According to the oral history in my family, my stepson is the fourth generation to play an American Professional alto sax. My brother played it, my mother played it, and according to my mother's brother, their mother played it.
The serial number is three lines
A
15513
L
Because of the age of this saxophone, the keys are slightly different than his Selmer school saxophone. Thus my stepson prefers the Selmer. This is only his first year playing, so he has time to grow into the "older" sax.
It is interesting to compare the Selmer and the American Professional. The neck piece of the American Professional will NOT fit into the body of the Selmer. The Selmer neck piece won't seat properly on the American Professional body, the AP body is about a millimeter wider than the Selmer neckpiece (no I didn't take a pair of calipers--just used a pair of glasses).
Assuming the neck pieces are the same length, what does the extra diameter of the American Profession do for the tone of the instrument. Or does the fact that it appears to be silver plated change the tone more so than the diameter of the saxophone.
What can I do help him appreciate this older sax? Should I just wait until he has more playing time under his belt, and then he can discern the difference?
I have received a recommendation from a saxophone quartet in my town as to who would be the best local person to examine the instrument and recommend repairs. It's been in storage since the early 80s.
PS I will be posting pictures shortly.
PPS. I think I have the correct subforum for this post. If not please let me know.
The serial number is three lines
A
15513
L
Because of the age of this saxophone, the keys are slightly different than his Selmer school saxophone. Thus my stepson prefers the Selmer. This is only his first year playing, so he has time to grow into the "older" sax.
It is interesting to compare the Selmer and the American Professional. The neck piece of the American Professional will NOT fit into the body of the Selmer. The Selmer neck piece won't seat properly on the American Professional body, the AP body is about a millimeter wider than the Selmer neckpiece (no I didn't take a pair of calipers--just used a pair of glasses).
Assuming the neck pieces are the same length, what does the extra diameter of the American Profession do for the tone of the instrument. Or does the fact that it appears to be silver plated change the tone more so than the diameter of the saxophone.
What can I do help him appreciate this older sax? Should I just wait until he has more playing time under his belt, and then he can discern the difference?
I have received a recommendation from a saxophone quartet in my town as to who would be the best local person to examine the instrument and recommend repairs. It's been in storage since the early 80s.
PS I will be posting pictures shortly.
PPS. I think I have the correct subforum for this post. If not please let me know.