Martin 1951 ‘The Martin Tenor’ Bb Tenor, Silver, “U.S.”, #178,40x

1951 Silver "The Martin Tenor"

BEFORE PHOTOS:

WWS Name: "Lieutenant Dan"

A rare, original Silver "The Martin Tenor" with the "U.S." military stamp on the bell. The serial #178k on the body dates it to 1951. It is common to see these saxes with signs of wear and use as the band worked hard. It has 80% Silver present and 70% Nickel on the keys(this is not the first US silver Martin that I've seen this plating combo).
WWS Research Note: I had a The Martin Alto "US" that also had nickel plated keys. This recurring find leads me to suspect that the military expected the instruments to have the prim-and-proper look, aka silver & shiny, which would have worn off the keys with the constant use. It is a WWS hypothesis that the military would require silver instruments to be replated using Nickel when possible.

It will be a great sax once it gets a full rebuild, repairs and cleaned up. There are some bumps from the "war" of playing and we will address them during the work. The sax will need me to address a bell-to-body brace dent, inspect tone hole seals, inspect the neck screw replacement, be treated with chemical cleaning to sterilize odors etc, as well as install 2-4 missing screws (that I have).

CASE: It arrived with an original case that did not survive storage (or a war!). It will get a New Protec XL ($$$) to keep it properly protected.

REBUILD: We are planning to offer this sax with a full rebuild and you can help choose those options (pad type, reso type, etc) included in the listing price.

Martin Sound Files for you to enjoy:

Item #:WWS06PU.7PU6.10081.9-C0