Keilwerth Saxophones
In this day and age of knockoffs and counterfeits, we should all be leery if any item we are thinking of buying doesn’t quite look right, or is off in some way. Recently a member of the Keilwerth group on Facebook asked a simple question: Is Keilwerth known to make spelling errors in their engraving? Of course the answer is “NO”, right?
Enter Keilwerth SX90R straight alto #97762, with what appears to be a simple typo in the engraving. Me guesses the engraver and the QA department all had too much Bier und Schnapps at the staff party at lunch. 
How do we know it’s a real Keilwerth, and not a knockoff?
Knowing the difference between a real brand X and a fake is of course the objective of any savvy shopper. Since Keilwerth horns have become one the most copied horns out there—along with the Selmer, Yani, and Yamaha—being able to tell the real thing from the fake is something I have tried to help sax players with over the years through a number of articles.
What was striking about this SX90R straight alto however, was that other than the slight typo in the company name, the rest of the horn—as well as the accompany accessories and paperwork—was 100% authentic Keilwerth. Don’t believe me? Let’s compare this horn to other SX90R saxes, and even other SX90R straight altos. Also, check out the knockoffs noted in the counterfeit JK article, and you’ll immediately see why this #97762 is real. 
Compare Keilwerth SX90R straight alto #97762 to other SX90R & other SX90 straight altos
Bassic Sax Pix has a number of these rare JK altos. Compare this one to those, and you’ll see immediately that they all look the same—with only only 1 tiny exception.
Keilwerth sax features that immediately tell us this is in fact real
SX90R/JK features
Post shapes
- JK uses a unique post shape that we don’t see in other horns. This one has these.
Serial number
- The serial # fits with into the range of the other straight altos I have listed in Bassic Sax Pix, as well as others noted both online and in hard copy books, such as Faszination Saxophon by Gunter Dullat, on p. 168.
Rolled tone holes
- This particular SX90R straight alto was one with rolled tone holes.
- However, SX90 versions were also available. (As illustrated in the engraving gallery.)
Adjustable left palm keys
- JK has adjustment screws on their left palm keys to avoid having to use key risers. Love this feature on my SX90R Shadow tenor!
Over-size MOP key touches
- In 1962 Keilwerth got a Gebrauchsmuster (GebrM), AKA German utility model, for these key touches.
- I wrote an article about this. Check it out.
Key & guard shapes & locations
- All the key shapes; locations; and even the range (low Bb > high F#) is identical of those of the other SX90R straight altos.
- The key & clothes guard shapes are also identical.
- Pay particular attention to the left-sided bell keys. They too are the same.
- Note the G# lever mechanism to prevent sticking keys. Knockoffs don’t have this.
Engraving – other than than the “L” that is missing the leg at the bottom
- Note the JK logo engraving. It is perfect—as compared to the absolute laughable ones we see in knockoff horns.
- The rest of the engraving—other than the leg at the bottom of the “L”—is also perfect.
Accessory/extras features
Original paperwork
- It has the original JK paperwork. IN GERMAN! This includes the horn’s serial #.
- Paperwork serial matches that of horn.
Original JK metal case
- These metal cases were standard with SX90 horns at the time.
Original JK plastic MP
- The original Keilwerth plastic MP is still the same as those that come with the SX90R horns today.
Feature Gallery
What’s wrong
The “L” in the Keilwerth bell engraving is missing its “leg”
The majority of the debate online about the authenticity of this horn has focus on the lack of a “leg” on the L in Keilwerth. But let’s take a closer look.
- There is a space that would accommodate the leg of the capital L.
- The rest of the engraving is identical to what we see in the examples illustrated below.
- It was clearly an oversight by the engraver—one that was not caught by the QA department for whatever reason before the horn was packed up for shipment out to a dealer.
The other thing some people mention is that the horn is not stamped “Made in Germany” or something like that. However, none of the other straight altos I have noted for you here do either.
Don’t believe me? Use the links at the bottom and check for yourself.
Other SX90/90R bell engraving examples
So to sum up then
SX90R straight alto #97762 is a 100% authentic Julius Keilwerth saxophone. Based on its serial, it is circa 1992.
The SX90/90R straight altos were made in Nauheim, and after the sale of Keilwerth to Boosey & Hawkes.
During this time Keilwerth offered both straight and rolled tone hole saxophones, and the SX90 straight alto is no exception. Hence you see some engraved SX90, and others SX90R.
Other SX90R straight altos with serials
lacquer finish SX90 # 99xxx robertoswinds.com
black nickel SX90R # 97xxx jwsax.com
lacquer finish SX90R # 101797 dcsax.com
black nickel plate SX90 # 99197 dcsax.com
black nickel plate SX90R # 99207 saxophone.org
Bassic Sax Pix gallery of straight SX90/90R altos
