STENCILS
Besides their own name or trademark, most saxophone companies also sold their instruments under other brand names, these instruments are so-called stencils. F.X. Hüller & Co made these too, throughout the entire saxophone production.
They built stencils for companies like Hammerschmidt, Oskar Oehler and G. Rudolf Uebel or wholesalers like Hess, C.A. Wunderlich, Johannes Adler and Paul Beuscher. Other FXH stencils include the following: the Melody, Varsity, Girlanden, Benny Carter, Regent, ROA (Robert Oswald Adler), M.M. Masterhand, Queen, Magna, New Star, Gold Star, Zenit, Emperor Virtuose, Broadway. Names like Regent, Magna, Gold Star and the Melody were used by other saxophone companies too.
Wunderlich stencils were mainly made during the MK and 1st period, infact: i've seen a lot more MK period Wunderlichs than World saxophones!
Johannes Adler and many Hammerschmidt Klingsons during the 1st, 2nd and 3rd period. Hess during the late 2nd and 3rd period.
Max Keilwerth built saxophones for Hess, C.A. Wunderlich and Johannes Adler too.
So far i've seen three M.M. Masterhand stencils, all located in Sweden.
It was not uncommon, companies outsourced part of the stencil work to so called ''Fertigmachers''.
Those Fertigmachers worked independently in their own workshops.
Due to the several mystery stencil saxophones, which were assembled with parts from sometimes two or three different companies, i often wonder how the Amati collective actually started in 1945?
Shortly after the war there must have been a great lack of materials, needed to built wind instruments. Could it be they were responsible for those peculiar horns?
first row: pic 1 & 2 G. Rudolf Uebel alto ( late 2nd FXH stencil ) / pic 3 & 4 Herdim tenor ( could this be a 1950's attempt? ) with eyebrow key guards / pic 5 M.M. Masterhand alto ( early 2nd period FXH stencil )
second row: pic 1 M.M. Masterhand alto ( early 2nd period FXH stencil ) / pic 2 & 3 Magna alto ( early 2nd period FXH stencil ), these were sold in the UK / pic 4 & 5 ROA alto ( 3rd period FXH stencil ) source Tobi
third row: pic 1 & 2, G. Rudolf Uebel tenor ( 3rd period FXH stencil ), source ebay.de / pic 3 & 4 Queen alto ( 3rd period FXH stencil ), no G-G# triller key, source ebay.de / pic 5, the Melody alto ( 1st period FXH stencil ) coll. J.Jonker
fourth and fifth row: both Star and Triumpf tenors were probably build by Julius Keilwerth and might be assembled by a so called ''Fertigmacher'', who used FXH parts ? ( bow guard on the Star, neck and bow guard on the Triumpf ). I've seen a 1939 Tone King solo tenor with the ''JKG best in the world'' stamp which except for the bow guard and engraving was the excact same horn as the Star!
sixth row: Zenit alto ( 3rd period FXH stencil ) source bazos.cz, both the bill and the warrenty card dates the serial number 24378 back to march 1940
seventh row: Benny Carter alto ( late 2nd period FXH stencil )
eight row: Klingson saxophones were built for Hammerschmidt during the entire FXH saxophone production. All models were stenciled, from "Professional'' to ''World de Luxe''.
Even the very rare extraordinary late 2nd period F.X. Hüller alto was stenciled for Hammerschmidt and called Klingson ( see playing page ).
ninth row: FXH stencils pic 1 C.A Wunderlich ad source DeErbe.com / pic 2 Queen in V. Jörgensen cataloque source Fazination Saxophon cataloque / pic 3 Hammerschmidt ad / pic 4 Paul Beuscher cataloque source Luthier Vents / pic 5 Hess ad