1948 King Super 20 Series 1a Transitional "Full Pearls" Tenor Saxophone Serial 297xxx

What do Charlie Parker and Sonny Rollins have in common?! Impeccable taste in suits and the King Super 20. The early Super 20s helped define the sound of the saxophone and bebop especially through Parker’s alto and Rollins’s tenor. If you’re looking for an incredible American horn with stunning looks and a sound that can’t be matched by European brands including Selmer, SML, Buffet, and others, then this is the horn you’re looking for. Mark Shim, Troy Roberts, Nicole Glover, and many other serious players have expanded their sound and style by performing on American instruments because their bore and sound provides a “sweetness” and a balance of highs and mids that just doesn’t exist in contemporary offerings. 

This example in particular is THE BEST example of a King I’ve ever played. This 297xxx Super 20 is what’s known as a Series 1A Transitional. These instruments were known for better keywork, particularly the Left Hand Pinky Cluster, use of a contemporary neck strap ring, and the “Coat Hanger” pant guard. Note that the C and C# keys have incredibly detailed engraving and the engraving on the bell descends through the bow SBA style. This is a very limited range (less than 10,000 instruments across all voices) were made. Selmer actually sued King for the design similarities between the Super 20 left pinky cluster and the Selmer BA/SBA, and they were right- it feels very similar to play in the lower register (the left hand is inline). 

 This horn is in beautiful condition- the neck is sterling silver and retains quite a bit of its original “spray” gold lacquer. The engraved serial number on the neck matches the serial number of the body. The body of the instrument has approximately 96% lacquer, notably it has some lacquer removed on the right side of the bow. Otherwise the lacquer is in great condition with a “sparkle” or sheen that radiates in natural light. In conjunction with two of the foremost King saxophone technicians, Rich Casey and Gary Byndas, I have worked over the past year to eliminate unnecessary and lost motion while retaining the incredibly robust and powerful sound of this instrument to balance tone with technical virtuosity. This instrument is capable of playing the most challenging technical passages one might attempt in contemporary jazz, including atonal music, large asymmetric leaps, and mixed meter, while being extraordinarily fluid in traditional bebop and hard bop idioms. 

 This instrument underwent a full Clean, Oil, and Adjust (COA) this month, and is capable of subtoning from low Bb into the altissimo. It has original springs and comes with the original case!