Sax on the Web Forum banner

"Chicagoan" = Martin Stencil?

1K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  Jorns Bergenson 
#1 ·
I was checking out an old sax in person yesterday -- a "Chicagoan" alto. Beveled tone holes, which tells me it's a Martin. The alt-F# key on the right hand doesn't have a key pearl, just like Handcrafts...but doesn't have the split bell keys...both on the left side, engraving on the front.

Never heard of this stencil...wish I had a photo to upload. Is this ringing a bell to anyone? I read that Martin handcraft stencils can be valuable...Not sure.

Thanks!
 
#3 ·
I was checking out an old sax in person yesterday -- a "Chicagoan" alto. Beveled tone holes, which tells me it's a Martin. The alt-F# key on the right hand doesn't have a key pearl, just like Handcrafts...but doesn't have the split bell keys...both on the left side, engraving on the front.
FWIW, beveled tone holes don't always mean Martin. Other manufacturers made saxes with soldered, beveled toneholes, like Couturier and York. With bell keys on the left, it probably is a Martin, though. To my knowledge, none of the other manufacturers continued making them into the 1930's when same-sided bell keys came on the scene.

Never heard of this stencil...wish I had a photo to upload. Is this ringing a bell to anyone? I read that Martin handcraft stencils can be valuable...Not sure.
I saw a "Chicagoan" alto many years ago on Ebay and thought it was a Martin stencil at the time.

Martin Handcrafts valuable? They might have "some" value depending on condition, but any Martin stencil alto in perfect playing condition probably isn't worth more than $500, and not much more than $300 for unfamiliar names. That's my 2-cents, anyway.

The exception might be the Dick Stabile stencil which has more features found on Martin's first and second line horns of the day.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top