I honestly love the entire line of Saxophones!! I will admit that they have grown on me over the years. I did not care much for them until falling in love with Kirk Whalum's sound and trying a Black Nickel Tenor about 10 years ago. I liked the sound a lot on that Keilwerth Tenor Sax but hated the feel and sound of the Alto and Soprano Keilwerths they had to try.

This happened during a time in my life that I was thinking more and more about the family of Saxes and playing gigs that required moving from Soprano Sax to Alto to Tenor Sax throughout a gig. I'm not sure if I thought this first or heard it first, but I do think it is an issue. Keilwerth Saxes seem to be cut from a very different mold. If you play Kielwerth, you really need to play Keilwerth! A lot of the other sax makers are really easy to switch from one sax maker to another. The Keilwerth feel, tone and concept makes it unique enough to complicate moving to another sax makers Alto, lets say, after playing that Keilwerth Black Tenor. I have heard this from many outside players also and did see a good friend eventually replace that Black Nickel Tenor with a Sax that allowed the whole family to work better together. I am sure there are exceptions to this rule, but I found it to be an issue for me.

All that said; Keilwerth has a full line of GREAT Saxes, from Soprano to Baritone, and probably even Bass; but I have not got my hands on one yet. The full family of Shadow Saxes tested in January '05 just killed me. The Shadow Soprano was dark and full. The Shadow Alto was a commanding lead sound with the flexibility needed for solo or combo playing. The Shadow Tenor speaks with the authority of a classic Tenor sound for any musical expression and the low Bb Shadow Bari was the most fun I have had on a Baritone Sax in recent years. If I was a "Bari" Player, I would want this Sax for solo playing and break out the low A (other maker) for section playing only. I LOVED THIS BARI!

The Black Nickel Tenor is a stand out Tenor and the favorite in this line with all other Black tests being cool all the way around.

The Standard Lacquered SX and SR models give a lot for a fraction of the high end costs. I liked the sound on each SX and SR Sax but found the tone more pleasant and full on the SR - Rolled Tone Wholes models. The sound on the SX was great too, different, and actually felt better to me when the pad hit the cup on the SX - standard tone wholes, no roll. The larger the Sax, the less the rolled tone wholes felt weird to me. I hated the feel on the rolled Soprano and Altos, found it a bit weird on the Tenor and did not notice it on the Bari at all.

This is one of the areas that doubling between a Keilwerth Sax to another Sax Maker could be hard. One could used to the feel of these saxes, but I think it would be hard going back and forth to another sax cuz you would keep moving away from that feel you are getting used to, everytime you picked up that other sax.

Enough for now. Individual reviews are coming and We hope to get input from YOU to fill out the discussion.

CONCLUSION:

Keilwerth makes beautiful PRO Sax's that sound better and better and are made to last forever. This Reviewer would be very happy to play all Keilwerth Sax's but would find it difficult to own the Tenor and an Asian Sop or Alto. Any serious Sax Player will want to consider the Keilwerth offerings to see what German Engineering might do to the sound in your bedroom and Concert Stage. These are truly GREAT SAX'S!

Keilwerth Saxophone Reviews

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THE BIG 4 Sax Makers
• Keilwerth Saxophones
• Selmer Saxophones
• Yanagisawa Saxophones
• Yamaha Saxophones

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