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My "New" Zephyr Alto

2K views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  Teodoro 
#1 ·
What a find, am I lucky or what...I just got a Zephyr Alto 286XXX (1946-47 Vintage). It's in great shape although some of the plating is worn. It seems that the keys, rods and pad cups are silver plated. It gives a nice contrast to the brass horn. I'm going to take it into a shop to have it gone over. A few of the springs have lost some of their resistance (mainly the octave key) and the low C sharp paddle is stiff.

After playing some modern alto horns, there is definitely a difference in the tone/timbre. It takes me back to that smooth sound of the big bands. Now I've got a lot of work ahead of me...consistently coaxing that sound from a classic.
 
#3 ·
As many know, I am a sucker for buying altos. I have about 30 and have retired my mark VI. I generally use a Conn or Martin but about a year ago I got a Zephyr Special here at SOTW because I liked the look of the peals on every key and the silver neck. What a surprise......lately it has become my favorite alto. Where it tend to amaze me is that it can be played very softly with a full tone and blast when needed. I had a Z tenor and bari 50 years ago and wish I still had them (need to eat back then).
 
#7 ·
Just got it back from the shop...I had a repairman go over it. My Zephyr had been refurbished a number of years ago including being replated. There is definitely wear where even the original plating has worn off, and the usual dings and scratches from a 1946-47 era horn. It needed new key corks and felts, but otherwise just cleaning, oiling and regulating. The only thing, that still is a "problem," is the C sharp paddle. It's very stiff. The repairman said this is the way the mechanism was made back then. Any Thoughts?
 
#8 ·
You can lighten the G# lever spring a bit and it may help. Don't make it so light that it doesn't close the G# pad while playing G as low B and Bb may be affected. The low C# pad nees a bit more pressure thus the heaviness of the spring. When pushing the low C# lever, it (usually) also presses the G# lever so lightening the G# can help. Try holding the G# down and use another finger to press the C#. Is it easier? You may want to have the tech do this as those fat springs can snap off while adjusting.
 
#9 ·
I have a 247xxx Zephyr, and found the c# to be hard! and the transitions on the LH pinky table made me want to ditch the horn. The beautiful, gutsy tone was hard to give up. I bought some mother of pearl sheets on eBay, cut shaped and epoxied them to the keys to raise their surface by 1 millimeter or so, and now she goes c# - b - c# as smoothly as anyone. The rollers are just too high on that table. The c# lever was foolishly shortened when the rounded keys replaced the square deco keys it seems (1939, 1940?). So this key got harder to play, and the spring tension is your only available tweak, except for seeing how low you can set the key height without stifling or flatting the tone. But raising the table surface made the c#easier to use in combinations.
 
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