by Mike Krechevsky
(Half Moon Bay, CA USA)
I have an Eastlake Silver Sonic Super 20 Tenor Serial Number 4331xx. It's a great player and still features the engraved key cups; Double armed low C; Underslung octave. Neck is single socket.
I show a serial number range from 1960 to 1965 of
406501 - 457600 which appears to be about 10,000 horns per year. In reading King history it appears the Eastlake plant was opened in 1964.
A lot of Cleveland inventory and personnel moved to Eastlake in 1964. So early Eastlake's were pretty identical to the last Cleveland's. Very high quality horns. (I also own a 1949 Super 20 a very fine horn with a darker more spread tone)
My question: Based on serial numbers, do we know when the Eastlake Saxophones began to change in overall build design and quality from the Cleveland horns. Or conversely, at what point the Eastlake horns ceased to be identical to the last of the Cleveland horns?