Yep, that's my saxophone. It's a 1938 C.G. Conn model 30M Connqueror, that mom bought me in 1993 after high school because (I think) I begged her. I had been playing on a bright orange student model Vito, and people had started asking me at school when I was getting a real horn. It was sitting in Portland Music on 3rd avenue, with a price tag of $1800. When we said we'd buy it they immediately took another $200 off the price, which apparently is just something about the way Portland Music does business. I don't really understand it. In 2001 or so, I got a big bonus from M.E.B. where I worked and gave mom back $2000, the idea being it was paying her back for this plus interest. The funny thing is, she gave us $2000 for our honeymoon. Gee I wonder where she came up with that figure.

And by the way, this kind of horn is now worth as much as $2800 if it's in good condition. So it was an investment!

Anyway, I've been playing recently, after not playing really since 1998'ish. I got the horn repadded by the very same Portland music branch that sold it to me, which is now on NE 25th and Broadway, and I've been taking lessons here and there, practicing, going to and even playing at the occasional jam session in town, and I'm now signed up for a big band group on thursdays that should have a performance in early to mid november, and rehearses tonight.

I took this picture and another one because of all the things this 1938 saxophone does well, ergonomics is not one of them. The hook midway down on it is for the thumb, and it's fixed in place. Well, turns out, there is much better technology for one's right thumb than that nowadays, and I wanted a new piece there, but I would have to have the existing hook removed. Someone online had some advice for me, and I took these pictures and linked it for him so he knew what I was dealing with.

I'm probably going to have some work done in order to upgrade that thumb hook to a Forza Thumbrest, invented by some guy in the Netherlands:

http://www.tonkooiman.com/Forza%20hoofd%20pag.htm

Another thing that's changed in the time that I wasn't playing (as many as 8 years?) is, there's really a ton of stuff online about jazz, saxophones, music, etc, and I really appreciate that. I came across a forum recently that's nothing but saxophone topics. Then, I found that this really big-name mouthpiece maker posts there. His name is Phil Barone, out of New York City, and he does work for some really big names, and knows and talks to musicians like Sonny Rollins and Ravi Coltrane, and is a funny and interesting poster. Here is an absolute gem of a post that he made, in my opinion, about lots of different things:

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showpost.php?p=346811&postcount=8

Anyway, I'm having fun, and trying to learn.