Saxophone Forum


by [email protected]
(18 posts)
19 years ago

Anyone out there playing a "The Martin" alto?

I put my 132xxx Mark VI down for "The Martin" a couple months ago-- I love the action and rich sound (I find it dark like the VI, but without the VI's certain nasal stuffiness). I'm curious about other peoples' experiences with the horns.. especially altissimo fingerings- the one's I used on the VI don't cut it intonation-wise (though the instrument's scale is great otherwise). and mouthpieces, too.. I've found my Tonalin to be the best match. thanks

Reply To Post [Report Abuse]

Report Abuse

Replies

  1. by Selmer Fan88
    (15 posts)

    19 years ago

    Re: Anyone out there playing a "The Martin" alto?

    I've got an very nice martin tenor, i've got also a new réference 54 but I even prefer the martin. I really have to get a martin alto

    Reply To Post


    1. by renent
      (1 post)

      19 years ago

      Re: Anyone out there playing a "The Martin" alto?

      I have a Martin Elkhart comm II Alto S# 143xxx that I'm selling. Needs to be repaded, corked and aligned. My father played professionally and I used it in highschool 25 years ago and haven't touched it since because I'm a bass player. It has orig dark lacquer. It's yours for $750.00 You cancheck the net, they go for around $1,400 Mark 718 444-3273

      Reply To Post


    2. by Heintzman2007
      (7 posts)

      10 years ago

      Re: Anyone out there playing a "The Martin" alto?

      Please look at item 

       

      171222655704 on ebay to buy!

      Reply To Post


  2. by Selmer Fan88
    (15 posts)

    19 years ago

    Re: Anyone out there playing a "The Martin" alto?

    I'm just going to buy a good "The Martin"-alto. I've got a "The Martin"-tenor and I love it. I hope it will have the same fat sound as my tenorsax

    Reply To Post


    1. by Heintzman2007
      (7 posts)

      10 years ago

      Re: Anyone out there playing a "The Martin" alto?

      Look at My Martin Alto #160415 46-47 on ebay item 

       

      171222655704

      Reply To Post


  3. by martin_alto
    (9 posts)

    19 years ago

    Re: Anyone out there playing a "The Martin" alto?

    i have a silver plated alto martin circa 1920s. Altissimo is very much trial and error. Generally not the horn for trying to get a Sanborn sound per se. Likewise palm key intonation is tricky but when the horn warms up not bad.The sound is exceptional however. i use a Yani metal mouthpiece but still looking for the ultimate rig. I get lots of comments on my sound from musicians but then i did when i played a mark6 too.

    Reply To Post


  4. by sonnyrollins57
    (17 posts)

    19 years ago

    Re: Anyone out there playing a "The Martin" alto?

    yea i love the martin horns im a big fan.I have two martin horns one alto and the other tenor.I feel those horns are like the sleeping giants of saxophone sound.You just have to work with the horn and figure it out like its your women or more to you than that.I play those horns for all my jazz gigs epecially with my new peter ponzol and my old otto link mouthpieces.

    Reply To Post


    1. by Heintzman2007
      (7 posts)

      10 years ago

      Re: Anyone out there playing a "The Martin" alto?

      Look at My Martin Alto #160415 46-47 on ebay item 

       

      171222655704

      Reply To Post


    2. by Heintzman2007
      (7 posts)

      10 years ago

      Re: Anyone out there playing a "The Martin" alto?

      Look at My Martin Alto #160415 46-47 on ebay item 

       

      171222655704

      Reply To Post


  5. by Saxman78
    (1 post)

    19 years ago

    Re: Anyone out there playing a "The Martin" alto?

    A few months ago I bought a 1946 the Martin Alto. I love this horn. The sound is just so fat. Lately I have some problems with the octave mechanism. This sax has a patented mechanism only used on the martin alto's but it just doesn't work very well on my sax.

    Reply To Post


    1. by Heintzman2007
      (7 posts)

      10 years ago

      Re: Anyone out there playing a "The Martin" alto?

      Look at My Martin Alto #160415 46-47 on ebay item 

       

      171222655704

      Reply To Post


    2. by mooing_sheep
      (20 posts)

      19 years ago

      Re: Anyone out there playing a "The Martin" alto?

      I recently got a Martin from the 19-teens a couple months ago...my , it's super! Beautiful low notes, and no sound change when going from C to D, like on many saxes. My favorite little feature is this extra key that allows you to trill on a G# -- Oodles of fun!!!!!! I love Martins, they can produce a really phenomenal sound.

      Reply To Post


  6. by ricksax
    (1 post)

    19 years ago

    Re: Anyone out there playing a "The Martin" alto?

    I have been playing a late 60s Martin Alto for some time. I like its dark, heavy tone. Mine doesn't seem to sing as much as the Selmers of that era, but it is an amazingly well built horn-- heavy, heavy. Certainly a great horn for the prize, half as much as a similar Selmer. One note, the early ones (early 50s) were purely professional horns, and had no lyre holder. My late one has a lyre holder, suggesting they needed to to sell to student marching bands. The only other comment is, the laquer comes off immediately with acetone, so if you ever wanted to strip the horm, it would be a quick proposition. Mine has about 90% lacquer, very dark. Pretty horn.

    Reply To Post


    1. by Heintzman2007
      (7 posts)

      10 years ago

      Re: Anyone out there playing a "The Martin" alto?

      Look at My Martin Alto #160415 46-47 on ebay item 

       

      171222655704

      Reply To Post


    2. by saxismyaxe
      (575 posts)

      19 years ago

      Re: Anyone out there playing a "The Martin" alto?

      Ricksax, Actually Martin produced a specially designed lyre that attached to the unique Martin button style neck socket screw, thus negating the need for a traditional style lyre socket as found on other makes.

      Reply To Post


  7. by scottP
    (1 post)

    19 years ago

    Re: Anyone out there playing a "The Martin" alto?

    I have a '46 "The Martin" and I love it. It is so much fun to play because all of the notes have a pure round and sweet tone. I'll play my Mark VI when I have a lot of fast notes because the action is much better, but I would rather practice on the Martin. May family can tell the difference when I play the VI and the Martin. The Martin has a clearer sound, not quite as loud and I am always enjoying what I play. A couple years ago I met a street musician in San Fran. that was playing on "The Martin". He had rubber bands on the upper keys and the horn was shot - but boy did he have a great sound. The horn I have really has a personality. One problem I have is that some notes are out of tune (10-20cents) and the action is a little clunky and old. Sorry, I don't play altissimo much.

    Reply To Post


  8. by saxyguy
    (4 posts)

    19 years ago

    Re: Anyone out there playing a "The Martin" alto?

    Bought a restored Committee II alto. Loved it so much, I bought another one. This one is all original, laquer,case, plug, and a Steve Broadus mouthpiece. They stopped making this model because it was based on a LeBlanc design in which they apparently lost the licensing for. Glen Miller's saxest used this model.

    Reply To Post


  9. by saxyguy
    (4 posts)

    19 years ago

    Re: Anyone out there playing a "The Martin" alto?

    Bought a restored Committee II alto. Loved it so much, I bought another one. This one is all original, laquer,case, plug, and a Steve Broadus mouthpiece. They stopped making this model because it was based on a LeBlanc design in which they apparently lost the licensing for. Glen Miller's saxest used this model.

    Reply To Post


    1. by saxismyaxe
      (575 posts)

      19 years ago

      Re: Anyone out there playing a "The Martin" alto?

      "Glen Miller's saxest used this model." That was Tex Beneke of Fort Worth, Texas. He was also an endorser of the Martin horns for many years in their add campaigns.

      Reply To Post


      1. by zoot51
        (10 posts)

        19 years ago

        Re: Anyone out there playing a "The Martin" alto?

        I play a Martin Committee tenor ca. 1958 that has wonderful tone and intonation. I also have a Martin "Typewriter" alto ca. 1930. It's intonation gets a little squirrelly in the palm keys, but it has an interesting tone. Neither one is particularly ergonomically friendly, especially the "Typewriter." I keep it as a curiosity, but COULD use it on a gig if the Mark VI went down. (Note: a large-chamber mouthpiece, like a Meyer or Link, tends to help intonation in horns of that early vintage.)

        Reply To Post


        1. by eman19
          (131 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Anyone out there playing a "The Martin" alto?

          I've got a Martin Committee II alto that I play. I love the sound, and since I got 9 pads replaced during my last tune up, it plays better than anything else I've ever tried. I just love the sound. Original case, lacquer, and the steve broadus mouthpiece.

          Reply To Post


        2. by Heintzman2007
          (7 posts)

          10 years ago

          Re: Anyone out there playing a "The Martin" alto?

          Look at My Martin Alto #160415 46-47 on ebay item 

           

          171222655704

          Reply To Post