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The Julius Keilwerth company is a German
saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...
manufacturer, established in 1925.


Company history


Early history

Julius Keilwerth first apprenticed for the Kohlert company in Graslitz,
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
. After this apprenticeship, Julius Keilwerth and his brother, Max, established a workshop in their home around 1925 or 1926. They primarily manufactured saxophones for Adler and F. X. Hüller. The Julius Keilwerth company became one of the largest saxophone manufacturers in Europe by the start of WWII, with approximately 150 workers. After World War II, the company relocated to its present headquarters at Nauheim,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. In 1948, the old Julius Keilwerth production facilities in Graslitz, now
Kraslice Kraslice (; ) is a town in Sokolov District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,400 inhabitants. It was a large and important town until World War II. It is known for the manufacture of musical instruments. Administrat ...
, became part of the Czech
Amati Amati (, ) is the last name of a family of Italian violin makers who lived at Cremona from about 1538 to 1740. Their importance is considered equal to those of the Bergonzi, Guarneri, and Stradivari families. Today, violins created by Nico ...
collective, however the first saxophones that Amati sold were still stamped with the "JGK - Best in the World" trademark, had the model name "Toneking" and had Julius Keilwerth serial numbers.


Changes in ownership

Boosey & Hawkes Boosey & Hawkes is a British Music publisher (sheet music), music publisher, purported to be the largest specialist classical music publisher in the world. Until 2003, it was also a major manufacturer of brass instrument, brass, string instru ...
purchased Keilwerth in 1989 and merged the company with Schreiber in 1996. The combined company was sold to The Music Group in 2003. In 2006 The Music Group was broken up and Schreiber & Keilwerth became an independent company. In March 2010, Schreiber & Keilwerth filed for bankruptcy. On 1 August 2010 they were acquired by Buffet Crampon.


Pre-1990 saxophone models

Source: Historical models include: *Soloist (early) *King (early) *Champion (early student) *The New King (late prewar and postwar, informally grouped into Series I, II, III, IV, and V, base for stencils) *Toneking (deluxe models produced concurrently with New King) Most of these historical models were also available with different "packages", such as "EX" ("Exklusiv") with more elaborate engraving, additional keywork, additional mother-of-pearl inlay, or drawn and rolled tone holes. Julius Keilwerth also produced a limited quantity of a trumpet called the "Toneking 3000". There may have been other brief forays into making other woodwinds or brasswinds, but no records were found as of February 2012. In 1986 the company hired jazz saxophonist Peter Ponzol as a consultant to refine and redesign Keilwerth saxophones for the jazz market. This resulted in the "Modell Peter Ponzol" alto and tenor saxophones. The modern lineup of Keilwerth saxophones is derived from the Modell Peter Ponzol.


Stencil manufacture

file:VedetteAltoSaxophone.jpg, 'Vedette' alto Saxophone - a "stencil" of the 'New King' Series IV made by Keilwerth circa 1968. Has straight tone-holes (not rolled) and is in two-tone finish i.e. nickel-plated keys on a lacquered body A "stencil" saxophone is a saxophone made by a manufacturer that is then sold to another company that (perhaps literally) takes a stencil and engraves their own name/information on the horn. The Julius Keilwerth company provided not only complete saxophones to other companies as stencils, but also saxophone bodies for other companies to affix their own keywork to. As a general rule, Keilwerth stencil saxophones are stamped "Made in Germany". Some Keilwerth stencil models have rolled tone-holes, and others have conventional straight tone-holes. Some of the best known of the Keilwerth stencils are those made for the W. T. Armstrong Company:- *Some H. Couf Royalist saxophones, named for Herbert Couf, the vice president of the W. T. Armstrong Company (1965-1980s) *H. Couf Superba I and II saxophones (1965-1980s) *Conn DJH Modified after the 1981 acquisition of Armstrong by C. G. Conn, named after Daniel J. Henkin, owner of Conn (1981-1986) *Armstrong Heritage saxophones Note: later H. Couf models, like the 3200 and Royalist II were made by United Musical Instruments, not the Julius Keilwerth company. Other significant complete-horn Keilwerth stencils include:- *Academy *Alexandre * H. & A. Selmer Bundy Special (1950s-1960s) *Buffet Expression *Calvert Deluxe, Champion, Crestone *Heritage *Gotz *Imperial *Jazz King, Jubilee *
King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
Tempo saxophones (1960s) *Major, Manhattan, Martelle, Marco, Miraphone *PIA, Prelude (made for Hakkert) *Ravoy, Reynolds, Richard Gareis, Roger, Royalist *Silvertone, Star *TAM, Troubadour *US Admiral *Vedette *Vincent Albert *Wikina, Winsall Note: some saxophones (e.g., Voss, Roxy, Senator, and De Villiers etc.) that appear to have been made by Keilwerth were in fact manufactured by another German company called Dörfler & Jörka (also based in
Nauheim Nauheim is a municipality in Groß-Gerau (district), Groß-Gerau district in Hesse, Germany. It is located southwest of Frankfurt am Main and is part of the metropolitan region of Frankfurt. It lies in the Hessian Ried. Geography Location Na ...
) between 1949 and 1968. The design and location of the neck screw (which is completely different from the type used by Keilwerth) is a simple but accurate method of identifying Dörfler & Jörka instruments. Keilwerth stopped supplying stencil instruments after introduction of the Modell Peter Ponzol in the mid-to-late 1980s.


Saxophones 1990–present

By the end of the 1980s, Keilwerth had introduced its SX90R series saxophones and gained endorsements from jazz musicians such as
Branford Marsalis Branford Marsalis (born August 26, 1960) is an American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. While primarily known for his work in jazz as the leader of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, he also performs frequently as a soloist with classical ens ...
,
Courtney Pine Courtney Pine, (born 18 March 1964) is a British jazz musician, who was the principal founder in the 1980s of the black British band the Jazz Warriors. Although known primarily for his saxophone playing, Pine is a multi-instrumentalist, also ...
,
Ernie Watts Ernest James Watts (born October 23, 1945) is an American jazz and R&B saxophonist who plays soprano, alto, and tenor saxophone. He has worked with Charlie Haden's Quartet West and toured with the Rolling Stones. On Frank Zappa's album '' ...
, Don Wise, James Moody,
Ron Holloway Ronald Edward Holloway (born August 24, 1953) is an American tenor saxophonist. He is listed in the ''Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'' where veteran jazz critic Ira Gitler described Holloway as a "Hard bear-down-hard-bopper who can blow auth ...
, Mike Smith, Grover Washington, Jr. and
David Liebman David Liebman (born September 4, 1946) is an American saxophonist, flautist and jazz educator. He is known for his innovative lines and use of atonality. He was a frequent collaborator with pianist Richie Beirach. In June 2010, he received a ...
. Julius Keilwerth markets a range of student/intermediate and professional saxophones, from the
soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...
to
bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...
saxophones. As of 2009 Keilwerth produced ST90 student range, the EX90 intermediate range and the SX90, CX90, SX90R professional range, with the SX90R featuring soldered-on tonehole rings (distinct from rolled tonehole rims formed from the drawn chimneys). After 2010 the product line was consolidated to SX90 and SX90R professional instruments and ST series student/intermediate instruments. In 2013 Keilwerth introduced the MKX professional alto and tenor saxophones with a smaller bore for a more focused sound. *SX90R: made in
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
by Keilwerth *SX90: made in Germany by Keilwerth *MKX: made in Germany by Keilwerth *CX90: made in Germany by Keilwerth (discontinued after 2010) *EX90 series I: made in Germany by Keilwerth *EX90 series II: made in Germany by Keilwerth until 2003 *EX90 series III: Parts made in Germany by Keilwerth. Assembly and finishing by Amati in the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
(discontinued after 2010) *ST90 series I: made in Germany by Keilwerth *ST90 series II: Parts made in Germany by Keilwerth. Assembly and finishing by Amati in the Czech Republic until 2003 *ST90 series III: Made and assembled in
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
*ST90 series IV: made in Taiwan by KHS (continued as ST series after 2010)


References


External links


Official Schreiber & Keilwerth historySaxpics' Keilwerth history (further sources referenced there)
(Note that the Selmer Pennsylvania, mentioned there, was made by Kohlert. The website was sold before the edit could be applied.)
Bassic-Sax blog entry on the Toneking 3000

Discussion of the 2010 purchase of Keilwerth by BuffetBuffet announcement of the 2010 acquisition of Keilwerth
* ttp://www.shwoodwind.co.uk/Reviews/Saxes/Alto/Keilwerth_sx90r_anniv_alto.htm An independent review of the Keilwerth SX90 straight alto saxbr>An independent review of the Keilwerth SX90R straight alto sax

Gerhard Keilwerth Interview
at NAMM Oral History Collection (March 16, 2008) {{DEFAULTSORT:Keilwerth, Julius Musical instrument manufacturing companies of Germany Companies based in Hesse