Repairman's Overview: Couesnon Monopole I Alto Saxophone
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- Опубліковано 2 кві 2023
- Saxophone repairman Matt Stohrer of www.StohrerMusic.com is a bit out of practice making this type of video, and rambles a good bit more than usual, if that is even possible, while talking about this 1940s Couesnon Monopole I alto saxophone.
Short version: it's a great horn, and not a ton is known about them since a fire at the factory destroyed all records in 1969 and they used a weird serial number system and didn’t have muhc luck exporting to the USA. Some links below to aid in research if you are interested. If you buy one, buy one in the best physical shape you can find- since they are not terribly expensive, your major cost will be in the overhaul, and you will save money on the back end by having a straightforward overhaul on a good condition horn. They are much more common to find in Europe and particularly France than in the USA.
An overview of the Monopole II will be forthcoming at some point in the future, probably using an example keyed from low A to high G.
Links: www.brasshistory.net/Couesnon...
www.everythingtrumpet.com/sch...
bassic-sax.info/blog/2010/cou... (serial 2090 and has rolled toneholes)
G# lever patent was 1935
www.saxpics.com/the_gallery/Co...
www.saxontheweb.net/forums/co...
www.acimv.fr/
• Marcel Perrin on COUES...
asax.fr/history-on-vibrato-in...
I really like watching these. Thanks. I don’t think we would ever get bored if you made a video of a model done before, It’s fascinating.
I found a couple old Couesnon advertisements from the 60s, for the Monopole Trumpet, both of which feature pictures of Kenny Dorham. One of the ads parenthetically noted the pronunciation "Kwee-non".
My helpful French advisors on the pronunciation may dislike it, but that is certainly easier for me to say!
I love how the B Bb guard looks like a big smily face. Very cool video and really informative. Thank you so much!
No such thing as ramble's more than usual. Love your content Matt
Brilliant as always Matt 😊
Listening to your musician demonstrate is inspirational.
Great. Another sax I never heard of that I now want. Beautiful horn. Great overview (literally) of the horn.
I've been waiting on a RO video on a Couesnon Monopole. Thanks!
I'm looking forward to doing another one on the low A Monopole II sometime in the next few months!
Excited to see the Low A one, I'm surprised you were able to find one!
The one I bought for myself (which is still in transit as of this writing) is a regular low Bb horn. The low A belongs to a customer who spent a looong time looking before they found one.
Thank you so much for this video, it's fantastic! I have two Monopole II horns, an alto from c.1960 and a tenor from c.1969, and they're lovely. They're also a screaming bargain for what you get so let's keep this quiet:)
Thanks, Matt. Perfect timing. I just picked up my 1925 Couesnon alto from an overhaul and I love it. You managed to fill in some of the gaps in the history too - it's a bit patchy, isn't it? By the way, you did a very creditable job with the French pronounciation. Geoff from France.
have always known these as Coo-Non - I have a later model and love it :-)
I used to have a King Cleveland 613 alto and it had a switch for the G-sharp key.
I love how high the thumbhook is set on this horn (set right up against the alt. F# keyguard)! It also seems to be farther left around the back of the horn than most thumbrests. How did that feel?
Your first prononciation is very good 👍👏
Thank you!
@@StohrerMusic it is difficult to date the Couesnon saxophones because they no longer have any archives since the company fire in 1979, which destroyed 3/4 of the company and all of the archives. In addition, saxophones, clarinets and flutes were stopped in production following this incident.
My first sax was a 1920s Couesnon C Melody tenor for $80 (I pronounced it Kwaznon.. lol).. that I bought in the 1970s. I actually really liked it.. nice sound. I just remember it having a long, skinny look to it. Everyone made fun of it being so old. haha In 1980 I traded it in on a 1963 Mark VI (from good old George Sarkis in Philly) that was $800.. think I got $100 for it.
I have one of these but it needs repadding and complete overhaul .
Great review! I appreciate the addition of the playtest. However, I think you left off one of your "rules" in the intro. I remember your mentioning that you don't review horns that are currently in production. Is that still true, or did you change your mind about that?
I once did one for current production Borgani, but yeah that is probably a rule as well.
What better of a person to ask a beginner question .
What brand name and model tenor sax would you recommend me as a beginner ? I'm concerned with quality for money.
Please try answering my question , I'll fully respect your opinion.
Yamaha student saxophones are what I recommend. Built well, play well, feel good. They hold their value if you decide to quit, or you can use them as a backup horn for the rest of your life. They are built quite well, and they are repairable unlike most "student" horns.
@@StohrerMusic ...Thank you for answering my question . The only problem I have with the Yamaha YTS-280 is that they are not sold in the USA . The alto can be bought from Amazon but it's an alto and scary to buy sax from Amazon. Also, Yamaha doesn't let EU dealers sell to USA , which is strange .
I have a Monopole I tenor with the same keyguards, but with really cool art deco designs on the bell. The Low C has two tone holes and a double key. A couple small keyguards were missing so I fabricated and silver plated some new ones in the same style. If anyone is interested I would sell it.
Hi, why do some people get out of breath and dizzy when playing the saxophone
That seems like a technique or medical question, ask a private teacher in person and or a doctor
Great video, especially for having Tyler playing it. Your shops acoustics not giving justice to the horn though.
Thanks! And I agree. I am not set up for high fidelity audio recording, and likely never will be.
I confess I do not completely agree with what you said on bell keys on French horns. Pierret started selling horns with right hand bell keys in 1938 (we know because there is an ad, with a date, of their super 8 model, the first with RH bell keys), just 2 years after the Selmer BA and I think Couesnon moved to that design in the late 30s too.
Left hand bell keys were the traditional Adolph Sax design, and, for instance, Pierret never built split bell keys saxophones (even though there is an advertisement by Windels, an importer based in Algeri, Tunisia, advertising a Pierret Model 2 with split bell keys in 1932 -- it was a drawing and I never saw a picture of such a type of horn, though).
I would say that after the mid 30s French manufactures stopped building split bell keys horns in favor of RH bell keys. LH bell keys were still in use for cheaper models, till the mid 40s.
As you said we do not have very much information on Couesnon, but I hardly believe that they were still building saxophone with LH bell keys in the late 40s.
Sorry, Algeri is not in Tunisia... I'm tired and I should go to bed....;-)
I don't think I said that about all French horns, and if I did I misspoke.
For Couesnon, the Monopole II was the first sax of theirs with right hand bell keys, and it started in 1950. If you can find evidence to the contrary though by finding a photo of a Monopole I with right hand bell keys, I'd be happy to amend the video by putting a correction in the description.
For whatever it's worth, Buescher, Martin, and Conn all had left hand bell key horns well into the 60s, and never actually made right hand bell key saxophones. So Couesnon not having right hand bell key saxophones until 1950 is not quite so unusual.
@@StohrerMusic Sorry, you are right and you did not refer to all French manufactures. I was just sharing my doubts about your reference to the placement of bell keys for dating Couesnon saxophones. I'm sure you are aware that in the 1912 and 1924 catalogues we have all saxophones had split bell keys. In their 1934 catalogue series B had split bell keys, series C Monopole had LH bell keys, and the Monopole Conservatories split bell keys.
I'm not aware of any reliable source of information for the 40s (but I could be plainly wrong) and for sure you are right that in the 50s all Couesnon saxophones had right hand bell keys.
@@andrearossato4087 got it! Can you link me to the 1934 catalog? I don't think I have seen that one.
@@StohrerMusic Everytime I reference the link the message get erased. Jean-Luc Matte has a web site with many catalogues (included Coueson catalogues of 1904, 1928, and 1934). This is the third time I write this message and I really hope it won't be deleted.
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