1948 THE MARTIN COMMITTEE III ALTO SAXOPHONE - RARE SILVER PLATE FINISH
Item History & Price
THANKS FOR CHECKING OUT MY AUCTION. PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE DESCRIPTION AND MY POLICIES BEFORE PLACING YOUR BID.Check out my other items!Be sure to add me to your favorites list!This listing is for a vintage Martin alto saxophone. It is a Committee III model, which is also commonly known as a "The Martin Alto", as that is what is engraved on the bell. It has matching numbers (169, xxx) on the body and bell, indicating a c.1948 production date. This one has silver plate finish, whi...ch is extremely rare for this model. You hardly ever see them in anything other than lacquer. Usually plated examples were for the military, but this does not appear to be a former military horn, as those are usually marked as such
This horn is being sold as is for repair/restoration. It is not currently playable. It probably could be put back into decent playing condition with a handful of pads replaced and some adjustment, but I'd highly advise going for a full re-pad/overhaul, as this is a high quality vintage horn that certainly deserves it.
The good news is that this horn is in overall excellent physical and mechanical condition, so it will be a pretty simple restoration. The body is perfectly straight. The neck has not been pulled down, or otherwise damaged. It is, however, missing the neck screw, but it shouldn't be too hard to find a suitable replacement. There is one minor dent on the side of the bow, and two small dings on the side of the bell. A tech that is good at dent removal should be able to pop these out quickly with little to no evidence remaining. Other than that, and I can't find any other dings or pings. I don't see any re-soldered joints. The silver plate finish is essentially fully intact, albeit heavily tarnished. It should clean up nicely though. I don't see brass peeking through anywhere. All of the keys are moving freely, with minimal mechanical wear. The pads are old (quite possibly original). Many of them actually look in pretty decent condition still, but I definitely think a full re-pad is the way to go.
This sax comes in its original hard wood shell case. The case is pretty shabby, but solid. The exterior covering is peeling away to a significant degree. One of the latches is damaged, although it does still latch. The interior is worn and musty. Bottom line, it will add protection for shipping, but you will almost certainly want something better once the horn is restored.
There are no accessories included, except for the original end plug.
This was Martin's pro line horn in their heyday, and these are still highly prized today. With a proper restoration this horn will smoke just about anything currently on the market!
Please feel free to email me with any questions.
Thanks again for looking!
Note to international buyers: Due to the current global pandemic, international shipments via USPS mail are experiencing significant delays. This is due to lack of available transportation (ie. mail is normally carried overseas as cargo on commercial passenger flights, however the flight schedules have been slashed). European buyers have experienced wait times of up to 2 months for shipments to arrive. If this potential wait presents a problem for you, please refrain from purchasing at this time. I sincerely apologize for this, unfortunately unavoidable, inconvenience.
00981
This horn is being sold as is for repair/restoration. It is not currently playable. It probably could be put back into decent playing condition with a handful of pads replaced and some adjustment, but I'd highly advise going for a full re-pad/overhaul, as this is a high quality vintage horn that certainly deserves it.
The good news is that this horn is in overall excellent physical and mechanical condition, so it will be a pretty simple restoration. The body is perfectly straight. The neck has not been pulled down, or otherwise damaged. It is, however, missing the neck screw, but it shouldn't be too hard to find a suitable replacement. There is one minor dent on the side of the bow, and two small dings on the side of the bell. A tech that is good at dent removal should be able to pop these out quickly with little to no evidence remaining. Other than that, and I can't find any other dings or pings. I don't see any re-soldered joints. The silver plate finish is essentially fully intact, albeit heavily tarnished. It should clean up nicely though. I don't see brass peeking through anywhere. All of the keys are moving freely, with minimal mechanical wear. The pads are old (quite possibly original). Many of them actually look in pretty decent condition still, but I definitely think a full re-pad is the way to go.
This sax comes in its original hard wood shell case. The case is pretty shabby, but solid. The exterior covering is peeling away to a significant degree. One of the latches is damaged, although it does still latch. The interior is worn and musty. Bottom line, it will add protection for shipping, but you will almost certainly want something better once the horn is restored.
There are no accessories included, except for the original end plug.
This was Martin's pro line horn in their heyday, and these are still highly prized today. With a proper restoration this horn will smoke just about anything currently on the market!
Please feel free to email me with any questions.
Thanks again for looking!
Note to international buyers: Due to the current global pandemic, international shipments via USPS mail are experiencing significant delays. This is due to lack of available transportation (ie. mail is normally carried overseas as cargo on commercial passenger flights, however the flight schedules have been slashed). European buyers have experienced wait times of up to 2 months for shipments to arrive. If this potential wait presents a problem for you, please refrain from purchasing at this time. I sincerely apologize for this, unfortunately unavoidable, inconvenience.
00981
