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Kessler Custom Handmade Tenor Sax – Antiqued Lacquer
Retail: $3,799.00
$2,379.00
Only 3 left in stock
Kessler Custom Handmade Tenor Sax
Antique Matte Lacquer
Kessler Custom Handmade Tenor SaxHandmade Tenor
The Kessler Custom Handmade tenor sax is just as the name implies, a completely handmade professional tenor sax. Built by a only 4 skilled artisan technicians, countless more hours are spent on each saxophone ensuring the best build quality with the lowest amount of stress in the construction. The techniques employed on the Handmade models’ construction produce an instrument that has better vibration, response and tonal performance. When combined with our direct sale approach, this gives the customer a saxophone that offers performance without compromise!
Handmade Series Improvements
Our Handmade models are also equipped with 4 other distinct improvements not found on the other models in our Kessler Custom line.
– Upgraded Body Alloy
– Pisoni Pro Pads
– Highest Quality Blue Needle Springs
– Handmade Professional Mouthpiece
We wanted our Handmade tenor to be completely set apart from anything else on the market. So we went all out on it. The Pisoni Pro pads are the best leather pad available on the market today and are the same pads you will find on the Selmer Paris horns new. We further improve the feel of our Handmade models by using the highest quality blued needle spring for excellent key action. Lastly, we include on of our Kessler Custom handmade professional saxophone mouthpieces with each horn in the Handmade Series.
Additional Information
Kessler Custom Handmade tenor saxophones utilize the Pisoni Pro pads. These pads are the best leather pad available on the market today and are the same pads you will find on the Selmer Paris horns new. These pads are a firmer pad than typically found on most saxophones. In order to use these pads, a saxophone has to be manufactured to a much higher level of build with more precise toneholes. Once installed, these pads offer 2 major benefits:
Stability
When combined with the better tonehole manufacturing necessary to use the Pisoni Pro pad, these pads are more stable and less likely to develop little leaks. They also provide a much firmer feel to the mechanism of the sax.
Tone Projection
Pads are made from leather and felt which serve as an acoustic dampener which is why saxophone pads use resonator discs. However, even with a resonator, your air column still comes in to contact with the leather and felt of the pad. With the firmer Pisoni Pro pad, you will have less acoustical dampening from the pad which yields better projection, response and power.
Red-Brass Alloy
Typically, saxophones are made out of the alloy called “cartridge brass” (also known as “yellow brass”). While the exact formulation of brass can vary from vendors and suppliers, the typical formula is a brass that consists of 70% copper and 30% zinc. Our Handmade Series are made from “Red Brass” which consists of 85% copper and 15% zinc.
The extra 15% copper adds a little more mass to the alloy helping to produce a darker core tone. When combined with our professional bore and enhanced resonance from the Handmade construction, this alloy produces a wonderfully complex tone while maintaining excellent response and projection.
Antique Matte Lacquer
The “Antiqued Matte Lacquer” is fantastic! There is no gloss to it leaving the horn looking like a “raw brass” saxophone. The Matte Lacquer also weighs less than traditional lacquer. This give the player the perception of the horn being more lively, vibrant and a bit edgier in tone. In reality, this is only a perception of the player as this finish doesn’t actually effect the sound of the horn. The other benefit of this finish is that it hides minor scratches that every horn is bound to receive better than high gloss finishes
Does the finish impact the sound? Depends on who you ask… Dave Kessler chimed in on this topic on his personal blog… go give it a read and see his thoughts on the topic.
The Kessler Custom Handmade Tenor Sax is available in the following finishes:
Retail: $3,599.00
$2,199.00
Retail: $3,699.00
$2,299.00
Retail: $3,799.00
$2,379.00
Best Seller!
Retail: $3,999.00
$2,599.00
Every horn we send out to a customer is not released from us unless it has been completely setup in our shop first. This is because the setup on the horn is of the utmost importance! Sometimes, a saxophone (regardless of who the manufacturer or the price point is) comes in needing 20 minutes of adjustments and then the very next one can require 2 hours! So if you were to get 5 of the same model right out of the box, they will all play different which leads people to believe that they are “good” or “bad” saxes… but the reality is that the one that was the best out of the 5 was likely the one that needed the least amount of work and on the flip side, the “bad” sax was the one that needed 2 hours worth of adjustments!
Once the same 5 saxophones are properly regulated and adjusted to perfection, they become near identical saxophones that even the pickiest of players would be challenged to pick a true “favorite” horn. However, since most stores do not or even can not perform this setup, the player never knows this and is simply relying on the luck of the draw. This is why we perform our setup (in our www.SaxophoneRepairs.com ProShop) on them before delivering your new sax to you. You trust us with your purchase and we want to make sure that you are rewarded by giving you your ideal saxophone setup flawlessly!
| Bore | Professional French Style Bore |
| Body Material | Red Brass (85% copper) |
| Body Construction | Completely Handmade – Fully Ribbed Body Construction |
| Pads | High Quality Leather with Metal Domed Resonators |
| Range | Low Bb to High F# |
| Finish | Antique Finishing with Matte Lacquer for Raw Brass Look and Response |
| Finger Touches | Dark Cultured Pearl |
| Mouthpiece | Kessler Custom ‘Modern Classical’ Hard Rubber (upgrades available) |
| Ligature | Rico H-Ligature in Gold Plate |
| Case | New Shaped Case |
Case Options
Stock Case: GL Cases – GLE Series Contoured Case
Weighing approximately 7 pounds and providing an exceptional fit for the horn, the GLE Series case from GL Cases will be the default “stock” case moving forward with Kessler Custom Handmade Tenor saxes. Read more about this case on its product page by clicking here.
Case Upgrade Options
Case Upgrade Options
We also stock a carefully selected variety of premium cases that you can upgrade to for a nominal fee from either GL Cases or BAM France! Upgrade Options are:
Case Upgrade Options (Click to View)
BAM Cases - 'SoftPack' Case
BAM SoftPack Case
Read more about this case on its product page by clicking here.
BAM Cases - 'Trekking' Case
BAM Trekking Case
Read more about this case on i’s product page by clicking here.
BAM Cases - 'Cabine' Case
BAM Cabine Case
Read more about this case on i’s product page by clicking here.
Financing Available
Multiple Financing Options Available!
We have a myriad of different financing options available for your new instrument! From affordable monthly payments over a longer period of time to other options that can include 0% Interest or Deferred Interest options, we can help find a way to make the instrument of your dreams become the instrument of your reality! Give us a call!
United Midwest Savings Bank
UMWSB offers flexible, long term financing with term lengths of up to 60 months at an affordable 12.99% APR. Better yet, their financing has No Pre-Payment Penalty so you can pay off your balance at anytime and only pay for the interest for the length of time you had the loan!
Minimum of $850 required for UMWSB Financing
Synchrony
Synchrony Financial is one of the national leaders in consumer financing. With deferred interest options (Interest if waived if paid off in promotional term) and sometimes, they offer manufacturer partnered promotions to offer you an even better term length.
Minimum of $299 required for Synchrony Financing
3 reviews for Kessler Custom Handmade Tenor Sax – Antiqued Lacquer
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.
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dadvest (verified owner) –
I’m a “vintage ” horn player. From Selmer to Martin to my favorite 1929 Buescher True Tone. I play jazz in a big band to funk, rock and R&B. I’ve read things about these horns on some of the sax sites and decided to give it a spin. I played this for the first time last night. Wow, the tone is incredible!
It rings and cuts through the electric instruments with ease bout sound guy said that my single was hot and he had no trouble blending me in. The timber of my sound matched the lead singer to complement each song. It cuts through to be heard but still has that big bossy tenor sax core. Very complex sound.
The key work is so smooth and fluid. I was able to play the licks and patterns that I hear in my head as never before. I’m looking forward to more gigs and learning what else I didn’t know that I knew how to play. We have a busy schedule this year and I can go in feeling confident. This is well built and feels able to hold up to the demands.
Thanks Mr Kessler for a fine professional horn! Well worth the price point. The only horn that I can compare the sound to was a rare Mark VI that was priced at $15000.
Micah –
I had been looking for a saxophone of my own for the longest time, then a good friend mentioned this website to me. At first I was looking at the Selmer Mark 6’s, reference 54, and the Yamaha custom Z. But then I happen to scroll back up the list and see that Kessler and sons make their own saxophones, which I thought was pretty cool, and this saxophone caught my eye. After I did some research I decided that I should take a chance and order one.
When it came in pretty excited and the saxophone lived up to what the Kessler has been saying about it. Every sound that comes out of the horn is clear and crisp the sub tones are outstanding, and the high range is in tune which made me really. After about a week I let my instructor try it out and he was utterly impressed saying its as good as his own Selmer series 2 super action 80 that he spent $7000 dollars on.
It was a big step up from the cannonball I had been playing on for the past 3 years , which the average price for one is over $3000 dollars. I was treated very well by Kessler and Sons, after a few days they emailed checking to see if I liked what I got, which I do, and everything that comes with the horn makes it all worth the buy.
I highly recommend.
aaronmartin (verified owner) –
I’ve had the Custom tenor in the brushed matte finish for just over a month now. Right from the first session (from the first several notes, to be honest), I knew that my trusty Yamaha YTS-62iii was going to be getting less playing time. Even my wife stuck her head in our “music room” to say how full the sound was—and this is coming from a piano fan, rather than a woodwind lover. I LOVE the extended palm D key; it is so much more ergonomic than my Yamaha’s. The engraving is absolutely gorgeous, and the horn itself feels lighter than my Yamaha (I’m sure the lack of lacquer has something to do with that; whatever the reason, I love that it’s lighter). As I said, the sound is huge (maybe it’s the metal resonators, maybe not…in any case, it is my first horn with metal resonators), and it is simply a blast to play! It may just end up becoming my primary horn, thereby displacing my YTS-62 to the “backup” position. The ONLY thing that I like better on the Yamaha is the left handy pinky key layout and the response at the extremer low end of the horn; I find I’m having to work a bit harder to get the Ben Webster-esque subtone that I love that comes easily on the YTS-62. Finally, I really like the GL case. It’s aesthetically pleasing, functional, and has sufficient storage space for some essentials (for a flight case). Moreover, there’s no question about the GL case offering ample protection for the horn.
The ONLY thing that I can say that I didn’t love was the fact that the neck tenon was not tight enough. I actually had to get this adjusted by a local repair tech a week or so after receiving the horn so that the neck would not swivel (even with a fully tightened neck screw) while I played. This is not uncommon, however, as I had to do the same with the neck of my YTS-62.
On the whole, this is a monster of a saxophone at a fantastic price! How Kessler & Sons is able to offer such a quality horn (with phenomenal accessories at no extra charge, or potential upgrades at greatly reduced prices) at such an affordable price is beyond me! The setup was great, too; the tenor was truly ready to play right out of the shipping box. I wish I’d known about Kessler & Sons before I’d bought my YAS-62 (used) and my YTS-62 (brand new from an online retailer, but without an initial setup, which of course I paid for later at my local music store!), but better late than never.
Thank you, Kessler & Sons!
David Kessler –
Glad to please Aaron! Thanks for the note on the neck fit, I will make sure that I bring that up with the shop. We do leave them a hair on the loose side so that students do not struggle, and players who want them tighter can get that done fairly easily. Let me know if you need anything else! – Dave