Oscar Adler Tenor, unknown model, serial # 8884  Source: eBay.de

Franz Oscar Adler was a third-generation musical craftsman. Born in Hermsgrün in 1862, both his father and his grandfather were musical-instrument makers.

Oscar Adler & Co. was founded by Franz in 1885, in the building that his father built in Markneukirchen at Klingenthaler Straße 20.¹ Despite this combination residence/business headquarters still being home to the family’s musical instrument manufacturing business, Franz ran his Oscar Adler & Co. out of there for approximately 10 years. In circa 1895, the company relocated to Bergstraße 14 in Markneukirchen.²

At the turn of 20th century, Oscar Adler employed over 50 people in their plant. They were busy making clarinets, flutes, bassoons, oboes, and English horns. Beginning in 1901, they also made saxophones.

Tenor serial# 8472 Source: eBay.de

In 1901, Oscar Adler was recognized to have built the first saxophone in the German-speaking region. The instrument that Adler used as a model, was a 1889 Bb tenor saxophone built by Gautrot-Marquet. The instrument had been acquired by the museum of design in Markneukirchen, especially for that purpose.

Oscar Adler—who had help from both Julius and Max Keilwerth, among others—was the leader for all things sax for more than 20 years. It wasn’t until Julius Keilwerth started manufacturing saxophones under his own name, and Kohlert became noteworthy, that Adler lost their top-dog status.

From the beginning of the saxophone production until WWI, Oscar Adler exported the majority of their saxophones to the United States. It was also during that time that Franz Oscar Adler was removed from his own company due to financial reasons. Apparently Franz took more money out the company than he was entitled to.

From 1909 onwards, the Oscar Adler company was run solely by the Jordan family. Adler’s brother-in-law, Hermann Fürchtegott Jordan, had been in an equal partner in the business since 1896, and had already contributed substantially to the financing of the company’s expansions and so forth.

After WWI, the Oscar Adler company began to build some very interesting instruments. Besides making their regular clarinets in wood, metal, and hard rubber, with Albert, Boehm, or German fingering systems, they also made Sonora model clarinets with covered tone holes. These Sonora clarinets were available in German, Boehm, and saxophone fingering systems.

In addition to making saxophone-keyed clarinets, they also made a saxophone-oboe. This sax-oboe was available in either grenadilla or ebony. This allowed saxophone players to double very easily on a double reed, without having to learn a new fingering system. For those players who had troubles with a double reed, a mouthpiece that used a single reed was available.

Oscar Adler offered 11 different models of saxophones, in all the usual finishes. From the cheapest model Ocu—which is often misspelled as Ocru in the literature—to the top of the line Triumph, their offerings ran the full range of the saxophone family from the soprano to the contrabass. In 2006, Uwe Ladwig found out that Adler also had a sopranino in the works (see chart for dates). This information came from the former Manager of Gebrüder Mönnig Oscar Adler & Co Holzblasinstrumentenbau GmbH, Mr. Veit Schindler. This company has in its possession all the original saxophones of the Oscar Adler company. The original horns in their collection range from the prototype of sopraninos, through to bass saxophones.

The following is a chart which outlines the models and features of Oscar Adler saxophones. This chart was compiled by Uwe using a number of vintage catalogues, as well as other resources.

Bell engraving on a Gloria model tenor  Source: allinwrist on eBay.com

The Gloria and Symphonie models were identical, had almost the same features, and even had the same model numbers. The Symphonie however, was under certain circumstances only available for export. Presumably the same was true of the Odeum, Orfeon, and Electra models, which were illustrated in an English/Spanish brochure from 1929. There is no direct reference to these model numbers in German Oscar Adler catalogues.

Bell engraving on an Eterna model alto  Source: eBay.com

The Eterna was the only model to offer a complete range of 11 saxophones: from Eb sopranino to Eb contrabass. And while their Graslitz-based competitor, J. Keilwerth, never made any C-pitched horns, Oscar Adler did. They even included 9 different models of C bass saxophones for players to choose from.

As happened to other East German musical instrument companies, Oscar Adler was taken over by the State-run VEB Blechblas- und Signal-Instrumenten-Fabrik in 1959. At first VEB was a general partner, but eventually became a limited partner and controlled what the company could and could not build. Shortly thereafter, Oscar Adler was no longer allowed to build saxophones, only oboes and bassoons. Finally in 1974, Adler became entirely a VEB B&S affiliate.

The 1928 model name Sonora, was used by VEB as a model as of 1972, and as of 1974, it was affiliated with VEB B&S.

After Germany’s reunification, Oscar Adler and Gebr. Mönnig were reprivatized, and now operate under the name Gebr. Mönnig Oscar Adler & Co. Holzblasinstrumentenbau GmbH. The company no longer makes saxophones, but sells oboes, clarinets, bassoons, and contrabassoons under the name Oscar Adler, and Oboe d’amore, English horns, and bassoons under the name Gebrüder Mönnig.

To see more Oscar Adler saxophones, check out the Oscar Adler gallery in Bassic Sax Pix.

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¹ Source: meinert-holzblasinstrumente.de

² Source: Ibid

Note: The the exception of the 2 footnotes above, the source of information for this page is from Uwe Ladwig, in der deutschen Fachzeitschrift—German music journal—SONIC sax & brass.

I would like to thank Uwe for so generously allowing me to use his research, and very much appreciate the trust he has shown by allowing me to do my own translation.

Source: Cutting Edge Couture

Well this certainly isn’t your grandfather’s kazoo. In 2003 a man by the name of John Jameson pitched the idea of a software-driven kazoo to Sharper Image. This toy would have the ability to convert a child’s hum into digitally rendered versions of saxophone, clarinet, or tuba sounds. Sharper Image liked the idea, and the redesigned Saxxy—as it would be renamed—was launched for the 2003 Christmas season. The price? $50.00 through 140 Sharper Image stores.¹

In what appears to be the original Patent application by Saxxy’s inventor, John Jameson, there is the following description of this synthesizer kazoo:

Note that in the abstract, the instrument is called a Vocolo. After Sharper Image owned the rights to the product, they used the same word in their ad copy.

Here is how the Saxxy was described in some of Sharper Image’s original ad copy:

Saxxy™ is the fun new kazoo — a sophisticated electronic musical instrument that makes it easy for anyone to play a horn! All you do is hum into the mouthpiece and patented Vocolo™ [emphasis added] technology responds with accurately synthesized digital sounds of a saxophone, a tuba or a clarinet. Just press a button to pick your horn . . .

With the graceful Saxxy in your hands, you’ll enjoy the satisfying feel of playing an actual instrument — intimately controlling the pitch and volume of notes with fine nuances of voice or humming . . . Select one of three lively synthesized backbeats.

. . . Generate sounds of bebop or big band, marching or Motown, swing or salsa, and more! . . .

Source: createdigitalmusic.com

As noted above, besides a change in the name from Vocolo to Saxxy, this 21st century kazoo also got redesigned. This is how it was envisioned by its inventor, and depicted in the original Patent application:

Source: google.com/patents

The actual Saxxy kazoo that made it to market looked more like a saxophone than the diagram above does. (Hey, a Saxello does qualify as a sax, even if it is soprano.)    Also, note the difference in mouthpieces.

According to the seller, who sold the following Saxxy on eBay, it is 13″ long, with a 3″ diameter speaker.

Source: candohopeful

The control buttons on the Saxxy were redesigned as well from the Patented Vocolo.

Source: candohopeful

Parents would have been very appreciative of the earphone jack.

Source: candohopeful

So what does it sound like you ask? Well thanks to YouTube, you can find out if you want to track down one of these Saxxy instruments for your very own. Take it away Captain Kazoo….

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW_L1fg19TA

I wonder if he had had the mouthpiece, if it would have sounded any better?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

¹ Source: CNN Money article, Why Sharper Image Is Playing The Hits Again  The company got back its cool--and its healthy stock price--by making more down-to-earth products with spectacular profit margins, by Jonathan Thaw.

Source: J’Élle Stainer Used With Permission

However, unlike Adolphe Sax’s bass sax, which looked quite primitive in comparison, this entry-level bass sax has a number of refinements which make it a good alternative for players considering their first bass.

The features of J’Elle Stainer’s Vintage Bass include:

• The range from low B to high Eb. Although the option of ordering it keyed to high F# is available—as is the option of having it keyed to low A. 
• Double bell to body support bracing, with multiple fastening points on each brace. (See photo above as well as below.)

Source: J’Élle Stainer Used With Permission

• A triple strap ring.

Source: J’Élle Stainer Used With Permission

• A more side-positioned, right thumb rest, which should make it more ergonomically friendly.
• A secondary strap ring—presumably for a harness—just above the bow to body connecting ring.

Source: J’Élle Stainer Used With Permission

• Despite its simple keywork, it is strongly built, and has a great sound.
• A height of 51″ (129.5 cm).

Source: J’Élle Stainer Used With Permission

With the bass saxophone currently enjoying a renaissance of sorts, there are currently more players than ever looking for these great instruments. Unfortunately vintage bass saxophones are hard to find, and many (most) are not in the best of condition. Ergonomically they can be rather challenging as well.

The new, American designed, but Asian-made bass saxophones, are a hit and miss situation. Some have received great reviews. Others not so much. 

This J’Elle Stainer Vintage bass is another option for the player looking for this level of instrument: A “band” instrument in the words of J’Elle Stainer’s Gilberto Lopes. A horn that sounds great, is sturdy, but doesn’t have all the bells and whistles you would find on the higher-end instruments.

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Source: renew4760

The eBay seller described this blow accordion like this:

This toy sax is approximately 20″ long. It has a wooden mouthpiece. Several of the keys are broken. The bell ring is loose, but I believe that that is the way it was made. The bell is embossed with Made in Japan, YEDO and has the letter D in the design.

  Source: renew4760

As illustrated in the photos, this Yedo was originally built with 10 keys, as well as 2 bass/chord buttons. Its bell engraving is nearly identical to that of the Haro. However, while the Haro has the letter “R” in the circle in the bell engraving, the Yedo has the letter “D”. The Yedo is also a 2″ longer than the Haro. The Haro is 18″ long, while the Yedo is 20″ in length. The wooden mouthpiece and gold paint colour look pretty much the same on both instruments.

Although I cannot say with 100% certainty which came first, I would hazard a guess that the Yedo is a copy of the Haro. In the early half of the 20th century Japan was well known for copying almost everything European. Why should blow accordions be exempt from this?

Source: game and watch shop

This little toy sax is made of an early plastic called Duperite. The seller believed this toy was circa 1950s. Apparently this little toy still makes noise when blown, and only has a few scratches.

It caught my eye, because it is the first clear, coloured, vintage, plastic saxophone-shaped toy that I’ve seen.

Source: game and watch shop

Source: Antique-Advertising-Novelty-Tins

This little saxophone-shaped toy is very old, and most likely would lower the IQ of any child who licked the paint… Although why all those children who played with lead-based, paint covered toys ever grew up to be adults with any intelligence is beyond me, and certainly beyond the scope of my website… But I digress…

According to the seller, this toy was made in Britain, and is 192mm long—that’s 7.5 inches for those of us who are still working with the Imperial system of measurements. Unfortunately the little toy no longer works (it looks like the mouthpiece is missing), and it has some overall wear.

Nonetheless, this little toy horn is an interesting pictorial representation of yet another saxophone-shaped toy that was manufactured in Europe.

Almost a year to the day of my buying this Hohner President, I happened across a Julius Keilwerth-stencilled Jubilee. It, like the President, was a local horn advertised in Vancouver’s Craigslist, and it too was a 1-owner horn. Could luck be with me again? Yes, as a matter of fact, it could.

It has been said that the Toneking Series III was JK’s most stencilled saxophone. I can believe it, based on the number of different names I see on the bells of these horns on eBay and the likes.

However, many of the saxes that are for sale, look like they’ve been through the war. Not this sax. This horn was someone’s baby. 

Sadly the original Lucite angel wing did break at some point, but the owner made a replacement out of Plexiglas. This replacement piece is stronger and sturdier than the original ever was, and according to tech Matt Stohrer, is also the best looking replacement he’s ever seen photos of. Despite this, my plan is to order a metal guard soon. There are a couple of different sources for replacement guards. Besides the European source that I know of, I’ve recently been told that there is also a North American supplier of metal replacement wings.

The previous owner did make some primitive mods on the horn that I undid immediately upon play-testing. Then there were also some other mods that I am going to get my tech to undo when he restores the sax. The left thumb rest will be restored back to its original location, and the leather strap will be removed. The strap hook sewn into the strap ring will also be removed. And yes, I will be getting a cork on the neck. Plumbers’ tape works well in a pinch, but in the longterm is a pain in the ass.

The sax is currently at my tech’s shop getting its restoration. David really likes my horns, because I don’t always bring him the same old, same old. This tenor is another example of my bringing him something that he doesn’t get to see everyday.

These are the “before” photos. Once I get it back from David, I will post some “after” photos of the relevant areas of the sax. Also, once I get the metal key guard, I will post photos of that as well.

Horn Specs

• Made by J. Keilwerth
• Stencil of the Toneking Series III
• Has a high F# key
• Serial #: 29XXX
• Finish: Lacquer
• The “angel wing” key guard was replaced by the original owner.
• This was a 1 owner horn, which was bought in 1958.

It is worth noting that where JK put their high F# key, is where other German horn manufacturers put their high D/D# triller. This can lead to confusion if you are not familiar with JKs. (I was very confused when I first played this horn.)

 Source: quinntheeskimo Vintage Horns on eBay.com

In the 1980s, the Julius Keilwerth company made a short foray into the saxophone-shaped trumpet world. This was by no means a new idea. According to the website, The Jazzophone and other sax shaped or double-belled trumpets, saxophone-shaped trumpets were invented in the 1920s, as an alternative to the then very popular saxophone.

Why Gerhard Keilwerth—Julius Keilwerth’s grandson—decided to design this instrument is a bit of a mystery. He has stated that there were no more than 100 of these Toneking 3000 trumpets built. The Julius Keilwerth company sold these horns between 1982 and 1986.

  Source: quinntheeskimo Vintage Horns on eBay.com

 Source: en.wikipedia.org

The Sax-A-Boom was formerly sold by DSI Toys. This interesting saxophone-shaped toy, plays pre-recorded licks accompanied by a variety of backing tracks. Pressing the buttons on the front plays the different licks, which you can use in any combination to create your own song. And yes, it does sound remarkably like a saxophone.

  Source: leila_abreu on eBay.com

This toy saxophone was made famous by Jack Black’s use of it in live performances with Tenacious D—a band that he fronts together with Kyle Gass.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qCHS3NdWHI

1. I have added a small piece of software that now allows you to view the newest pages and page updates through the RSS feed button. Since it is the first generation of the plugin, there are still some refinements that it will undergo in the next while. At present it doesn’t seem to send updates to my Outlook RSS Feedreader. I haven’t tried any others though. In any event, if you click on the RSS feed cube on the bottom left of any page of the site, you will see the latest 15 changes to the site.

2. I have been on the hunt for a good search option for this website since it was launched in the summer of 2009. Finally a few weeks ago I found one. This morning I added an advanced Search Page which will allow you to search all 220+ pages of bassic-sax.ca extremely well. This search software comes with a help feature, so you can get assistance in customizing your searches.

Unfortunately due to the navigation bar limitations I have with my current template, I have had to do some re-jigging of my headings to accommodate this new search page. However, what I have now is much more streamlined, and in my opinion, better organized. This morning I added an About page which now has Musician, Teacher, and Gear as subcategories.

3. Also in the area of navigation, I added what are known as “breadcrumbs” to this site a little while ago. These breadcrumbs allow you to see where you are in this site, and also act as links backward. They are located under the tag line Bassically A Site About All Things Sax.

I’ve highlighted them with green underline in the above screen shot for illustration purposes only.

4. The Sax-Shaped “Things” section gets updated more than any other portion of my site. I recently added a number of new vintage toys and instruments including:

• A Japanese-made Yedo, that strongly resembles the Haro.
• A clear, green toy saxophone made of Duperite.
• A vintage, red metal toy sax from the UK.
• And my favourite, a Toneking 3000, saxophone-shaped trumpet by Julius Keilwerth.
• Oh, and how could I have forgotten the Sax-A-Boom? If it hadn’t been for Jack Black, these things would have faded into obscurity by now I suspect.

The 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, whose theme was a Century of Progress, appears to have had their souvenir toy saxophones made in Japan. Now how’s that for foreshadowing!

Source: eBay.com

This little toy sax is 4½” long according to the seller, and bears a striking resemblance to the German-made Luxophone—which is also 4½” long. The souvenir was likely originally painted silver according to the seller, because the left side still shows remnants of this silver coating.

Source: eBay.com

In contrast, the 1939 – 1940 New York World’s Fair, toy sax souvenir was American-made. It too bears a strong resemblance to the Luxophone, as well as the German-made, Sirenephone (which is nearly double the size of the Luxophone). In its size however, it more closely resembles the former, because according to seller Recent Find Z, the New York World’s Fair souvenirs were: “4” high, 3.5” deep and 3/8” wide.”

Source: Atomic Keegs

This interesting little piece of World’s Fair history is stamped with its identifying data, as well as the Trylon and Perisphere, which were the centre pieces of the New York World’s Fair. These structures were used on millions of promotional materials—such as this saxophone-shaped tin toy. Unfortunately it is missing its mouthpiece.

  Source: Atomic Keegs

In December 2011, the eBay shop Recent Find Z had one of these New York World’s Fair saxophone-shaped toys for sale. This one luckily still had its mouthpiece.

Source: Recent Find Z

In the above photo you can clearly see the similarities between this souvenir, and the same-size, German Luxophone.

  Source: Recent Find Z

Source: sweetwilliam37

This interesting 4 valve, saxophone-shaped, toy trumpet bears a strong resemblance to the other 4 valve saxophone, as well as the Delinot toy sax, that also showed up on eBay. Unlike these other 2 instruments that have brass instrument-type mouthpieces to blow through, this little French-made toy has a metal, beak-like mouthpiece like those seen on the Hohner Saxonettes.

Unfortunately there is no manufacturer’s name stamped anywhere on the toy instrument. However, the seller does state that it is marked “Made in France”. The instrument is 11″ long, and the bell is 3″ across.

  Source: sweetwilliam37

 Source: Uncle Mikeys What Not Shop

The seller noted the following about the toy:

I think this is made of Bakelite because there is a translucent swirling of colors if you look close… I’m no expert so it could be plastic but I doubt it. Measures 7.5 in long. Does not whistle when you blow because it needs a reed placed in it… The ad is a photocopy from a 1940′s magazine…

 Source: Uncle Mikeys What Not Shop

Although the eBay toy is not identical to the the photocopied ad version, it is clear that Spike Jones allowed his name to be used on toy saxophones of both the alto and tenor variety. What a lot of SAX-O-FUN.

 Source: Uncle Mikeys What Not Shop

  Source: Uncle Mikeys What Not Shop

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¹ Source: Wikipedia page on Spike Jones.