Contact Info for Winslow ligatures? Are they still around?

[Michael]

Would anyone happen to have contact info. for the maker of Winslow ligatures? Is the guy who made them even still making them? Wasn’t there something going on where an order was going to be placed for them for several members, did it ever happen? I wanted to get my hands on one, have been wanting one for some time. I know Saxxas ligatures produces a replica of this ligature, but would prefer to buy from the original maker. Thanks for your help–we just got back from our all-night fishing trip today, went great and it’s a good thing we went when we did, because now it’s pouring rain outside LOL

[Anonymous]

best time for fishing – when its raining?

[john]

Hey Michael, yes I talked to Winslow a while back and he seemed ok to put together a big order for me with a slight discount for my membership site. after I set up the page a bunch of members signed up to get a lig but when I phoned him to put it through he changed his mind. I couldn’t really understand it, it was all a little weird cause when I asked what’s the problem he told me a few stories about some online guys and dealers ripping him off. I know this is true because I saw a couple sites advertising his lig for over $200 and he sells em for around 90-100.
The saxxas guy is getting around his patend by slightly modifying some things (and selling it for much more than Winlow’s original) so he can’t do anything about him but he’s not happy about it.
Anyway, he’s an older guy (doesn’t even have a computer) and I think he just didn’t want to go thru with my deal cause he thought I was somehow going to rip him off too. so I told him to check me out online and see that I was legit but since he didn’t have a computer bla bla bla.
It just got to be too difficult cause I phoned him twice and didn’t want to keep bugging him.

So, at this point I’m starting to think I may call him again and see if he’s had a change of heart. the other thing is he’s a one man operation so when we order multiple ligs it kinda freaks him out.I’ll have to look up his # again…I’m pretty sure there a post or 2 here with it and you can always call him yourself cause ordering just one might not be a problem at all. If you don’t go thru with it I’ll let you know If I swing something which you can get on board if it happens.

[Michael]

@ Johnny: Thanks Johnny for the info. I’m going to start looking into it tomorrow to see what I can find. On a side note, I forgot to mention in my post above (was running out the door getting ready to run errands) that for this past Monday’s lesson my Instructor let me try his set up just for fun’s sake at the end of our lesson and he has the Winslow Ligature on his MP. He uses an Otto Link, Java Green reeds size 3 and a King Cleveland Tenor Sax. He’s had it for quite some time and is very protective/sentimental about it too 🙂 Your Altissimo fingerings work on every single Sax I have ever tried, so I can now say the same for another Sax 🙂 I hit them on his Sax with no problems at all. The Otto Link is a very good MP, nice fat/round sound. To me, when I played it for the few minutes that he let me, what I heard was that old jazz sound that was so popular during the 1960s, kind of like a Ben Webster type of sound is how I would describe it but at the same time had a great “buzz” to it when you really played loud and he said that’s where the Winslow really helps. I couldn’t believe how well the reed vibrated, it was AMAZING. I’m using the Francois Louis Ultimate Ligature right now, very good ligature to say the least. But after getting a taste for the Winslow…boy oh boy 🙂
Now here’s the funny thing: He let me put his MP/Reed set up and put it on my Trevor James SR Tenor and tried it: the core sound was almost exactly the same as it was on his King Cleveland. He took the opportunity to re-iterate that 90% of our sound comes from the MP/reed set up and that’s why he tells students to not get wrapped up into thinking that you have to have the most expensive Sax on the Market. In working with a pro like this and the things that he has started to get me to do, I have become a TRUE believer that your $ will be much more well spent on a good MP/reed/ligature, a decent/solid Sax and weekly Sax lessons with a qualified instructor v.s. worrying about having a Selmer Mark 6…please don’t missunderstand me Johnny about that, I know you have the Selmer Mark 6 and I’m jealous too LOL His point to me is that it’s the player behind the Saxophone that matters. No, I won’t be switching to an Otto Link or anything like that–he has me on Ebonite MPs and in all sincerity, I told him I don’t know if I’ll ever play with metal MPs and he told me I have no reason to feel ashamed about it; lots of great players play on them so I shouldn’t let it concern me.
@ Sxpoet: Sorry for the long post above 🙂 Catfishing, and fishing in general, can be awesome before a storm moves in. We got in and out of the river just in time because the rain moved into earlier today and it’s going to be raining here almost constantly till Friday.

[john]

ya the old King Cleveland, first sax I ever owned. it was the sax that made it happen for my first 2 struggling years… took me from sounding like a sick duck to getting hired for my first gigs. can’t compare the construction of it to a selmer but I’ve always said the same thing as your instructor; the sax is not the most important part of the puzzle, just needs to be good and in perfect playing condition.
For beginners reading this, it doesn’t mean you can get a cheap 200$ china-made sax that doesn’t play in tune and then expect to do well as long as you buy a great mouthpiece and practice hard. there are some below-average horns that are literally not play-able. So, when we talk about a good enough sax it means a decent student model or higher made by a reputable company.
Actually, during the first 1-2 years I wouldn’t worry about any of this too much, just a good enough horn with one of the mouthpieces that I, and other pros and teachers recommend, along with a soft, good quality cane reed. The only other thing you have to do is put in good quality time blowing the darn thing!

[paddy jordan]

i spoke to Winslow a few months back he is a real cool guy , but he is very old school with business but still just as passionate.i found him a pleasure to do business with, he asked me to make a paper ligature of the mouthpiece i wanted the ligature making for so popped in a envelope with what ever dollars it was can’t remember exactly but it wasn’t to much, and a couple of weeks later a lovely Winslow ligature arrived that day was the last time i used my francois louis,which i would say was the best ligature i had tried until up until then.The Winslow is in its own league.
MADISON ENTERPRISES LTD
P.O BOX 8434
MADISON WI 53708-8434
WISCONSIN
TEL 608 241-1124

[Michael]

@ Paddy: You are the man, thanks much! 🙂 I’m going to call him here in the next day or so. Just so that I have a heads up in case he asks me to do the same thing, could you/someone clarify for me what does making a paper ligature of the Mouthpiece mean? I’m probably reading that wrong or something LOL I share your same thoughts about the Winslow being superior to the Francois Louis. As you know, the Francois Louis is a great, great ligature. But man, with the Winslow it seems like the harder I pushed from my diaphragm, the more I would get the reed to go “zzzzz” and buzz/vibrate, I was hooked 🙂
@ Johnny: He’s had the King Cleveland for years and it’s like a sentimental thing to him, but I thought it was a super-cool Sax, pretty funky 🙂 I didn’t want to make it sound like cheap Chinese-made horns would do the trick about buying a Sax, thanks for clearing that up for everyone. But what he’s strongly against is players thinking that having the most expensive Sax on the market is the key to sounding good and it’s just not. He always tells us it’s the player behind the Sax that makes all the difference. He has seen my Selmer Bundy Tenor and said Bundys are great all-around Saxophones and Bundy Saxophones have been around for many years. He also highly recommends to students the Selmer AS-500 Alto Sax and the Yamaha YAS-23 as well as the YAS-32–I think I got those models right in my mind that he mentioned, don’t quote me on the exact model if I got a letter/number wrong LOL Said they were great Saxophones for great prices, pair them up with a high-quality MP/reed/ligature and rock-solid technique and you’re good to go for years to come. He did say my Trevor James SR Tenor was far superior to the Bundy and loves the Signature Custom Alto. He had heard about Trevor James but being here in the South no one has them. So he tried mine…I think I wet is appetite LOL It kind of shocked me a couple of weeks ago when I met one of his other students who asked me what I was using and I showed him my Saxophones and the guy asked me why I was using ‘no-name’ Saxophones. I was like “What?!?” So I let him try them too….he changed his opinion and hopefully he learned a lesson to give a Sax a chance before you go saying something like that.

[paddy jordan]

Hi Michael
making a paper ligature is quite simple cut a strip off paper about an inch wide wrap it around the mouthpiece with the reed in place then tape it to hold it together, you then have what amounts to a paper ligature maybe just mark the top and bottom and i also made it clear where the back was and where the tip was.its a bit of a fiddle it took me a couple of goes . When you talk to Winslow he will explain anyway just make sure your not dashing any where when you phone him he does like to chat!

[Michael]

@ Paddy–If I’m reading it right, seems pretty simple. Does it end up looking something like a paper bracelet when it done? You know, those fun art/craft types of things kids make and put them around their wrists? Sounds like I would need to send it to him in a small case or something to avoid it being crushed in the mail or something. If I’m reading you wrong, then could you make a quick how-to video to either post here on Johnny’s forum or e-mail it to me? My e-mail is baboon4215@gmail.com. You are awesome Paddy!

[paddy jordan]

hi Michael yes its just like one of those kids wrist bands, if you have done i correctly you should be able to carefully take it on and off the mouthpiece with reed in place, just like you would a real ligature, i just sent the one i made i flat in a envelope, i can’t make a video because i don’t have anything to record with at the moment soon as i do i shall start posting some stuff. But any way Winslow will go through it with you he is real laid back you will like him.

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