King Marigaux Alto Quality?
Steve Carmichael
Ross Klippert wrote:
>
> I'm thinking seriously about playing again and would like
> to find out more about my old horn. I bought the King Marigaux
> Alto in 1980. It was sold as a semi-Pro horn that was not quite
> Mark VII quality, but only about 2/3 the price. List on it was
> around $1200 at the time. It served me well through HS & college,
> but I have to admit, I liked the Selmers and Yani's that I played
> more. I've been out of touch with the Sax market for about
> 12 years and am just wondering how this horn compares.
>
> Any opinions?
>
> Thanks,
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> Ross Klippert r33...@email.sps.mot.com
> SPS Sector CIM
> Motorola, Inc. (602) 413-7449
> -----------------------------------------------------------
I played a King M... in HS also (untill i got a 6 for graduation). I
think they were better built than the "student" horns today.
Steve
Craig Dickson
Steve Carmichael <cal...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>I played a King M... in HS also (untill i got a 6 for graduation). I
>think they were better built than the "student" horns today.
I'm not familiar with the Marigaux, but the other Kings seem to have always
been pretty ruggedly built. I have a Zephyr alto from around 1939 (the
store told me it was a '40, but the serial number seems more like '38
according to the numbers at Sax Gourmet's web site) that is still in lovely
shape although it has clearly been played quite a lot over the years.
Craig
Ross Klippert
forw...@aol.com
The King Marigaux Saxophone was manufactured by the company: Srassauer
Marigaux and Lemeure(sp?) also known as SML in Paris France. These were
very good french made horns similar to the Buffets; Noblets and Dolnets
made in France. A notch below the Selmers BUT a very playable horn (as
long as the intonation was good)
Characteristically french sound fairly dark and centered.
Well made instruments which I have always liked. They get a great sound!
King imported them into the U.S. during the 60's and 70's under the
Marigaux name. This was a pro horn in its day. Enjoy it!
Elizabeth Heiser
I have a Strasser-Marigaux tenor. Plays pretty well, so I bought it, but
I know nothing about it. I play lots of musicals and it has a nice
conservative sound that blends well in a pit orchestra.
Can anybody tell me anything about it?
I'm guessing its from the early 60s. This is an educated guess based on
the appearance of the lacquer, the amount of plastic used, and the leather
case, which reminds me of my Mom's old suitcase (looks very retro, but is
too sloppy to be useful and I've replaced it with an incredibly heavy
Taiwanese tray-pack).
Two quirks on it are the hinged thumb rest (which I've gotten used to) and
the removed G# extension (allowing F & F# to press down the G# key) which
I'd like to put back.
SN is 14773. Has no model number, just the SML logo and Strasser-Marigaux's
street address in the middle of the engraved bell. Description of the
above matches my horn, with the exception of the 'King' part.
I'm using the no-name mouthpiece that came with it when I bought it used.
Tried my BL that I used in high-school jazz band on a nasty Buescher/Bundy
that Santa brought me and it sounded awful, so I've stuck with the no-name.
wil...@ekx.infi.net
In article <3284DF...@mindspring.com>, Elizabeth Heiser
<ehe...@mindspring.com> wrote:
> forw...@aol.com wrote:
> >
> > The King Marigaux Saxophone was manufactured by the company: Srassauer
> > Marigaux and Lemeure(sp?) also known as SML in Paris France. These were
> > very good french made horns similar to the Buffets; Noblets and Dolnets
> > made in France. A notch below the Selmers BUT a very playable horn (as
> > long as the intonation was good)
> > Characteristically french sound fairly dark and centered.
> > Well made instruments which I have always liked. They get a great sound!
> > King imported them into the U.S. during the 60's and 70's under the
> > Marigaux name. This was a pro horn in its day. Enjoy it!
>
> I have a Strasser-Marigaux tenor. Plays pretty well, so I bought it, but
> I know nothing about it. I play lots of musicals and it has a nice
> conservative sound that blends well in a pit orchestra.
> Can anybody tell me anything about it?
>
I had a Strasser-Marigaux tenor which my father purchased for me in 1964.
We bought the thing from a wholesaler in Chicago through a dealer friend
and paid $375.00 dealer cost (remember, this was 1964). I thought it was
a great sax, and received many compliments about it. Most thought it was
a Selmer at first glance. It really played well. At first I used the
mouthpiece that came with it, but later switched to a more open "rock and
roll" mouthpiece as that was what we were playing at the time.
Later on, in a moment of generosity, I gave the sax away to a budding
musician who needed a horn. I don't regret it, but I often wonder just
what did I really have, and what would be its' equivalent today? Also,
what happened to the SML company?
Is there an SML expert out there somewhere? If so, talk to us, please!
--
--Steve Bland-- "Yes, I do view life through blue-tinted glasses"
1996 NCAA Champions--University of Kentucky!!!
Coached by Rick Pitino (The New Jersey Nets? No
way, folks!!!)
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