The Julius Keilwerth company, now merged with W. Schreiber & Söhne as Schreiber & Keilwerth Musikinstrumente GmbH, is a German saxophone manufacturer, established in 1925. Over the years it has made saxophones under the Conn, H. Couf, and Armstrong brands, and currently as Julius Keilwerth.
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| Type | Limited liability (GmbH) |
|---|---|
| Genre | Musical instrument manufacturers |
| Founded | 1925 (Julius Keilwerth) |
| Headquarters | Nauheim, Germany |
| Parent | (need name) |
| Website | http://www.schreiber-keilwerth.com |
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Company history
Early history
The early history of the Julius Keilwerth company is unclear. The company itself cites its date of foundation as 1925, with no mention of location; other sources state that the company was initially founded in present-day Czech Republic. After World War II, the company relocated to its present headquarters at Nauheim, near Frankfurt, Germany.
Export to the U.S.
Herbert Couf, for many years the vice president of the W. T. Armstrong Company, imported three models of Keilwerth saxophones to the United States; they were stenciled (engraved) with the model name "H. Couf". They were sold in the U.S. under this name from approximately 1965 until 1988. The model names were "Superba I", "Superba II" and "Royalist". These instruments largely corresponded to previous Keilwerth models as follows:
- The New King (professional model) as H. Couf Royalist (alto and tenor)
- Toneking (professional model) as H. Couf Superba II (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone and bass)
- Toneking Special (top professional model) as H. Couf Superba I (alto and tenor) made with rolled toneholes and sophisticated keywork.
The Superba I and II were mostly built to order, so purchasers had the option of special features and finish, such as low A bass, black nickel plate, and custom engraving. The same instruments were also stenciled for Conn under the name "DJH Modified".
Keilwerth also manufactured the body for another line of saxophones stenciled "Armstrong". Later "Armstrong" saxophones were built by the Armstrong company alone.
Changes in ownership
In 1986, jazz saxophonist Peter Ponzol was hired as a consultant to refine and redesign Keilwerth saxophones for the jazz market. By the end of the 1980s, Keilwerth had introduced its SX90R series and gained endorsements from jazz musicians such as Branford Marsalis, Courtney Pine, Ernie Watts, James Moody, Ron Holloway, Mike Smith and David Liebman.
Boosey & Hawkes 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. Schreiber & Keilwerth was sold to (need name).
Product range
As of 2009, Julius Keilwerth markets a range of student, intermediate and professional saxophones, from the soprano to bass saxophones. The ST90 student range, the EX90 intermediate range and the SX90 and SX90R professional range - the latter featuring soldered-on tonehole rings (as opposed to more typical drawn tonehones), and available both in standard brass or in black nickel-plated nickel silver (the SX90R Shadow range).
Various changes in production of the ST90 and EX90 series have taken place.
- SX90: made in Germany by Keilwerth.
- EX90 series I: made in Germany by Keilwerth.
- EX90 series II: made in Germany by Keilwerth.
- EX90 series III: Parts made in Germany by Keilwerth. Assembly and finishing by Amati in the Czech Republic.
- 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.
- ST90 series III: Parts made in Germany by Keilwerth. Assembly and finishing by Amati in the Czech Republic.
- ST90 series IV: made in Taiwan by KHS.
References
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
