Rare Bottali Brevetto Tenor Rothphone in Silver Plate

We currently have a Bottali Brevetto Tenor Rothphone in Silver Plate in the shop.

Even for those of us who spend all day working on vintage brass and woodwinds, seeing a rothphone in person is a rare treat. For anyone unfamiliar with them, these were developed in Italy by Antonio Bottali in the early 20th century. The goal was pretty practical for the time: Italian military bands wanted the dark, double-reed voice of an oboe or bassoon outdoors, but they wanted it in a durable brass body with keywork that a saxophonist could play without having to relearn their fingerings.

A few notes from the bench on this specific horn:

• Design: It takes a double reed at the neck, but the body is wrapped into a narrow, vertical layout with keywork that feels right at home if you play tenor sax.

• Condition: The original silver plate on this one has held up remarkably well. Seeing the body tubes and tone holes in this clean of shape on a horn this age is always satisfying.

• Mechanics: The keywork is compact and surprisingly straightforward to set up. Bottali did a great job translating saxophone ergonomics to a narrow conical double-reed body.

• Tone: It has a distinct voice—darker and reedy like a bassoon, but with the extra projection and core you get from a brass body.

Instruments like this don't come along often. Most of them ended up in museum display cases or private collections years ago, so having a silver-plated Bottali tenor sitting on the bench is definitely a highlight for the shop.

If you want to check out the full photo gallery and specs, we have the listing up on the site:

Check out the Bottali Brevetto Tenor Rothphone in Silver Plate

If you have any technical questions about it, drop a comment and we'll get back to you!