Here, yet another in a line of reliably great 140-something thousand altos. These 140k medium bow altos are probably the best, most versatile players they ever made for altos. The earlier 5 digit medium bow altos are also great but not quite as loud and cutting as these. I have had a number of these from 139-149k and I have yet to play one that was not great.
This 148xxx is a player’s horn, not a museum piece. It has lived, had some dents, dings and scratches and lacquer wear. The pads are old and will need attention but it is a serious player with a thick, projecting sound. It is very aggressive and bright enough, not not shrill. Wide enough but not overly spread. it is going to be amazing with some pad tweaking or a complete setup as you choose. All original lacquer and US engraving.