1960 SML Gold Medal Alto
SML does it again. The power of these horns is astonishing. So much power. I have already discussed this at length here in a different write up, but SML's are big and bold like Conn 6M's, but produce a different color altogether. I can't praise them enough. The machining, the craftsmanship, the special design features. It is a shame they have maintained an underdog status for so many decades. They should be demanding overpriced VI dollars, but lucky for us enthusiasts, they do not. If you get your hands on one, have it properly rebuilt and you will never regret it.
Compare this horn to the SML stencil in this gallery here. There is also much more information on the Gold Medal design features there. They both played with the same power. Check it out.
SML does it again. The power of these horns is astonishing. So much power. I have already discussed this at length here in a different write up, but SML's are big and bold like Conn 6M's, but produce a different color altogether. I can't praise them enough. The machining, the craftsmanship, the special design features. It is a shame they have maintained an underdog status for so many decades. They should be demanding overpriced VI dollars, but lucky for us enthusiasts, they do not. If you get your hands on one, have it properly rebuilt and you will never regret it.
Compare this horn to the SML stencil in this gallery here. There is also much more information on the Gold Medal design features there. They both played with the same power. Check it out.
Here is what Robert Howe, the owner of this horn had to say after receiving it:
"Hi Carlo
This morning I played the SML Gold Medal alto that you just overhauled for me. My ten-minute trial turned into an hour. The horn played OK when I sent it to you but now it plays incredibly well, everything about it is exactly right. I don’t have to work, it’s like the horn knows what I want it to do. The key tensions are perfectly comfortable, the mechanism is utterly silent, the low Bb blows as easily and quickly and softly as any other note on the horn. Diving down to the low B-natural in the solo from L’Arlessienne is as easy as on a clarinet. Particularly impressive is how the different materials makes for a silent and silky-smooth mechanism.
Every time I play a horn that you have serviced, I am astonished by how well it plays. This SML is no exception. This is the best playing alto I have ever known and I am delighted to own it. The extra time and effort and insight that you put into your work, the attention to detail, have turned an OK horn into a real gem. Thank you.
This is the best alto I have ever played. Second best is the Big B that I bought from you."
"Hi Carlo
This morning I played the SML Gold Medal alto that you just overhauled for me. My ten-minute trial turned into an hour. The horn played OK when I sent it to you but now it plays incredibly well, everything about it is exactly right. I don’t have to work, it’s like the horn knows what I want it to do. The key tensions are perfectly comfortable, the mechanism is utterly silent, the low Bb blows as easily and quickly and softly as any other note on the horn. Diving down to the low B-natural in the solo from L’Arlessienne is as easy as on a clarinet. Particularly impressive is how the different materials makes for a silent and silky-smooth mechanism.
Every time I play a horn that you have serviced, I am astonished by how well it plays. This SML is no exception. This is the best playing alto I have ever known and I am delighted to own it. The extra time and effort and insight that you put into your work, the attention to detail, have turned an OK horn into a real gem. Thank you.
This is the best alto I have ever played. Second best is the Big B that I bought from you."