Vintage Martin Committee II Serial #138472 Tenor - Needs Restoration

Product ID: 138472MartinComTen

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Here we have a Martin Handcraft Committee II 'Lion and Crown' tenor saxophone in original, dark honey gold lacquer, serial number #138472. This old sax is not in playing condition, not a single note would sound, an overhaul/restoration is going to be the next big thing in this horns playing career.

The Committee II model was a very short run at the end of the 1930s that lasted until the midpoint of the United States' involvement in World War II. These horns featured nickel-plated nickel-silver key-work from low Bb up to palm-F, front-F rocker included. Real mother-of-pearl key touches for the upper and lower stacks, rollers for the pinky keys are also pearl. The both Bb and B bell keys are on the left side of the bell, so Martin took complete advantage of the open space and filled it with a gorgeous engraving. The piece, found on all Committee II model saxes, depicts a lion posing in-front of a cityscape with a crown placed upon Martin spelled vertically; the lion itself is on top of ornate linens/foliage.

The beauty of the artwork on the early Martins is awe-inspiring, especially when showing patina through original lacquer. This one has its fair share of blemishes on the body tube and bow from a lifetime of use, but no signs of serious dent work in the past. The body tube has a bit of a bend in it, the pads look to be original to the horn, making them 83 years old! The blued-steel needle-springs are textured, red, and rusted completely over, so they need to be replaced top to bottom.

A skilled repair tech would have a fairly straight forward restoration, nothing is seized up, all springs do need to be replaced, a few dings and pushed in keyguard feet need to be popped back out, same for the non original neck which has a notable dent in the neck that has been pulled down. The neck with the horn is not original but is a slightly later vintage Martin Tenor Neck. The saxophone is missing the bumper post under the low Eb key.

We will ship this sax in as-is condition with its neck in a black plastic box style case, with 3 working latches and room for a left side bell key horn.