Sax on the Web Forum banner

My King Zephyr Really Suprised Me

16K views 24 replies 18 participants last post by  theonlyfly 
#1 ·
So I have been playing with a Yanagisawa A992 alto that is really such a beautiful horn and a Selmer Mark VI 235k, I also have a Martin Comm 1 around as well, recently received a Zephyr I sent to my tech for an overhaul come back to me, don't know the serial off hand but it has the triple strap hook and double socket neck. Before I received my tech was raving about the horn and I thought that's cool he never was like that with any of my other stuff I sent to him and I have sent probably 5-7 saxes to him.

Well the horn arrived Friday afternoon and I was just shocked, the action is really fast and light for any horn, much less an older horn it might even be nicer than the A992 which I was not expecting and it has this smoky mellow tone that is really sweet. I have yet to break out the Zoom H4N to do some a/b tests with my VI but maybe this week, as I don't need 4 alto's I think 2 will be going up for sale soon. Probably going to sell the A992 and the Martin.

So I would love to hear some opinions from other folks on these horns, I was expecting a totally different sound as many people I have read say they are good for rock, to me the horn is very versatile. What really surprised me is that a horn I have $500 into (including the overhaul) can easily run with the VI I have $3200 or so into, really just blew me away. Maybe I will get some sound clips up this week and see what folks think.
 
See less See more
#3 ·
I had a Zephyr bari and tenor back in the mid 60s (paid $50 for both together with new pads) and I thought they were nice horns. I never like King altos (except the Cleves) but a few months ago I picked up a Zephyr Special alto here at SOTW since it looked nice with the silver neck and full pearls. Since it had the original lacquer and tray-pak style case, I did some extensive adjustments and GEEEEEE, it may be my favorite alto now. Good scale, robust vintage sound that seems to have no limit. I run out before the horn does and the sound still stays good at full volume. Now I need the tenor to match......
 
#5 ·
Zephs are great horns, period. I have had Altos, Tenors, and BigHorns thru here, all from the Cleveland factory....and never has one been disappointing....

Those early ones were top-shelfers, so obviously the company put everything they had into 'em. I would be curious to know the serial#, because the triple-eyelet and double-socket neck appeared on 2 different versions of the horn. The earlier being an evolved Voll-True II (a personal fave of mine) and the other being a proto-Super 20 design....
 
#6 ·
I have a King Zephyr alto that I have had for around 15 years and I doubt I will ever want another alto as I absolutely love everything about it: the sound, action, look, everything. It is a very loud horn and " smoky mellow tone that is really sweet" is a good way to describe it, Jaysz.

JayePDX, my serial no is 307232, is that early 50s? I think that is what I found out.
 
#10 ·
http://www.hnwhite.com/serial number sax.htm

...early 50s...that one would be the 'middle period' Zeph and it is VERY much like an S20....these are the most sought-after Zephyrs...

I wouldn't call my Zephyr alto "smoky and mellow" but it could be the mouthpiece. I use a Runyon Custom on it. Bright and LOUD.
That mouthpiece is SURELY making it scream, but likely also contributing to the intonation issues. I like Runyons because they are very free-blowing, but that is a relatively narrow-chambered mouthpiece there, and old Kings generally do not like those very much.

The thing about the classic middle-era Zephs and S20s is that they can be all of these things: from smoky and mellow to bash-you-over-the-head HUGE...and all points in between.
 
#7 ·
I wouldn't call my Zephyr alto "smoky and mellow" but it could be the mouthpiece. I use a Runyon Custom on it. Bright and LOUD. I just wish the pitch was a little more solid on it, it's not unplayable by far but I have to work at it a little more than the rest of my horns, including my other altos.
 
#11 ·
I've been playing S20 tenors for more than 20 years and I love them, one of my friends plays Zephyr Tenors exclusively and he loves those too. I think they are a bit darker and smokier than the S20. What's really nice about the Zepyhrs made during the S20 era is that they were marketed as intermediate saxes and they are undervalued in todays vintage market. It's the same tube as the S20.
 
#12 ·
Yes it is, and the word on that has slowly gotten out.... as occasionally but pretty regularly you see certain serialed Zephs fetch quite high prices.

I still also feel that the pre-S20 ones, the VT-IIesque ones with the rectangular spat keys and such, are also great horns. Just different from the ones of the middle period.
 
#13 ·
The Zephyr alto surprises everyone and is a much underrated sax. In Sound comparison to my other altos Chu Berry silver plated, Aristocrat Serie 1 and the Sx90R Keilwerth I stick with the Zephyr. Conn and Buescher sold.

the Zephyr alto has a rich sound with character. Its warm and mellow, intonation is spot on. Nice combo with the A King original MPC. Currently I use a Claude Lakey 5*3

1951

 
#14 ·
I've got a 52 Zephyr and a 47 coming soon.
Really like the sound of the 52 but struggle a little on the LH pinkie table.
Not the strongest of my fingers after being broken a couple of times in the past.
When matched with the right mouthpiece these are really something special.
I have found that a number of mouthpieces can be considered the right ones, such as Links, Bergs, Morgans (large chamber).
My newly acquired phil barone New York really makes it sing.
Looking forward to getting the 47 model and doing some comparisons.
 
#15 ·
My King Zephyr alto 308,xxx is a 1951 Super 20 clone, and it really wails when pushed, but darkens to a sweet smokiness when played gently. Great horn, off the radar for most folks. Mine was a lucky find, in great cosmetic condition (not at all mint, but still lovely).
If I were still playing jazz or rock professionally, it would replace my 1967 Selmer VI (due to potential replacement cost issues for a damaged/stolen VI). I like it better than my (formerly owned) 1954 and 1957 Conn 6M's, and equally (but for different reasons) with my (also formerly owned, <cry>) 1938 Martin Comm 1 alto. If I were regularly gigging today, I would use the 1951 Zephyr and have a 1950's 6M as the backup for loud work; I would use the 1938 Martin for small combo/dinner music work (and use the same 6M as its backup, since these have nice dark sounds, too; choose different mpcs for different venues.)
Really love my VI, but these other horns are great, too!
Sax Magic
 
#18 ·
I've got a 300xxx tenor that I really like, the tuning up high can be a challenge (goes sharp). Wondering what mouthpieces people have had best luck with?
DS
This is such a horn specific issue that my answer can only be taken as a data point. My Zephyr tenor is #278XXX. It seems (I seem) to lock in intonation more easily using pieces with medium-ish chambers. For the Zephyr, I currently use a vintage Buffet Crampon "G" piece with a horseshoe shaped chamber, but any of my Jody Jazz HR* or my Vandoren V16 HR pieces work well.
 
#22 ·
I'm always jealous when I see Bluto post pics of his silver Zephyr Alto.

I definitely wouldn't say no to one when I buy a pro alto but the silver finished horns tend to go for almost twice the price of the lacquered brass.

Sent from my Moto X 2015 Pure Edition using Forum Runner
 
#24 ·
This is original nicely-aged silver finish with glossy bell, glossy neck, satin body, and gold wash bell. Saxpics has several pictures of silver altos in the same serial # range that look nearly identical, but whose gold wash is more faded than my example.

Saxpics also lists the 1940 King catalog finish choices to include "Finish II - Silver Satin Finish Gold Bell". Examples of silver Zephyrs that I've seen most frequently were made for military bands and have U.S. prominently engraved on the bell. Mine is not a military engraved horn.

P.S. Thanks, John, for the kind words.
 
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