Martin Handcraft Imperial Alto Sax
It's Da BOMB!

S/N 111xxx (Doctor Sax stock #1032)

The pictures are below

Made in Elkhart, Indiana

  The neck was missing, but I have found a replacement old Imperial neck (see below).
All new pads, corks, felts.
Adjusted and regulated.

  This is one of the rarest models made by Martin.
It was made for a relatively short period.
One of their first horns with the bellkeys both on the same side instead of 'split', one on each side of the bell.
It is the prototype 'modern' American-made sax.
This was their professional model. In one place my notes say it was made 1935, another place 1937, Let's just call it the mid-30's.
This horn evolved over its production run. For more info, check out that page where I contrast the 1933 Imperial vs. the 1937 Imperial.

This horn has been sold

But I have another one for sale here.

A very well built horn that plays like a vintage Martin should.

Don’t confuse this with the Imperial Martin made in the 1960’s…that was a student horn or intermediate at best. This is the Handcraft Imperial which is the professional model that Martin made for short period.
We're talking 1937 folks...70 years ago. The Hindenberg burst into flames. The German Luftwaffe bombed Guernica, Spain. Jean Harlow dies at the age of 26.

THE ORIGINAL NECK FOR THIS HORN IS MISSING, GONE, EVANITO! I purchased another entire Martin Imperial to get an authentic Imperial neck. That neck is serial number 107xxx. The neck tenon fits snugly into the socket. There is a little ripple from dentwork on one side. You can barely see it in picture 20 below.
If you want the rest of the body, let me know and we can arrange a price. It is earlier in the Imperial run and there are several design improvements that show up in the body of this 1937 111xxx horn I am selling here.

LACQUER –
The lacquer looks very good on this horn. I guess Martins are not known for good lacquer, but this has great-looking original vintage lacquer, aside from a few blemishes I point out in the photos.
There are a couple of places where the lacquer has been compromised. These places should be shown clearly in the photos #7 & #15 below…two places on the outside where the bell is attached to the bow; and a couple of small places on the inside of the bell (not very noticeable). Also there is one place right below the palm keys and finally once place right above the high F key, almost looks like it is due to prior dentwork, but I can feel no signs of dentwork there. All that said, the lacquer is otherwise in overall fabulous condition, a wonderful dark honey color.

I used my tuner to check the intonation of this sax and it plays in tune quite well. I also want to mention that I was able to easily 'bend' notes from flat to dead on to sharp, just by altering my embouchure. I don't play much and my technique is poor at best, but I found it very easy to move the pitch on this sax. I am thinking this is a real plus.

DENTS –
- One minor, shallow dent in bell at engraving…minor, not noticeable.
- One dent, below palm keys, removed
- One dent, halfway between strap ring and lower thumbhook, mostly removed, but still a ripple present.
- One dent, above High F key, removed. Lacquer missing.

The bell rim and bow are beautifully dent-free.

KEY ACTION -
Sweet, you’ll love it.
The Imperial has a couple of unique features that I was certainly not aware of until I had this one in my hands:
1. There is linkage between the High D and High D# keys (see photos #10 & 11). When the High D# is open it also opens the High D…or looking at it conversely, when the High D is closed the High D# is also closed. Make no mistake, the High D can be opened by itself.
2. There is a linkage between the octave key and the C key (photo #12). When this linkage is set up, when the octave key is pressed (open) the C key is closed. I chose not to implement this linkage even though it would be easy to do so. Just seemed too weird to me. Once I get a neck I can experiment a little.
Check out my seperate page showing the differences between the 1933 and this 1937 horn.

ENGRAVING –
Nice, sharp original, unbuffed engraving.
Engraving says:
MARTIN
Handcraft
IMPERIAL
ELKHART
IND.
U.S.A.

On the back, under the thumbhook, the engraving says:

MARTIN
111xxx
LOW PITCH

Some owner…I’d like to think the original owner…had his name professionally engraved on the band that links the bell to the bow (see photos)…”A. R. Bomdase”…at least I think that is it…it is in an ornate script. I tried Googling this name to no effect. And up at the top, where I said “It’s Da Bomb”, I was referring to Bomdase.

Many of the keys have Imp. A engraved on the underside.

Also the identical serial number (111xxx) is hidden under one of the keys

CASE –
The case, as cool as it, retains some odor. Not the normal musty smell of vintage cases, but something a little more like creosote. I have left the case open for many weeks now and it is much better.

The case was built to hold a second instrument. Tell me what sort of instrument.

The case is in good condition. It has one Martin emblem on outside of the case and one on the inside. Case hardware (hinges and latches) in very good condition, except for the handle which works but is deteriorating.

PAPERWORK -
The horn comes with the original Martin Guarantee certificate.

This is a used, vintage instrument. Look at the photos and read the description. If it is substantially different from my description, return the horn and I will gladly refund your purchase price.