Endorsed and played by world renowned saxophonist and composer David Liebman, the much anticipated Keilwerth SX-90R Shadow tenor saxophone has finally arrived in our Brisbane store.  To many, the Shadow will be a relatively new voice on the Brisbane saxophone market.  With a black nickel-plated body made from nickel silver, silver-plated keys and sophisticated engravings on the body and bow, this saxophone is uniquely special and absolutely one of a kind.  The Shadow combines the advantages of nickel silver with a black nickel-plated finish to create a completely new sound spectrum. 

Nickel silver assists the changing of frequencies extremely quickly (unlike any other material), which results in a very well-centered and extremely powerful sound with direct response.  I feel that the Shadow’s tone is in fact one of the saxophones best features.  Like the majority of Keilwerth saxophones there is an individuality that is very appealing.  The tone is full, rich in harmonics and has great projection.  The Shadow plays evenly from top to bottom and sounds fantastic. 

The hydraulically formed neck assists in providing precise response and excellent intonation.  I found that the sax responds to the slightest whisper and I could get lots of power with the horn producing wave upon wave of tone colour.  Now, imagine the sound on the bottom end of an older American Martin or Conn, but with more presence and brilliance over all registers of the horn, right up into the altissimo.  With very even overtones there was always a sense of boldness and weight behind the tone.  Even when experimenting with different mouthpieces, the horn easily suits most styles of music. 

The new Keilwerth Shadow has much improved ergonomically optimized action, which in my opinion is a vast improvement on the current SX-90R tenor.  Compared to the standard SX-90R I found the key work to be very fluid, light and responsive and requires minimal effort to get around the horn. 

The RH finger spacing was slightly closer on the Shadow than that of previous Keilwerth models and the table and adjustable palm keys (height and angle) feel great and make for optimum hand positioning.  The Shadow tenor has noticeably cupped pearls (genuine mother of pearl) which held the tips of my fingers nicely.  The horn comes equipped with long lasting waterproof black leather Roo-Pads and metal resonators for improved sound projection and clarity.  Like the standard SX-90R, the Shadow comes with rolled tone holes, which enables greater security against air leaks, a much quieter mechanical action and greater sound emission.  With a reduced weight and high stability, the Shadow is a very special horn really geared towards the individual looking for something extraordinary.

The sax has a distinctive and refreshing look with the contrast between the black nickel plating and the silver-plated keys giving the horn an ethereal look, and although I am a bit of a traditionalist, I like it.  The hand engraving on the Shadow covers most of the saxophone body, bow and bell and is just exquisite.  The horn comes with a quality individual case and good ebonite jazz mouthpiece (no.7).
 
As a saxophonist I have been extremely impressed by the Shadow tenor and I can tell you that this horn will rival any Mark VI or Selmer Reference series that you will find.  There is no doubt that the Shadow will go down in history as a classic.  Like Selmer and the Reference tenor series, Keilwerth has created a huge demand but has not met this with regular supply.  This sax usually isn’t easily available so now is the time to visit Brisbane Brass and Woodwind and check it out for yourself.

  View Ozwinds "Shadow" product page HERE
      
Musically yours,

Alex Fletcher
Saxophone Specialist