Martin Troubadour
Tenor Sax

Serial number is 104xxx
The Martin Story Website puts it at 1932-1934

Though this Martin Handcraft Troubadour has split bell keys, it does NOT have the G# trill or forked Eb that you might expect on a horn with split bell keys.

The most unique thing about this horn is the fact that the same right-hand key can open either the side C or the high E tonehole.
The side C keywork is pretty normal, except that after the side C key/tonehole, it continues on up the horn to a lever that keeps the high E key/tonehole closed.
In fact, the High E is 'sprung open'. By that I mean the spring on the High E is set up such that the spring opens the key. You can compare it to the G#. The G# key is also 'sprung open', but is held shut by the stronger G# fingertoucc lever spring. The High E key on the Troubadour is held shut by two things. It is held shut by the extended side C key AND it is held shut by an upper stack C key extension arm.
Only when BOTH the side C key is open AND the upper stack C is open, will the High E open.
That would make it easy to jump from side C to High E, by holding the side C open and opening (releasing) the upper stack keys.
Below are some pictures where I have drawn some colored lines and added text in the hopes of making this clear.


I've that the King (H.N. White) Voll-True breifly had the same or similar High E mechanism which continued for a short while to the Voll-True II, but I have never seen it.

I can say that it is pretty darn tricky to get the linkage and timing correct on the Troubadour High E. It ain't rocket science, but....

After the Hi D pictures are other miscellaneous pictures.
Looks like the neck had a pick-up that was plugged. The positioning of it seems a bit strange to me. Comments anyone?

The engraving of the word "Troubadour" is hard to read.
It kinda looks like "T r o i i b o i o l o u h". But if you've ever tried to engrave something it'll give you pause before criticizing.