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C Melody Saxophone Forum / C-Tenor (C-Melody) Saxophones / Looking for a C-Mel

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Toxic Oreo
User ID: 8785553 Feb 27th 2:15 PM
I am a young saxophone collector of sorts and I am looking for a c-mel to add to my ranks. I already have 3 vintage horns that I gig with and am looking for a different sound, something more laid back for use in both an old school blues band and in a couple local jazz ensembles. Ebay is not helping me in the least as the only listed c-mels are sniped from me within the final few minutes of the auction (I just lost a buescher by $5 with 5 seconds left on the auction). The only catch is I don't have a ton of money, and want a functioning horn. Any places other than local pawn shops and Ebay on where to find this ever elusive horn?

Captain Beeflat
User ID: 1738604 Mar 9th 12:51 PM
et al (AKA Jungle Jim).
So, it's all down to advertising! Were this so then we would all be driving Fords.(shudder)
I would suggest that the real preference for Selmers is the keywork. You will notice that all the standards are written in flat keys. This is to avoid the horrendous L/H little finger (I refuse to say pinkie) table of the American horns where an operation to shorten the left little finger was necessary to reach low C#...a ghastly system.
Selmer, with the advent of the Balanced Action saxophone in 1935 put all the axles down the centre of the horn resulting in a far more ergonomic instrument. Meantime the Americans persisted with their ghastly clunky system where low C# worked back to front; beautiful sound however in the case of Conn 10ms and King Super 20s and a few others.
It was, I propose, the # friendly keywork that resulted in the domination by Selmer.
Playing one of those new fangled Rock and Roll songs in E or B, which horn would you choose?
Shew me any modern horn that does not adopt the "axles down the centre" layout initiated by Selmer.
The reason I play a Rampone & Cazzani is that it uses 10M bore dimentions with Selmer keywork...best of all worlds.
Red headed women with pale skin is not a fetish but a fantasy.
Ukebert. Down to you to bring the topic back on line. :-))

Ken uk
User ID: 1689844 Mar 9th 2:44 PM
Recently bought a selmer mark 6 tenor. Really great sound, but I still prefer the key work of my Conn. I'm just not used to that little finger key cluster yet.

alan (uk)
User ID: 8200143 Mar 9th 4:12 PM
et al - I have two real (practical issues) that stop even my fine musicianship from being comfortable playing straight-neck Conns, and therefore rendering them awkward to play. My first criteria with any instrument is that it's interface with me should be seamless - i.e. we should be as one.

#1 - I am 'five foot and a gnats' tall, with proportionally short arms. i feel like I'm playing a straight-neck Conn C-mel that's a size loo long for me, full stretch and more..... I guess all you "happy-straight-neckers" are more towards the six-foot end of the scale, with arms like orangutan's ?

#2 - the micro-tuner on the straight-neck Conn will not allow my tenor Lawton 8*BB (a real mans mouthpiece, from the UK)) to go on far enough to be in tune, nor my Berg, nor my Link....

I have, as project #33, scheduled for mid-2018, a straight neck nickle/nickel Conn, but which came with a replacement curved neck . That sax blew a storm, with an amazing range of sounds, until the bell fell off..... Funnily enough, no lacquer or silver Conn since, has sounded quite as good with the same curved neck and mouthpiece setup, so maybe it's a special sax.

So, I don't have a real downer on Conns, In fact I have a gold-plated curved-neck Artist Conn C-Mel as project #26 - just to say that the slightly mellower sound with a straight-neck, combined with those two practicalities detailed above, lead me to say "pass" when it comes to them.

I could still, if it came to it, playone, and "knock 'em dead" as they say - just that I wouldn't feel comfy, and I couldn't use my favourite mouthpieces because of the shank length. OK ?

So, you stick with your silver sax and gold action fetish, and I'll stick with my curved necks and comfort, and we'll all be happy.........

=============

Ken - MkVI players devote a lifetime to tootling comfortably - you either love them or not - on their little idols, so persevere, but it may then be that you prefer not to go back to other saxes - and a good man will have been lost !

Bb - keep up the good work......

Toxic/ukebert - there's just something about ginger-haired ladies and freckles... Every one I've met has been a character ! Hmmmmm.....

;-))

Captain Muggles
User ID: 9725373 Mar 9th 6:20 PM
Bb......A fantasy usually means not readily attainable or practical. Red headed pale skinned girls with freckles are the proverbial "Dime a Dozen"! I can personally attest to that. They're all over the place and quite willing and quite good at "Whatever"! They are also usually quite Hot Natured. That is more the rule than the exception. Lovely! These are not slanderous remarks. Only sincere compliments!

alan (uk)
User ID: 8200143 Mar 10th 3:50 AM
Mugs - Where did I say fantasy...? Are you confusing fantasy with fetish ? I knew it was a mistake to use words of more than one syllable......

And be careful, your sexism IS showing !

Captain Beeflat
User ID: 1738604 Mar 10th 4:55 AM
Muggers. Based only upon films and TV programmes, I had the impression that American girls were all blonde, had serried rows of shiny white teeth and spoke with that Mid West whine.
For pale skin and red hair Ireland is the place. However, as many of you descend from the Irish potato famine pogrom then they would be, as you put it "a dime a dozen"...you must be right. :-))

JJ. In measurable terms, the sounds of saxophones is, in reality, very similar. A violinist would say..."yes,that sounds like a saxophone". We have all become too picky with the really small nuances of sounds from various saxophones.
If I ever have a problem with distinguishing the sounds of a baritone Vs. a soprano that will be the time to worry. :-))

Captain Beeflat
User ID: 1738604 Mar 10th 5:07 AM
Sorry, forgot to offer my condolences to Ken uk. I am sorry to learn of the deformity to your left little finger...industrial accident involving a milling machine perhaps? :-)

Captain Beeflat
User ID: 1738604 Mar 10th 5:20 AM
Forgive me if I return to topic. Until Alan mentioned it, I had forgotten the issue with the microtuner on the Conn C Mel. Many of us prefer to use beefy tenor mouthpieces which are restricted by this un-necessary, complex and heavy excrescence...that is unless playing flat is your preference.
My Conn C Mel (The Impala) had a curved neck which allowed a weapons grade tenor piece, yet the sound was, to me, a trifle too polite and mellow. Oddly, I have a Conn New Wonder alto of the same period which screams. We all know the power of "Chu" tenors so was the slightly stuffy, over refined sound perculiar to their C Mel; the straight neck in particular?

ukebert
User ID: 7921973 Mar 10th 5:49 AM
Alan/Bb, try the new straight and curved necks from Aquilasax! (when Steve gets more in).

toxic oreo
User ID: 1704034 Mar 10th 2:42 PM
The weapon's grade metal pro I picked up from Aquila sax can make a c mel bigger than most tenors I have played, and in tune.

I really cannot wait to try it on my conn (once it arrives).

ukebert
User ID: 7921973 Mar 10th 4:28 PM
And the cheap plastic one that I bought is well worth the money!

Captain Beeflat
User ID: 1738604 Mar 11th 3:02 AM
Toxic....Oh, really??
Is your "metal pro" fitted with the Garrett or the Borg Warner turbocharger?
On which C Mels have you tried this amazing piece?

Toxic Oreo
User ID: 8785553 Mar 11th 6:51 AM
I have gotten the opportunity to play 2 thus far: a Buescher and a Martin (with the latter being in rough shape). I conviently had my Martin Tenor with a modified Meyer 8m with me, so I could do a side by side comparison, and my tuner.

The Buescher was huge; edgy, dark and boistroius with a modern sound. Not as rich as the tenor or shrill as my alto can get, but big enough for the propriter of the hawk shop I was at to ask me to "tone it down." The quieter registers needed a little wrangling, but that could have been the reed, not being totally used to the mouthpiece or any other combination of things. I was tempted to snag it, but the tag of $1500 was prohibitive, as well as just stupid. They would not let me talk them down and really just tried to buy my Tenor from me the whole time.

The Martin was dark and liquid, as Martins are expected to be, but is such disrepair that it was difficult to tell exactly what was going on. Intonation was sketchy, pads were a mixed bag and the action was stiff. I was still able to get lots of the syrupy rich bottom end from it, albeit on a few notes. If it was in better shape I would have been able to play more and most likely would have purchased it (they wanted $600 for it even before they put work into it, and even then I had to explain that it wasn't just a small tenor). The local music shop this was in is known for being clueless regarding saxophones (the guy trying to sell it to me repeatedly referred to the sax as a brass instrument).

The mouthpiece is, again, an Aquilasax metalpro 7. Really nice price, big, modern sound from the little I have used it. I am looking at getting a rubber version of the mouthpiece if the metal one is too modern for all uses.

Jungle jim
User ID: 0262034 Mar 11th 10:53 AM
There's a nice Martin on Ebay in good cosmetic and playable condition. It'a a 1925 Handcraft. It looks real nice. It's #130087434839. I'd buy it if I needed it. Even though it doesn't have gold rods and keywork. Martin makes a great C melody, in my opinion.

Captain Beeflat
User ID: 1738604 Mar 11th 11:00 AM
Yes JJ nice Martin horn; at least it has a gold wash bell...some way towards your gold/silver fad. :-))
This is the sort of horn that the impatient Toxic should, in my opinion, be going after.

Captain Beeflat
User ID: 1738604 Mar 11th 11:06 AM
Just love the statement in the advert...."low pitch model, tuned for American saxophonists". Is he implying that the rest of the world is out of tune? In all probability that is the view of your President and our lap-dog PM. :-)

Jungle Jim
User ID: 0262034 Mar 11th 11:18 AM
Captain Beeflat - I agree with both of your statements. The one about impatient Toxic Oreo and the one about American saxophonists. It's amazing how these sellers on Ebay spin so much disinformation around in order to Hawk their wares.

ukebert
User ID: 7921973 Mar 11th 4:11 PM
Well, we used to be out of tune with America, European pitch was at a different frequency than American pitch.

So you have a gold/silver fetish as well JJ? I thought that was Cap'n Muggles.

Ken uk
User ID: 1689844 Mar 11th 5:49 PM
Capt Bb. Thanks for your blatently insincere concern re my little finger. I guess I'll live! However, after another practice session with the Selmer Mk V1, it still prefers the Conn. To add to my difficulties the octave mechanism on the crook is playing up and any note can suddenly sound an octave higher. Now I know what happened at the gig on Saturday night....it wasn't the lunar eclipse after all! Back to the shop for a check up.

Back 20 Messages Next 20 Messages

Toxic Oreo User ID: 8785553	Feb 27th 2:15 PM I am a young saxophone collector of sorts and I am looking for a c-mel to add to my ranks. I already have 3 vintage horns that I gig with and am looking for a different sound, something more laid back for use in both an old school blues band and in a couple local jazz ensembles. Ebay is not helping me in the least as the only listed c-mels are sniped from me within the final few minutes of the auction (I just lost a buescher by $5 with 5 seconds left on the auction). The only catch is I don't have a ton of money, and want a functioning horn. Any places other than local pawn shops and Ebay on where to find this ever elusive horn?
Captain Beeflat User ID: 1738604	Mar 9th 12:51 PM et al (AKA Jungle Jim). So, it's all down to advertising! Were this so then we would all be driving Fords.(shudder) I would suggest that the real preference for Selmers is the keywork. You will notice that all the standards are written in flat keys. This is to avoid the horrendous L/H little finger (I refuse to say pinkie) table of the American horns where an operation to shorten the left little finger was necessary to reach low C#...a ghastly system. Selmer, with the advent of the Balanced Action saxophone in 1935 put all the axles down the centre of the horn resulting in a far more ergonomic instrument. Meantime the Americans persisted with their ghastly clunky system where low C# worked back to front; beautiful sound however in the case of Conn 10ms and King Super 20s and a few others. It was, I propose, the # friendly keywork that resulted in the domination by Selmer. Playing one of those new fangled Rock and Roll songs in E or B, which horn would you choose? Shew me any modern horn that does not adopt the "axles down the centre" layout initiated by Selmer. The reason I play a Rampone & Cazzani is that it uses 10M bore dimentions with Selmer keywork...best of all worlds. Red headed women with pale skin is not a fetish but a fantasy. Ukebert. Down to you to bring the topic back on line. :-))
Ken uk User ID: 1689844	Mar 9th 2:44 PM Recently bought a selmer mark 6 tenor. Really great sound, but I still prefer the key work of my Conn. I'm just not used to that little finger key cluster yet.
alan (uk) User ID: 8200143	Mar 9th 4:12 PM et al - I have two real (practical issues) that stop even my fine musicianship from being comfortable playing straight-neck Conns, and therefore rendering them awkward to play. My first criteria with any instrument is that it's interface with me should be seamless - i.e. we should be as one. #1 - I am 'five foot and a gnats' tall, with proportionally short arms. i feel like I'm playing a straight-neck Conn C-mel that's a size loo long for me, full stretch and more..... I guess all you "happy-straight-neckers" are more towards the six-foot end of the scale, with arms like orangutan's ? #2 - the micro-tuner on the straight-neck Conn will not allow my tenor Lawton 8*BB (a real mans mouthpiece, from the UK)) to go on far enough to be in tune, nor my Berg, nor my Link.... I have, as project #33, scheduled for mid-2018, a straight neck nickle/nickel Conn, but which came with a replacement curved neck . That sax blew a storm, with an amazing range of sounds, until the bell fell off..... Funnily enough, no lacquer or silver Conn since, has sounded quite as good with the same curved neck and mouthpiece setup, so maybe it's a special sax. So, I don't have a real downer on Conns, In fact I have a gold-plated curved-neck Artist Conn C-Mel as project #26 - just to say that the slightly mellower sound with a straight-neck, combined with those two practicalities detailed above, lead me to say "pass" when it comes to them. I could still, if it came to it, playone, and "knock 'em dead" as they say - just that I wouldn't feel comfy, and I couldn't use my favourite mouthpieces because of the shank length. OK ? So, you stick with your silver sax and gold action fetish, and I'll stick with my curved necks and comfort, and we'll all be happy......... ============= Ken - MkVI players devote a lifetime to tootling comfortably - you either love them or not - on their little idols, so persevere, but it may then be that you prefer not to go back to other saxes - and a good man will have been lost ! Bb - keep up the good work...... Toxic/ukebert - there's just something about ginger-haired ladies and freckles... Every one I've met has been a character ! Hmmmmm..... ;-))
Captain Muggles User ID: 9725373	Mar 9th 6:20 PM Bb......A fantasy usually means not readily attainable or practical. Red headed pale skinned girls with freckles are the proverbial "Dime a Dozen"! I can personally attest to that. They're all over the place and quite willing and quite good at "Whatever"! They are also usually quite Hot Natured. That is more the rule than the exception. Lovely! These are not slanderous remarks. Only sincere compliments!
alan (uk) User ID: 8200143	Mar 10th 3:50 AM Mugs - Where did I say fantasy...? Are you confusing fantasy with fetish ? I knew it was a mistake to use words of more than one syllable...... And be careful, your sexism IS showing !
Captain Beeflat User ID: 1738604	Mar 10th 4:55 AM Muggers. Based only upon films and TV programmes, I had the impression that American girls were all blonde, had serried rows of shiny white teeth and spoke with that Mid West whine. For pale skin and red hair Ireland is the place. However, as many of you descend from the Irish potato famine pogrom then they would be, as you put it "a dime a dozen"...you must be right. :-)) JJ. In measurable terms, the sounds of saxophones is, in reality, very similar. A violinist would say..."yes,that sounds like a saxophone". We have all become too picky with the really small nuances of sounds from various saxophones. If I ever have a problem with distinguishing the sounds of a baritone Vs. a soprano that will be the time to worry. :-))
Captain Beeflat User ID: 1738604	Mar 10th 5:07 AM Sorry, forgot to offer my condolences to Ken uk. I am sorry to learn of the deformity to your left little finger...industrial accident involving a milling machine perhaps? :-)
Captain Beeflat User ID: 1738604	Mar 10th 5:20 AM Forgive me if I return to topic. Until Alan mentioned it, I had forgotten the issue with the microtuner on the Conn C Mel. Many of us prefer to use beefy tenor mouthpieces which are restricted by this un-necessary, complex and heavy excrescence...that is unless playing flat is your preference. My Conn C Mel (The Impala) had a curved neck which allowed a weapons grade tenor piece, yet the sound was, to me, a trifle too polite and mellow. Oddly, I have a Conn New Wonder alto of the same period which screams. We all know the power of "Chu" tenors so was the slightly stuffy, over refined sound perculiar to their C Mel; the straight neck in particular?
ukebert User ID: 7921973	Mar 10th 5:49 AM Alan/Bb, try the new straight and curved necks from Aquilasax! (when Steve gets more in).
toxic oreo User ID: 1704034	Mar 10th 2:42 PM The weapon's grade metal pro I picked up from Aquila sax can make a c mel bigger than most tenors I have played, and in tune. I really cannot wait to try it on my conn (once it arrives).
ukebert User ID: 7921973	Mar 10th 4:28 PM And the cheap plastic one that I bought is well worth the money!
Captain Beeflat User ID: 1738604	Mar 11th 3:02 AM Toxic....Oh, really?? Is your "metal pro" fitted with the Garrett or the Borg Warner turbocharger? On which C Mels have you tried this amazing piece?
Toxic Oreo User ID: 8785553	Mar 11th 6:51 AM I have gotten the opportunity to play 2 thus far: a Buescher and a Martin (with the latter being in rough shape). I conviently had my Martin Tenor with a modified Meyer 8m with me, so I could do a side by side comparison, and my tuner. The Buescher was huge; edgy, dark and boistroius with a modern sound. Not as rich as the tenor or shrill as my alto can get, but big enough for the propriter of the hawk shop I was at to ask me to "tone it down." The quieter registers needed a little wrangling, but that could have been the reed, not being totally used to the mouthpiece or any other combination of things. I was tempted to snag it, but the tag of $1500 was prohibitive, as well as just stupid. They would not let me talk them down and really just tried to buy my Tenor from me the whole time. The Martin was dark and liquid, as Martins are expected to be, but is such disrepair that it was difficult to tell exactly what was going on. Intonation was sketchy, pads were a mixed bag and the action was stiff. I was still able to get lots of the syrupy rich bottom end from it, albeit on a few notes. If it was in better shape I would have been able to play more and most likely would have purchased it (they wanted $600 for it even before they put work into it, and even then I had to explain that it wasn't just a small tenor). The local music shop this was in is known for being clueless regarding saxophones (the guy trying to sell it to me repeatedly referred to the sax as a brass instrument). The mouthpiece is, again, an Aquilasax metalpro 7. Really nice price, big, modern sound from the little I have used it. I am looking at getting a rubber version of the mouthpiece if the metal one is too modern for all uses.
Jungle jim User ID: 0262034	Mar 11th 10:53 AM There's a nice Martin on Ebay in good cosmetic and playable condition. It'a a 1925 Handcraft. It looks real nice. It's #130087434839. I'd buy it if I needed it. Even though it doesn't have gold rods and keywork. Martin makes a great C melody, in my opinion.
Captain Beeflat User ID: 1738604	Mar 11th 11:00 AM Yes JJ nice Martin horn; at least it has a gold wash bell...some way towards your gold/silver fad. :-)) This is the sort of horn that the impatient Toxic should, in my opinion, be going after.
Captain Beeflat User ID: 1738604	Mar 11th 11:06 AM Just love the statement in the advert...."low pitch model, tuned for American saxophonists". Is he implying that the rest of the world is out of tune? In all probability that is the view of your President and our lap-dog PM. :-)
Jungle Jim User ID: 0262034	Mar 11th 11:18 AM Captain Beeflat - I agree with both of your statements. The one about impatient Toxic Oreo and the one about American saxophonists. It's amazing how these sellers on Ebay spin so much disinformation around in order to Hawk their wares.
ukebert User ID: 7921973	Mar 11th 4:11 PM Well, we used to be out of tune with America, European pitch was at a different frequency than American pitch. So you have a gold/silver fetish as well JJ? I thought that was Cap'n Muggles.
Ken uk User ID: 1689844	Mar 11th 5:49 PM Capt Bb. Thanks for your blatently insincere concern re my little finger. I guess I'll live! However, after another practice session with the Selmer Mk V1, it still prefers the Conn. To add to my difficulties the octave mechanism on the crook is playing up and any note can suddenly sound an octave higher. Now I know what happened at the gig on Saturday night....it wasn't the lunar eclipse after all! Back to the shop for a check up.