Description

DEG Classic sax-shaped Bb trumpet. Lacquer SN#  C2712 in the original hard case, but without mouthpiece. Overall condition is excellent, I dare say MINT.   Pistons show no wear, and compression is excellent and the horn is a pleasure to play. In addition to the regular tuning slide, this model has a tuning bell, which is very handy for when you need to remove the pistons to oil them. Take any standard trumpet Shank Mouthpiece and the bell accepts standard sized mutes.

The DEG “Classic” Sax-Shaped Trumpet is an incredibly rare, vintage novelty brass instrument manufactured in the early 1970s. Often referred to by collectors as a “jazzophone” or “saxotrumpet,” it is structurally a standard \(B\flat\) trumpet wrapped in the physical profile of an alto saxophone. Your specific serial number (C27xx) places your instrument near the tail end of this highly limited production run.

• Manufacturer: DEG Music Products Company, founded in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin by Donald E. Getzen in 1964.
• Acoustics: Pitched in standard \(B\flat\), utilizing standard trumpet fingerings and a conventional trumpet mouthpiece.
• The Detachable Bell: To allow access to the three piston valves for maintenance and oiling, the upper saxophone-style bell section is completely detachable via a stop screw. The bell can also be twisted slightly to adjust the orientation of the sound projection.
• Tuning: It features a standard tuning slide loop near the back curve, though the telescoping bell neck can also be used to fine-tune the pitch.
• Rarity: According to accounts attributed to Donald Getzen himself, the total number produced was exceptionally small, with some estimates citing fewer than 50 units ever built. Known surviving serial numbers typically fall into a tight range between C22xx and C26xx/C27xx.

• Playability: While they sound surprisingly clean (somewhere between a standard trumpet and a cornet), they are primarily treated as showpieces, gig novelty items, or conversation starters

Even amongst trumpet players there is some confusion about the DEG/Getzen connection. This is what the current Getzen website says about the history of these two separate companies:

What is the relationship of DEG to Getzen?

DEG was founded by Donald Getzen, shortly after he left the Getzen Company in 1965. At that time, a business relationship between DEG and Allied Music began. Allied Music, owned and operated by Bob Getzen, produced several different instruments including bugles and trumpets under the DEG name for many years. This relationship ended shortly before the Getzen Company was purchased back by the Getzen family in the late 1990’s. Due to the closeness of the two companies, it is a common misconception that DEG instruments are the same as Getzen instruments. This is not the case. Product and management wise, the two companies were and are very separate and different.

Source: Getzen’s FAQ page

Unfortunately there is very little information about DEG available, and I was unable to find a listing of their previously-produced instruments. That said, I was able to locate enough information to determine that in the 1980s, DEG decided to produce some saxophone-shaped trumpets. Unlike the Jazzophons and Normaphons of the 1920s, which tended to have longer bodies and necks, as well as bells that pointed out towards the audience, these DEG “Classic” sax-shaped trumpets appear to be more compact. Besides being regular Bb trumpets in saxophone-shaped bodies, their bells point more upwards.