i have a King Zephyr Military Edition from 1942 (Serial Number: 265xxx).
It doenst have the normal Zephyr gravur - instead there is the following Symbol.
Are these just maybe the initials of the owner of the saxophone or does anyone know what they stand for?
well, maybe, this is not for the US military? Since OP seems to have a German(ic) name ( and uses the word “ gravur “ instead of engraving :bluewink: so he speaks German ) and there is a crown (not an American attribute!) at the back of the horn , my educated guess is, that IF this was a military horn it was one from another country.
However. Both the Shield with KR and the crown could have a different meaning or being applied by someone at a later date.
KR could mean Kavallerie Regiment an elite corps but would they have bought in 1942 an American instrument given the state of relations between the two countries already being rateher tense?
I don't think this is a British King's crown ( there is a difference in shape with the Queen's crown) as they always have some fleur des lis on the front.
I think this might be a Kaiser Crown but the last one abdicated in 1918. in that case KR means Kaiser Reich.
Another possibility is the Crown of Bavaria.
I suggest you to get in touch with Saxismyaxe ( administrator) he knows a lot about German military saxophones
It is the British "State" or "King's" crown (just like the one's used to distinguish a British army Major's rank), and the "KR" likely stands for the "King's Regiment" or "King's Rifles" regiment that it belonged to.
i just made a more detailed photo of the crown: http://puu.sh/aPwv7/04d1170bc9.jpg
(sorry but i rezized it before turning the angle so there are some white spots )
Are the crown and the shield originals or were they added by the country it was delivered to?
This is definitely not a wartime German horn. The only extant ones are all Luftwaffe issued, date to the 1930s, are all of German manufacture, and are marked with the 3rd Reich Luftwaffe Eagle/swastika. The saxophone was considered a "symbol of Western (read American) decadence", and outlawed along with other symbols of Jazz. Since the horn was made well into the war (1942), it narrows down quite considerably what country of origin it is likely attributable to, insignia or not.
Thus the oddity and rarity of those few pre-war Luftwaffe horns that do exist.
The crown emblem comes closest to the one utilized by British regiments (including RSM and Major rank badges). It doesn't resemble the crown designs used by Sweden, Denmark, or IMO, Belgium.
Another possibility is a fraternal order, student and academic corp. etc.
The fleur des lis is an essential heraldic element in the British crowns because there is a legitimate claim from the Kings and Queens of England ( and the rest of the UK but in heraldic terms this concerns England) to the French Crown ( although the throne of France is no longer there for them to be appointed Kings or Queens of France) hence the fleur des lis on their crown.
Being these element always present in a any British army crowns and absent in OP crown, these shouldn’t be the same crown.
It is very possible that this is not at all a military saxophone and that, at some stage, someone, just soldered these plaque and crown onto it and for all we know, KR are the initials of the owner.
Hey guys,
thanks for helping me out.
I just contacted a belgian and a british vintage saxophon shop - maybe they know something for sure.
Here are some photos of the whole bell:
I always thaught it was a miltary edition but im not sure.
I read that you can see the difference between a military and a no-miltary edition on the g# etc. plates - here is a photo of it:
Best greetings
thanks for those photos...
looks like an early one with the G# cluster looking like that....
what is the serial#...
does it have a double socket neck?
thanks,philip
Being that these emblems are attached to the horn and not actually engraved on the body, I just think it was someone who had a family crest or liked a design and attached them to a normal King.
yes,i am looking at it that way too,and the crown looks even later edition than the KR...
but,it also looks like the vintage,haven't got the serial# yet,that these ones had the elaborate engraving that took up alot of the bell....?
cheers,philip
bought and sold a few of those, Very nice horns! The ones I like the best are the ones with a very dark lacquer, almost chocolate, with the beautiful design of the keys and indeed the bell engraving. The only downside is, for me, the keywork which is decidedly softer than on the Super 20.
yes,i also had one with the dark chocolate lacquer,and it was lovely.....
didn't know about the soft keys,you mean the metal bends easily?
the engravings are especially nice,art deco style....
cheers,philip
Yes, the metal of the key was rather more bendy than the one of the Super 20 or even Later Zephyrs, but they were, without any doubt great sounding horns and very elegant too!
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