Approximate highest serial number; end of all saxophone production NOTES: The only serial numbers that anyone can realistically match up with dates are: - Models named after years (e.g. Modell 1928, 57) - Winnenden horns - Horns from 1948, 1949, 1956 and 1966 (and possibly 1901, 1949 and 1977, if you're lucky).

Check your saxophone serial numbers with this chart and find out the year of manufacture for vintage instruments. Everhot 204 Deluxe Manual Dexterity. Is it one of the better vintages?

All other data is highly suspect: there are no existing Kohlert serial number charts. Keeping this in mind, I'd say this chart is accurate by no more than +- 5 years, except for the years I just indicated. If you'd like to contribute to this chart, please send me an Donate to the Vintage Saxophone Gallery Website.

• • » • • › • •: • The Keilwerth New King & Tone King There are alleged differences between these models:• New King • New King Special • Toneking • Toneking Special • Toneking EX ('Exklusiv' or 'Exclusive') Early Tonekings have altissimo D# trill keys, the New Kings don't. The EX is supposed to have all the features of the Toneking and may have additional engraving and additional pearl inlay.

The Special model of whichever version is supposed to be almost identical to the Toneking EX model, but without the pearl inlay and seem to feature altissimo F# keys. Unfortunately, these rules are hardly rock solid: there are Special models without rolled tone holes and some Tonekings with straight tone holes. In other words, probably it's just a marketing thing and the only constant and fundamental difference between the New King and Toneking (excepting Special models) is that the Toneking has an altissimo D# trill key -- up to a certain serial number range (when the H-Couf was introduced). So, if you see a New King model with rolled tone holes, it's as good as the Toneking EX, it just doesn't look as fancy and doesn't have an altissimo D# trill.

There is no data to back up an assertion like, 'The New King uses older tooling than the Toneking' (for instance, as is the difference between the SML and SML Standard models). However, if you can read German, go ahead and take a look. There is a possibility -- even probability -- that the Toneking neck, bell and/or bow were 'tweaked' over New King models. I can easily accept this. Unfortunately, I don't know anyone that's taken a caliper and measured -- and, even if he did, Keilwerth is known to have tinkered with each of these components during the horn's existence. Anyhow, the New King design was Keilwerth's most often stencilled horn -- sometimes unengraved, sometimes custom engraved -- but you can always tell it's a New King by the distinctive lucite keyguard on the Series III of these horns.

And all Keilwerth stencils do have the 'JK Best in the World' trademark. But what of the King model (Modell 3)? I don't know.

There are only a few of these out there and in two different 'series': a very early split-bell-key horn and a single-side-bell-key horn with wire keyguards, very much like the Champion model. (Hey, there isn't a page for those! Glad you noticed.). Rough Breakdown There are several different incarnations of the New King/Toneking design:• Series 0: Wire-keyguard design. Unknown serial number range, but fairly early. • Series I: from about 10xxx to 20xxx: In my opinion, the nicest model.

An elaborately engraved horn with funky offset side chromatic Bb/C and altissimo E vent keys, a microtuner neck and rolled tone holes. Oddly, the Toneking model lacks the offset side keys and additional pearl keytouches of the New King model. I don't have enough data to determine if the bore is any different. Maybe, but, considering that these horns were made in such low quantities, it's more probable that it's not.

• Series II: beveled tone holes and left-hand bell keys were used on about 500 to 1000 horns after Keilwerth moved from Czechoslovakia to Germany. These horns are such a radical departure from the Series I, they could be considered a completely different model. I believe this is intentional, as Amati co-opted the Toneking name and design (see below). There may also not have been any Tonekings of this series. This model may have been developed in conjunction with Kohlert, as some rumors suggest. The other interesting thing about these horns is that they're one of the four I'm aware of that had beveled tone holes.