F.E. Olds & Son
"Parisian" Tenor Sax

Engraving Reads:

PARISIAN
MADE IN FRANCE
EXPRESSLY FOR
F.E. OLDS & SON
LOS ANGELES, CALIF

Serial Number 219xx

SOLD - Jan. '09

You can check out an Olds 'Parisian' alto that I also have for sale.

Very Fine condition. No dents and scantest of dings. Few scratches, some light playwear.
Original lacquer.
Fresh overhaul with selmer-style brown nylon resonators.

August 2008 - A young tenor-player from New York came in and kindly test-played a bunch of my tenors.
Here's what he had to say about the Parisian:
-- Easy slide from low C# to Bb
-- Fruit juicy Lester goodness
-- Really easy low register
-- Wide sound
-- Great Intonation, even up high

This sax was manufactured by Pierret after their flagship model "Competition" of the early 1950s.
As far as one can tell only the keyguard feet differ from the Competition, besides the (improved!) left hand pinkie cluster.
This solidly built model, with very good intonation and power throughout, attracted the attention of Santy Runyon who had Pierret stencil a few hundred altos and tenors with his name.
As you can see the major differences between the Santy Runyon horn and the Parisian lie only in the LH pinkie plateau and the fact the bell keys on the opposite side of the horn. Until recently, these horns have been mistaken -- probably due to their solidity and tone qualities -- with SMLs, another famous French manufacturer who stenciled for several brands including King.

This particular Parisian tenor appears to belong to an early lot marketed by Olds, whereas its sequel, the Parisian Ambassador was somewhat simplified, (e.g. lighter gauge brass was used for the body, posts instead of strong brackets in places, plastic buttons instead of mother of pearl) with the exception of the engraving which became more elaborate.
Compared to the later 'Ambassador' horns, this earlier 'Parisian' is a sturdier, professional model

This tenor has been freshly overhauled because the original pads had dried out; it had been sitting in a time capsule during several decades.

Original lacquer on the body and nickel plate on the keys is 95+% present. The horn has one or two minute dings.
There's a little nickel loss on the back of the A key in the upper stack...also the E key in the lower stack.
There is some darkening of the lacquer on the body, below the neckstrap ring.
The bell brace is slightly dented into the bell. And there is some 'crazing' of the lacquer here and there.
The end of the neck brace nearest the tenon shows signs of being resoldered. But the neck has never been pulled down and is in great shape. All very minor stuff.

While its ergonomics are reminiscent of the pre-Mark VI era (very similar in feel to a Balanced Action), its tone and power relate to other vintage French manufacturers such as Buffet, Couesnon and SML as pointed out above. After playing this tenor, one understands why Pierret was, until the 1940s, the brand of choice of top sax players in France such as Marcel Mule.

Even the case for this sax is lovely...very good condition.
However, the interior partion with the lid has seperated from the sidewall in one place.