Keilwerth SX90
Big and bright sound but not at all harsh, I was able to play with a wide range of dynamics. Big sax but still light and comfortable feel. Nice, smooth action. These were my initial thoughts having played a handful of notes. Very nice sound with plenty of weight and depth, especially in the lower register. If anything the high register above C was slightly brighter than I would have liked and it did need a bit of taming. The high notes above C wanted to go slightly sharp so a bit more control was needed. But this can be a common situation with saxophones and players are always aware that some notes on any sax will be slightly out of perfect tune and some adjustment on the part of the player is needed. This was not a big problem and surprisingly I found the horn to be well in tune in the altissimo register, I was able to hit notes with great security.

On the whole I was pleasantly surprised by the SX90. Friends of mine have played Keilwerth horns for years, and will not change them for anything. There is plenty of character to their saxophones, not dissimilar to Selmer and that makes them stand out from the crowd.

Keilwerth Main Page