube.com/user/EDUARDOCOVACHO

I agree, his intonation is lacking in this demo, especially in the ballad, "My Funny Valentine," but I don't think I'd blame that on the instrument, necessarily.
 
#44 ·
Re: The Grassi "Wonderful" model.

I agree, his intonation is lacking in this demo, especially in the ballad, "My Funny Valentine," but I don't think I'd blame that on the instrument, necessarily.
which is why I said

well, it is you ears and you money....... mine tell me a different story. It is generally off everywhere (which suggests to me that both player and mouthpieces are not used/suited to this horn) I could quote different notes in particular at 1:03 , 1:22,
 
#46 ·
Re: The Grassi "Wonderful" model.

I don't have any problem with the intonation of Grassi, that is very good indeed, I was commenting on the intonation on the video which is very .......questionable.

The Grassi tone is very good, I have been a Grassi advocate for many years now. My opinion of the Grassi in the video is that for that kind of money you can find a better looking one and equally or even better sounding than that (for example the intonation quirks could be depending from a too high or too low position of the keys if someone has had a go at changing that during the 50 years of this saxophone's life). If you go for the " relic" look you cannot go much better than buying that particular example.........me , I'll wait and spend my money in a wiser way........ but who am I to keep you from buying one of the best examples of red rot affected horns in the Grassi history!
 
#48 ·
Re: The Grassi "Wonderful" model.

as I said it can be all sorts of things:

1) the mouthpieces in the video is not suited to the horn.
2) the player is not used to the mouthpiece horn combination
3) the key height is off

I don't know, all I know is that the intonation of Grassi is good but the one in the video is not.

If you were to buy this saxophone AND have it overhauled you would, in my part of the world, spend twice as much for you horn bringing the price to around 1000€, for that price I would expect a Grassi alto in pristine conditions. I have bought several and sold them too, so, believe me, I know what I am talking about.

Red rot is not a terrible and final condition but indicates something not particularly good about that particular batch of metal. When a piece of brass is affected by it it is actually loosing zinc and being left with elemental copper.

I wouldn't touch this particular example with a barge pole (if you pardon me the British English idiom ) and would keep as far possible from it.

Grassi saxophones, even the least common types, are not rare, neither are they expensive! Just put some time and PATIENCE in looking for a good one and you won't be disappointed. If you buy this one you will end up spending too much for a horn that, in my view, will be worth almost nothing on the market.

If it was my money I wouldn't even get it for free because I would know that, unless I found someone like you ( and believe me , there are not many like you around!) I would never ever find anyone willing to buy this horn off me and I wouldn't even recuperate the overhaul costs.

what's wrong with this one?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ida-Maria-G...aultDomain_0&hash=item53e9c6898c#ht_568wt_956
 
#49 ·
Re: The Grassi "Wonderful" model.

I think you are exaggerating a bit...barge pole :D that's funny!

By the way...I won't buy it. BUT: I like horns that look "vintage".

I'm only interested: What could one do to remove this "red rot"?
A friend of mine, who is a pro-player, owns a Grassi Tenor and Alto. He got both of them unlaquered and they sound fabulous.
 
#50 ·
Re: The Grassi "Wonderful" model.

that's the idiom, can't help it......there are variants though ( I wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole)

If you think that " vintage" look means looking like ****e.......yes, it does.......I own and owned even older saxophones looking much better than that.

Red rot has been covered many times before on SOTW, read those at leisure, nobody has , yet , found that it is a good thing or that it looks good to have a horn that looks like it has the measles , maybe you will start a new trend. I sure that if Michael Brecker would have played one in his day many would be paying lots of money for this nonsense and some companies would have replicated the effect.

http://www.saxontheweb.net/Resource...t&sa=Site+Search&siteurl=www.saxontheweb.net/

So even before you hooked up in this older thread you knew already that Grassi can be played professionally. A horn sounds fabulous if someone knows what to do with it and it is good enough to support the player's ability. Lacquer or the absence of it adds or detracts nothing to the sound.It either has it or not. I think that the better Grassi models have both sound and enough mechanical qualities to support the ability of a good player.

The looks of a horn like the clothes you wear are , of course, a personal thing, a statement upon who and what we are. We all use external symbols to signify what we are , what group or tribe we belong to (even when we are " original" that is a statement that we belong to the original and anti-conventional) even when we don't .

I don't buy distressed jeans in order to pretend that I have distressed them myself.

The so called " vintage look" is a relatively new way (from the '80 on) to make a statement about a saxophone. Back then some good players started playing old saxophones which were very used (by someone else), some players just did it because the horns were good and relatively cheap, some followed in their steps in order to buy in the thing " this horn has a history, and I am so smart that I can recognise it , can't you see I am good!? ". This was the aesthetic equivalent of the postmodern thinking of the era, the " shabby chic" look was born.

You like a horn that looks like it has gone through the after-bomb days of the nuclear holocaust? Please, be my guest and buy it, the seller will be happy, you will be happy and I will be happy because this horn won't be around for some time to be sold.

I don't like it, I think it is overpriced and vile looking but again it's a matter of taste and this ain't to my taste.
 
#52 ·
Re: The Grassi "Wonderful" model.

all the models like Prestige, Wonderful, Professional, Professional 2000 are those which I would consider superior Grassi horns. The jade rollers (and similar models) is a nice horn but wouldn't consider it in the same league because of the less sophisticated mechanics.
The wonderful in the pictures is of the round pearl touches variety , a very good horn as Captain Beeflat has found out.

I would have no hesitation to buy one if I were you.
 
#55 ·
Re: The Grassi "Wonderful" model.

590 is a reasonable amount of money for a saxophone. The wonderful should have silver plated keys. I don't know if the professional in the video has nickel plated keys but it surely doesn't look like silver plate (it would be in a worse state if it were). You have to factor in an overhaul which in my part of the world would cost between 300 to 600 euro.
 
#56 ·
Re: The Grassi "Wonderful" model.

I agree, a very nice horn....shame about the circular pearls. :bluewink:
With regard to the barge pole expression....we have another, rather naughty one, which states...."I wouldn't touch her with yours". :)
 
#58 ·
Re: The Grassi "Wonderful" model.

Nice horn, but I do not think that it is a "Wonderful".
Mine is stamped "Wonderful" above the patent & trade marks....this one is not so labelled.
Mine has the "double swivel" on the circular bell brace...the example in the advert has a single swivel.
The rectangular pearls were not dedicated to the Wonderful....they were an option on all later Grassis if you wished to cough up 30,000 Lira.
 
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