Rare Grafton Alto Saxophone Available
The Saxophone Factory is pleased to offer a real and very rare collectors item, a 1950′s acrylic “Grafton” alto saxophone of which only around 3000 were ever made.
Saxophone history has been remarkably free of developmental detours, a testament to the genius of Adolphe Sax and his original design. One of the more interesting mis-steps was the Grafton saxophone, constructed in England between 1950 and 1967 of acrylic, and utilizing a unique mechanism. Today, these instruments are highly prized by collectors.
The Grafton was developed by Hector Sommaruga, an Italian living in London. The instrument takes its name from the street (Grafton Way) where his shop was initially located in the late 1940′s. The decision to manufacture a saxophone from plastic was based upon the relative cheapness of the material rather than an improvement in tonal characteristics. Provisional patent specifications (#’s 604,407 and 604,418) were applied for on September 14, 1945, and a non-working prototype was first shown in 1946.
The instrument was conceived to have a plastic body, bell and key guards, a brass neck (a plastic one would break in attachment) and a mechanism which incorporated a unique springing system. Many of the posts for attaching the mechanism were cast as part of the body. The moulding was subcontracted to the engineering firm of Dc La Rue utilizing a plastic compound developed by Imperial Chemical Industries.
Hector lacked the necessary financing to complete the project, and he was able to obtain the backing of Geoffrey Hawkes (of the firm Boosey and Hawkes) and John E Dallas. The instrument was finally offered for sale to the public in 1950, at a price of 55 pounds, about half the cost on a conventional saxophone at the time.
The Grafton was used by prominent saxophonists Ornette Coleman (who encountered considerable mechanical failure with the instrument) Rudy Vallee and of course Charlie Parker who used the Grafton only outside the United States due to a conflicting endorsement agreement
The plastic construction meant that effectively the Grafton was a failure in its’ time, for the followingreasons: (1) the plastic construction just didn’t sound like other saxophones and was not compatible with section playing. (2) The design of the mechanism gave a very unfamiliar “feel” to players. (3) the plastic body was very prone to cracking and the key guards snapped off easily. (4) Repair technicians were unfamiliar with the instrument and the necessary parts (particularly the unique springs) were not readily available.
Because of this there are very few Grafton saxophones around and in particular in a totally restored condition like this example; the overhaul was carried out by Roy Wood who is the only surviving Grafton employee and there is a letter of authenticity to accompany this one which is priced at £3000.00
This is how it sounds!
So this is the legendary plastic sax that Ornette was mocked for playing. I didn’t know Bird played one. I wonder who would buy this instrument if it is so badly designed and prone to damage.
I once read somewhere that Maccaferri built plastic saxes for a short time; they already produced plastic guitars and ukuleles.
Hi Jim, it sounds ok actually but longevity was always going to be a problem. Maybe with todays’ plastics it could work but tonal quality wouldn’t be the best!
This one’s a sweetie having been restored and though everyday use may not be wise it’s a lovely collectors item.
: )
I have a plastic Grafton sax in the loft. It needs a slight repair, and I wrote to Martin Block in 1993 to ask if he could do the repair. I believe Martin Block was apparently the inspirer of the piece. His old teacher was the inventor of the Grafton (Hector Sommaruga). I didn’t get it repaired as Martin said he didn’t do that any more. The sax is playable, all the keys work and is in very good condition as far as I can tell. Just a bit dusty. Any offers?