Les setups de saxophone de Didier CHRISTOPHE


DiDidier Christophe : Tenor, Alto and C-Melody saxophones setups...
Didier Christophe au ténor, en jam avec Monique au chant
(Playing an Amati's Bravour tenor sax, with Monique Bioud singing, at Le Kiwi, Ramonville-Saint-Agne. Picture by Jia)

TENOR Setups: several tenor saxophones made by Amati, all Czech professional saxophones,
an Amati ATS-83 "Bravour" (nickel silver), and an Armstrong 3050 (made in 198 in Elkhart, Indiana, but based on the Keilwerth Toneking Special), with
bell metal mouthpieces as an Otto Link Florida V "Super tone Master" opening 7, or Middle or Large chamber Vandoren V16 mouthpieces (TM6 or TL5),
Previously: Amati ATS-62, vintage 60's Amati Classic Deluxe, with an metal Otto Link serial mouthpiece "Super tone Master" opening 7, an metal Otto Link Tone master NV 6*, or an ebonite Vandoren V16 T6.
Actually p
laying Vandoren red Java 2 or 2.5, or Legere American Cut 2 reeds.


(Playing a 1965 Keilwerth alto sax in Tulle. Pictures by Marie Photo Passion)

ALTO Setups: several vintage alto saxophones Julius Keilwerth "The New King" serie IV, German pro sax with rolled tone holes and without F sharp kee,
with
metal vintage Otto Link "Super tone Master" mouthpieces.
Two of these saxophones are stencils of The New King serie IV, branded H. & A. Selmer USA "Bundy Special",
with their original numbered necks. All of them were made in Germany in 1965 by the Julius Keilwerth's factory.
Also tryed a vintage alto sax Julius Keilwerth "Toneking" serie IV from 1973, but less pleasent than The New King from 1965,

according to ergonomic and tone specificities, on my opinion.

They are played with different metal vintage Otto Link "Super tone Master" mouthpieces, each fitted whith his own original ligature: an Otto Link "Florida No USA" mouthpiece (opening 5) made in the middle 1960's, an Otto Link "Florida USA" mouthpiece (several openings, 5, or 6, or 6*) made in the late 1960's, an Otto Link "Transitional Florida" mouthpiece (opening 6) made in 1973, or previously an Otto Link "Early Babbitt" mouthpiece (opening 5*) made in the late 1970's.
About the reeds, I use: Vandoren red Java (2, 2.5 or 3), or D'Addario Select Jazz (2H), or Legere American Cut (1.75).
Several years before, on my
Selmer USA "Bundy Special" alto sax, I used other metal mouthpieces: a modern Otto Link Super Tone Master 6 or a Meyer J6.

Didier Chrisotphe jouant du C-Melody à Mons en 2025
(Playing an Aquilasax Presence C-Melody sax in Galerie Koma, Mons, Belgium. Picture from a video by Guy Géron)

C-MELODY Setup: Aquilasax "Presence" C-Melody saxophone, black nickel lacked, 2007 "Presence" modell, with its original curved neck or a gold lacker straight neck, and a metal Tenor Otto Link new Florida FL "Super tone Master" opening 6, or an Otto Link STM 7, with reeds Vandoren red Java (2 or 2.5).

Special thanks:
to Thierry Chèze who was my jazz professor at the Conservatory of music of Tulle,
to my friend David Layton, American jazz saxophonist living in Toulouse,
to my dear Augustin Lavaud, my first tutor, hobby jazzman and actualy cavalry officer.
"Special big thanks to Augustin Lavaud and Diane de Bournazel: through them, I was bitten by the sax bug!" D.C.

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