Holton 213 Revelation tenor saxophone. Cool American Depression era horn!

Ok, Nerding out on the gear stuff. What can I say? It's a fun thing to do therefore a good thing. Maybe someone curious about these rare gems can decide a bit more clearly if they want to try one out or not by reading this little article.

So first off, what is the purpose of a "B" horn, or backup horn? Well, my "A" horn, which is my well loved '36 Buescher Aristocrat, is in the shop at KB Sax getting a tuneup. It has some leaks and I want to take the best care of it as possible. I hate being without that horn. It inspires me to have ideas whenever I pick it up. Bueschers in general do that, something about the sound makes me hear things and reach for them. But alas, I need the work done and I'm without it.

Those aren't expensive horns. I could buy another one easily but, I can't deal with 2 of the same. Why bother? They would still behave differently and it would create still more confusion.

I had 2 Elkharts from that same era in the last 2 years. Both were great and just similar enough with that small bell flare and nice sound. Not as rich but still nice. Stencil horns can be like that...

And the last 2 pics are of the Elkhart necks: The silver one was wonderfully modern with that comfortable upturned thing going on. The other was your classic Elkhart/Bundy/Buescher stencil. Both were original to the horns, a lot of experimenting at the Elkhart plant apparently.....

The trouble with these Elkhart horns is... well, in a pinch when I need the money, is they sell so easily. Best horn I can ask $800 for period. We're talking about the small bell ones from the 30's, not the later ones. These early ones had nice heavy brass and a better sound. Sold the first one to a great player who needed it for his jump blues gig, the second to another great player who was vintage curious and played on a Yamaha for 20 years.

So a "B" horn should for me be closer in tone to my "A" horn, but one that I can lose my ass on if I sell it? Sounds like a plan mate!

I do have a Conn 10M that is really good. But it's what I call a more "cold toned" horn. It's brash and big, loud as can be and of course can ballad it out beautifully, but the Buescher is just a "Warm toned" horn. 10M is a black and white photo, Buescher is a Cyanotype or Sepia photo. I love my 10M in a section on a mic, but I can hear my Buescher better and I love the way it barks to the back of the room.

So let me introduce to you a horn that is worth no money..... the Holton 213 Revelation:

This was Holton's flagship in 1937. Not much information is available on these gems as they made so few and garnered so little respect it seems. My first saxophone was a Holton Collegiate I bought from a friend for $200. It was a great place to start. There is a record with me playing on it out there, couldn't play well then but the tone I got was pretty damn good.

This tenor popped into my life this week on the cheap. It needs work but plays down to Bb well enough. My initial impressions were this: Nice sound but, oh effing no, right about A2 everything goes wicked sharp. Holton and their reputation for poor intonation and I just lost money on a wall hanger. Idiot!

But then I fixed the octave mechanism (upper stack rod needed cleaning and oiling plus one weak spring) and adjusted the funny tuner neck:

Where the tuner thing meets the neck, everything is skinnier than average. I backed off that bit and voila..... pitch locks right in. Now I can give it a real go.

Gotta say, while I don't think this horn has the power of my other 2, I really find the tone immediately likable. It's so warm. Probably warmer than my Buescher. Definitely sepia toned! My Buescher is more Cyan. This horn just has a beautiful voice. What does it remind me of? Immediate West Coast Cool. I want to play Prez, Giuffre, Getz..... What horn does it remind me of the most? I had a Selmer Super Sax from 1930 that sounded very much like this one. It had this pretty high end to it, great mids. This one is much like that horn but with better pitch and a bigger low end. I sold that horn to the chagrin of my band (they loved it, I didn't) cause I couldn't lock in that low end tuning and I'm addicted to the American bottom. This horn so far has both.

This one will be a project for me to learn how to re-pad a horn. It needs it. It's a decent candidate partly cause it has those brazed on tone holes which appear to be more level than most. And there is no body damage.

So what about Holton's key work? I almost bought a Holton Baritone from the 20's last year cause it was cheap, in tune (believe it or not!) and had a huge, belligerent tone when pushed and a beautiful voice when sub-toned. That would have set me back $550 case and all. But the key work was effing awful. No, I mean really bad. I can't imagine them selling any. Our hands haven't evolved at all in thousands of years. How did they mess that up so badly????

But by this point they got it together. It feels just as good/bad as any American horn. It's more fluid than my Buescher, my 10M is just plain fast. Like I said, the octave key is goofy but we'll see if that can be sorted out. I think it can.

The low Eb and C keys have a nice angle to them, something Buescher didn't get to for another few years and Conn never got to. The right hand is really comfortable.

The G# cluster is much like a Conn New Wonder series 1 from 1921 or so. Nothing offensive. I work better with these types of clusters. G# is not articulated, which I like too. The palm keys are far better than either my Conn or Buescher. They nailed that! No need for risers!!!!

And I love the design of the key guards. Classy high ball styling!

The engraving is lovely. And odd. A carry over from the Jazz Age, more Art Nouveau, less Art Deco:

Where this horn wins it beauty. This is the prettiest horn I think I've ever seen and it may be one of the prettiest horns I've ever heard. The lacquer has a gorgeous copper color to it. The keys appear to be silver plated but with a thin coat of the same lacquer over it, thin enough so that it's see through creating a striking presence. It's hard to tell if that is the color of the lacquer or whether that's the color of the metal. The neck has lost most of it's lacquer revealing the metal which shows it to have a high copper content. Very red brass.

I won't know how it sits with a band until I try it with the group, but that'll have to wait until it's fixed up and my Buescher is back in the shop.

People have referred these as a "Poor man's Conn". No. I don't buy that. And, Conn's aren't expensive at all, not even a good one if you don't need a pretty one. This horn does not have that big Conn sound, it has it's own unique thing going on that is worthy of a try if you like old horns. It's got good guts, which I need, and it's got that warmth that I really need. I think it's a good match to my Buescher. Every bit as inspiring to play. And if I fix it up and try to sell it, I'm likely to lose my ass on this one so that is a plus!!

One thing I'm really starting to like is the high register. On my Buescher it's a chameleon. I can get a close approximation of a wooden flute up there. That's difficult to achieve on my Conn. It's easy on this Holton. Of course some folks are like: "well why would you want that? My sax needs to sound like a sax!!!" to which I say thank God I'm not you and you're not me. We all like different things. The sax is one of the most flexible instruments in this world. I've gotten human voice tones from my Buescher, and of course, when I want to sound like a sax I do, it is after all, a sax right?

One wonders why Holton saxes never caught on the way the "big 4" did. Was it advertising? Or lack of hype? Or was it what Buffet did which was make the best clarinets in the world and let Selmer make the best saxes. Holton made superior trombones and other brass instruments already so why do too much? Really, that makes total sense to me. But I'm glad they did. It makes the world of old saxophones that much more diverse and interesting.

JB

Decisions, decisions....Too many instruments....

So my last blog post was about 3 tenors I have. Pondering which to keep (Buescher is a no brainer, on the fence about the other 2).  There's so many factors when trying a new instrument. All 3 of these horns have such great attributes.

It comes down to a few simple things: Am I having fun with this instrument? How do I sound?


The fun factor is more obvious and to me, more important. I need a horn or guitar that allows me to express myself but also forbids me from taking myself too seriously. Modern saxes feel like machines. A good old sax like a Conn or Buescher feels like a toy. I play with toys. I'm about 10 years old when I play music, those notes become the world.

The sound factor is more deceptive. I spent the whole week playing my 10M. Mmmmm, that is a beautiful sound. Got good time in practicing my scales, long tones and just the joy of playing a lot of old tunes and my own material. That's the stop! The 10M is the best horn ever for me......

Then the band had rehearsal. I miss my crappy Buescher. That horn has a presence to it that is simply the best. I know the 10m sounds great, and I sound good on it, but from behind the horn it's harder to hear. In most situations like with my own group, the Buescher is just perfect. I get a sense of the note. I don't feel lost. That's not to say it's Buescher in general, I've owned Aristocrats that didn't do this. I just happen to have one that may be particularly good. I get more compliments on my sound on the Buescher as well. Not the reason to play it but it's nice to get props from your audience and fellow musicians.

So while the Buescher has the most primitive keys I'll gladly continue to suffer a bit. The 10M is the fastest of the 3....

But, on the mic, in a horn section, the 10M is it for me. I love the way it blends and being it's a really dark horn it's not possible for the sound person to make me sound like Brecker or Pickett, not that there's anything wrong with those sounds, it's just not me. And playing through a pa can be frustrating. The 10M goes through wires and transistors and digital shit delays and pops through the monitor sounding focused and big, still warm. It has it's role, maybe just not with my band.

The Buffet is interesting. Every time I pick it up I'm floored at first. It's so fast, responsive and has a great sound. I haven't used it live yet so I don't know whats up.

But here is the simple test. There is a little sax solo I learned early on from Ethiopiques Vol 1:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MX4KjBEn_4

I love this solo. It's brief and beautiful and it's one of the reasons I play the horn. It's the sound I always go for. Oh, I never get there but it's my model.

I play it on one horn and go "Ah......." On another I go "Hmmmmmm". The latter goes back in the case.

The latter will probably go on the auction block. It becomes easy to decide. I think it's less than 20 notes! The simple things!

JB

3 tenors... '36 Aristocrat, '36 10M and 50's Buffet Dynaction!

"Brownie, your problem is you were raised with too much!" said my dear friend David Ackerman to me one drizzly afternoon in Portland. I knew he was right. My dear teacher W.C. Cage owned 3 tenors since 1946. His 10M which he played till he died in 2009, a Yamaha student model which he lent out and the guy sold for drugs, and a late 40's Buescher Aristocrat big B that he didn't like at all, he just bought it cause it was pretty and the pawn shop down in down in Clarksdale Mississippi sold it to him for $200 in 2005. It was pretty. New condition with all the tags and original case, mouthpiece etc.

His 10M was the best ever. I coveted that horn for years as we went over melodies. I told myself I would buy one if I could find one as good as his. I did. I own it. And, it's my rainy day horn for when my Aristocrat is in the shop.

I do have too much. I was raised middle class in the United States of America. I'm also un married. My mother used to tell me that if a man gets to be 40 and ain't married, he surrounds himself with stuff. Goddammit. She may have been right! My high school guitar teacher had a house full of expensive classical guitars....

But I live in a small apartment in Brooklyn now. Makes the rotating door easier. One comes in, one goes out. I don't want too much stuff.

So this post is a bit about the 3 horns I have. It's for the equipment junky and the person looking for some insights into what to buy. All these insane years have given me a lot of knowledge to share about different instruments. I suppose that's just a part of my musician. I'm curious about sound and I'm always reaching for something better....

My #1 tenor is my '36 Buescher Aristocrat.

What do I love so much about this horn? I've determined these are simply the best horn for me, and this is the best one I've played. It sports a pretty silver plated neck and has a lovely gold plated octave key. The neck is probably from an early 40's Aristocrat, it's shorter than the later 156 neck or 400 neck and is a great match for this horn.

This horn just has something about the sound that I love. It's got a lot of guts. There's a bunch of bollocks about these being "classical" tenors. Nah, they can do anything you want and when I push this horn it just gets nasty as can be. Filthy. Disgusting. Overly emotional. Much nastier than my very hyped 10M, which is hyped not without good reason. They deserve the hype. Buescher saxes get very little hype, especially these early ones.

This horn cuts too. With my Early Babbit Otto Link Super Tone Master I can get over anything while never losing my sense of the note, which makes playing it in tune easy. I can hear myself and it has a nice 'back pressure'. You know, that feeling there is a bit of a donut in the horn just fighting you in the right way. I can get any tone out of this horn. I can sound like a flute, a bassoon, a baby, an opera singer and of course, a sax. The most versatile tenor I've ever owned.

You'll notice the big ass neck screw. I bought one for this horn and my 10M. They are made by Meridian Winds and advertised as 'ergonomic'. I agree with that. I like tightening them. Feels substantial. But, I bought them cause I like a little bling. They're pretty. I like a good watch, shoes, rings, a little dressing up is hot. Does this thing affect the sound? I admit I bought it when all that buzz was going on about the buzz screws. At first I thought it did do something, just the opposite of buzz, in fact a bit of buzz kill. Which I liked. I tried my old screws later and found no difference.

This horn gets my vibe, my sound and allows me to express myself my way. Out of the 3, it has the crappiest key work (sorry 10M, you don't get to be dissed in this post!). But for the sound, it's worth it. I should also mention. I moved around a bit as a child. I'm highly adaptable. Give me a minute on each horn and I do fine. I do understand those who can't adapt though too.

I should mention too, this horn was de-snapped and mounted with those Selmer type plastic resonators. That kills some collector value but, I call jive to the playability bit. I sought this horn out and bought it because it was de-snapped! If I need to change a pad I can pop in whatever I like. I can find a lazy tech on the road who hates the snappos and he or she can have me going in minutes. I don't like things that limit my choices. If I find another one that is de-snapped I may pick it up too. These horns can be had for cheap which is lucky for me and you.

But Jef, who famous played one of these? Ike Quebec. Enough said! Listen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJou_YPgbgI

So dare to be different and check one of these babies out.

My next horn is new to me. A 50's Buffet Dynaction....

I wasn't so sure about this horn until today. I've been playing it all day long. There are 2 basic types of sound/feels to me on tenor. Old and New. The Chu I played for a decade had that old thing: big fundamental, bellows like a big dog. Dark with that voluptuous voice. My 10M has it, my Aristocrat a bit less. There are some horns like the '46 Big B I owned for a while, the Martin Committee 2 I owned, the Selmer Cigar Cutter that I owned, these had that more 'refined' thing. Hard to describe nut I'll try. Dark and airy in the middle but with a nice, bright open edge to it. Make sense? It's just a different experience to play it. My Martin Handcraft Standard that I owned, old sound. Just big. I understand that sound and how to work it since I played old Conns for so many years. Horns like this, or a Selmer, I don't understand at all. My Committee 2 same thing. Lovely horn but I didn't get it. There's a lushness I don't exactly understand, almost like the sound is coming from a different place than I'm used to.

With my Otto Link I don't like this horn so much. Too clear, too big. But last night I put my Brilhart Hard Rubber piece (Sakshama re-face) on it and BOOM! Instant 'Blue Trane" era John.

The negative things said about these horns, they are stuffy, too dark, only good for classical yadda yadda, that's simply not true. And this is an earlier Dynaction, not the later bolder and brighter Super Dynaction. This horn has a tone not unlike the Super Balanced Action I recently played that was priced at $10k. I paid a bit more than 1/10 of that price for this horn.

Some horns, and this includes Selmer, or, really any horn, it's maddening. Important to match the right mouthpiece with the horn itself. This horn has a very big sound, but a different quality of big than my American horns. I think a more spread, maybe even a crappier new NY Otto Link piece would do it right. For what I want, it needs a spread piece. My Link has a great focus which works so well on my naturally spread Aristocrat and, well, less spread 10M.

I don't know what the "French" sound that people talk about is but I gotta say, this horn comes hauntingly close to my favorite Clifford Jordan recordings. He's one of my heroes. That makes me happy. Is it a keeper? Jury is out. My rule for this is buy cheap so you can check out and not lose any money. I'm not in love with this one yet but it's growing on me, fast.

If it sticks around it'll be my session horn where I want to sound a bit more like someone else. And no, I don't buy the "it's the player, not the horn" argument. It's both. Why would you choose one horn over another? The first thing that grabs me is the sound I get. This horn isn't my sound, but it's a very, very likable sound.

Who played these? Who cares? Try one and see if you like it. Albert Ayler enjoyed a Super Dynaction. I love his sound. David S Ware enjoyed an S1.....


This one I bought from Hammer Woodwinds in Pennsylvania. Great shop! They did a great overhaul on it and the horn is cracking! Has those funny screw in "cymbal" resonators in there.

Which leads me to one more point. Do the snap resonators make a difference? Do the screw in cymbal hat resonators make a difference? How important is original equipment?

Well, my next and last horn is my 10M. It has no resonators. I've played some that had oversized expensive resonators that were dead tenors. My 10M cuts like a Ginsu folks. It's just a good one. When I get it re-padded I may just go with the smallest thing I can go with. It is the darkest horn of the lot but even as is, the thing soars over whatever I need it to.

Me and my 10M:

Not much to say about this horn as these are already hyped. All they say is true. Big ass sound, great intonation (all 3 tenors have great intonation!) and for me, the fastest keys. I know some folks find them unbearable, but I came up on Conns. There is a reason for their often high prices. I got mine cheap. It's every bit as good as my old teachers horn.

Soundwise it's quite different than the other 2. More clear than my Aristocrat and less expressive but the thing is just a blast to play. It is the darkest of the 3 horns.

You can hear numerous examples of folks playing these, Lester Young, Jerry Bergonzi, Sal Nistico, Dexter Gordon.

I'll leave with a little bit about perception and the brain. I tried all the tricks to get around practicing. Silver plate my neck for more 'focus and depth' and swear that did the trick until months later when I'd have to admit that I'm not sure if anything changed at all and that I'm struggling with the same things. Silver, gold plated and bare brass saxes swearing that did this or that.

My 10M is a re-lacquered horn. It was done a long time ago. When I first got it I thought it was such an ugly color, like that 70's Yamaha student pale yellow lacquer, that I was determined to have it stripped. Then this 1974 Yanagisawa came through my life. It had that horrific bright, pale look to it. Next to that horn I could see that beautiful golden honey color my 10M is. I cannot see it as anything other than beautiful when I look at it now. My perception has shifted entirely. The mind is a curious and complex thing. I do wonder when I see someone playing on a silver Mk6, and I've been told those are bright and stuffy, that's what I hear cause that's what I've been told. But reality speaks differently. I only hear good music if I like the music I hear, and hear good sound if I like the sound I hear. It's all a part of the journey and it's a beautiful journey. The best part of it? The actual practicing and playing part.

When my mind drifts and I start craving something else, I pick up my Aristocrat and play for 10 minutes. My mind gets real quiet then. I have all that I need. And I'm blessed to be able to share some music with this world. My Aristocrat is my subtle knife. It cuts holes in space and time......

JB