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C Melody Saxophone Forum / C-Tenor (C-Melody) Saxophones / Unusual C Melody

jazzbug1 User ID: 1836024	May 3rd 7:00 AM Hello, everyone except Spammers: I just picked up a rare C Melody off Ebay (US.$135). It was made in the late 20s by The Grand Rapids Instrument Company. Many of you have seen the York horns. These were distributed by this company, but are stencils, usually by Buescher. This saxophone was built by Grand Rapids and has some very different design features. The tone holes are soldered, but the upper stack and the lower stack are eight inch long pieces, with the holes attached to these long strips of metal. This way, the tone holes were not spaced out on the body of the horn itself, but on the long metal templates, with corresponding holes in the body, so when the template with all the holes is attached to the body, the tone holes are attached to the horn. Also, the other keys not in the stack consist of very robust tone holes with a substantial circular mounting frame around them. I have never seen a horn built this way. All this extra metal makes it quite heavy. The Eb trill key operates off a fourth pearl touch at the bottom of the right hand stack. This was a piece of genius, as it operates a very traditional extra key behind the low D, which simply opens and closes like any other key. Martin took on this feature, but about ten years later. This eliminates that very leak prone Eb trill key that was commonly used. I reverse spring them to permanently shut them. (Sorry, purists). I can't wait to see how this horn sounds. I love my Wiedoeft C Melody, so this will probably be on Ebay in a few weeks. Anybody ever see another one? Huh?
alan (uk) User ID: 8200143	May 3rd 10:07 AM jb1 - touch of deja-vu here, I commented and gave a couple of links to pics of that York 'tonehole-plate' arrangement in another topic here, relatively recently....... Why don't you go to the new spam-free Bravenet, and start this discussion there. You can even post pics there, drum up a little interest before it goes on ebay. The other site has a built-in 'search', so I could have easily found that other topic about York - had it been posted there ! ;-))
jazzbug1 User ID: 1836024	May 3rd 11:07 AM Alan-Thanks for the suggestion. I'm curious about your last name. I have never met anyone named UK.
alan (uk) User ID: 8200143	May 3rd 12:00 PM Tucker, normally..... But you guys exude such national pride in the U S of A, that I just can't resist letting you all know there are other countries in the civilised world where people play saophones. Why haven't you invaded us yet ? We have an awful lot of Muslims, but (as far as I know), none play C-Mels...... ( irony, with underlying humour, in case anyone misunderstands... ;-)
ESB User ID: 8785553	May 3rd 1:31 PM We will just let the rest of the world invade us, become citizens and thusly have their finger in the beast's mouth when it finally chokes.
Ken UK User ID: 1689844	May 3rd 7:00 PM Alan, I never find ironing to be fun, and playing soaphones leaves the mouth in a terrible lather! ESB quite apocalyptic cryptic> You've already got Macdonalds. The Brits will bring loads of fish and chips (fries in US speak)as well as Chinese and Indian take away meals, if they'll let us in! On another note, I had a day off work today because the school is used as a voting centre for local elections. Instead of doing reports (naughty) I spent the day on wife and music. I took my C Mel to a guitar lesson and somehow came away with music parts for Dire Straits "Local Hero". How's that for a ramble to avoid the end of the world as we know it. Debunk.... all is forgiven.
Captain Muggles User ID: 8945823	May 3rd 8:27 PM Ken UK... Wow, what a cryptic post. I must confess. I didn't understand it.
alan (uk) User ID: 8200143	May 4th 6:16 AM OK Mugs - let me explain Ken's posting (only a bit tho' -'cos my head will hurt.....) a) Kens 'ironing' was a play on my 'irony' comment. b)that led to a mis-spelling, or 'misspelling' of saxophones/soaphones, which led to lather. c) ken was yjen explaing that you've already invased the UK (MacDonalds etc.) and that (to answer ESB's heady interjection) we could give you fish'n chips and Chinese/Indian food in exchange. But you have that in the US already, albeit slightly changed to your taste, as I've experienced the 'American Dream' on both coasts... First time I'd ever heard of Terrayaki ! d) The rest is about local elections (yesterday), and what Ken did instead of teaching, as the Scholl was used for voting. Yes folks, he's teaching Kids to think like that !!!!! But then he does play a MkVI..... e) Debunk = "run away, dive-dive-dive........." Jazzbug1 - sorry for sorry for momentarily stepping away from your topic, but then you're as wierd as the rest of us, probably wierder, so I doubt you'll be bothered ? :-)) Love, Alan.
alan (uk) User ID: 8200143	May 4th 6:22 AM (corrections) yjen = then invased = invaded Scholl = School MkVI = load of over-rated Selmer junk (:-)) - but a great investment ! Why can't we all go to the other - Bravenet - forum, then I can correct my mistooks before posting.... Guess you'll all stay here until you drown in spam....:-((
JJ!@#$%^*()_+ User ID: 8332933	May 4th 7:27 AM alan (uk) - This forum has a hold on me. (Even with the spamming). I will eventually give in and go to the Bravenet forum, though.
Ken UK User ID: 1689844	May 4th 2:30 PM There was also a reference in my rediculous ramble to the current US government intent to make it more difficult for UK citizens to travel to the USA.....with or without a saxophone. Poor kids in my class have been exposed in music lessons to alto, C Mel, guitar, harmonica and soon....drums!
alan (uk) User ID: 8200143	May 4th 2:58 PM From what I remember of the 80's, even as a 'special relationship' Brit with a working visa, on a bad day it took almost as long to get thro' the immigration queues at LAX, as it did to fly there... Happy (not) days. Show the kids your MkVI, Ken - that'll scare 'em, make it ROAR.... Take up a whole lesson discussing the relative merits of the underslung Conn, versus the 'on top' Selmer design - you may find some mechanical genii amongst them. Hey, you have "UK" as a second name ! Are we related ?
Ken Uk User ID: 1689844	May 4th 3:39 PM Alan, most kids in my class are Muslim and have English as an additional language. They are 6 or 7 years old and so far refer to my intruments as saxyphones. Who knows...maybe one day one will play a C Mel from Aquilasax. UK could stand for Un-Known! ...or Utter-Kudos! Friends are the family we choose.
Captain Muggles User ID: 8945823	May 4th 9:34 PM Alan....Thanks for the explanation of Ken's posting. I was totally stymied. Now I will sleep without dreaming about the meaning of his post. If I come across something that I don't understand, I will lay awake and eventually dream about it because I can't get it out of my mind.
alan (uk) User ID: 8200143	May 5th 8:43 AM Ken - "Friends are the family we choose" - never was a truer word spoken.. I like to think that most of my close family would have qualified as 'good friends' had we not been related. I think it's brilliant that kids of any age get exposed to the 'real' sight and sounds of instruments, as opposed to just on TV and ipods.....
jazzbug1 User ID: 3111364	May 5th 11:13 PM "Saophone" is a misspelling of the Chinese revolutionary instrument, the Maophone. It was red and made of surplus artillery brass.
soybean User ID: 9844073	Nov 20th 3:37 AM (2007) So, how did this horn work out? I'm guessing not too well, since I didn't see any more posts about it.
alan (uk) User ID: 0651814	Nov 20th 5:53 AM York never did set the world on fire with their saxophones...
jazzbug1 User ID: 0735934	Nov 21st 8:36 AM I sold it for $275 on Ebay. It played very much like a Buescher and had even a smaller bore. Very heavy with all that metal. Great sweet sound, but rather quiet, which for a C melody makes it too quiet to play in a group. I prefer my Rudy Holton over all other C Melodys. I am completing my first King, which is the only US maker I have not re-built and played. I expect a big sound, as it has a large bore like the Martin. Thanks for digging out my old topic.