Karel Goetghebeur

"Key Leaves are mandatory for my clients. They get them with every sax they buy. My rentals too. I saw a saxophone of a client that plays a lot [and uses Key Leaves care products] and when he had his yearly check up his pads looked like I just cleaned them.” - Karel Goetghebeur (Saxophonist, Repair Tech, Founder & Managing Director of Adolphe Sax & Cie®)

Belgian saxophone maker, player and repair technician Karel Goetghebeur wanted to play the saxophone ever since he was 4 years old and tried to play music on a borrowed sax from a friend of his parents. He never truly believed in the school system and that’s why he ended with no degree at 19 and left to do some volunteer work in Israel. After he came back to Belgium, he had a few negative experiences at music schools and so he decided to learn how to play by himself, at the age of 27! Unfortunately he had an accident with his motorbike and since that moment he could not play anymore. That was the moment when he decided to build saxophones.

Karel started to study the mechanic of the saxophones, how they work. He went to Taiwan, made a contract with a saxophone factory, made a lot of work, ended his full-time job and started working full-time on saxophones. Unfortunately in 2011, shortly after this decision, Taiwan broke his contract and he had to stand on his own feet.

September 2012 Karel decided to revive the first saxophone brand in the world "Adolphe Sax & cie". He is now producing since 2013, constantly looking for new techniques and methods, keeping prices low and offering instruments all made in Belgium!

Karel Goetghebeur's distinctive designs and saxophone innovations inspire players and carry on the finest tradition of Belgian saxophone making.

AdolpheSax.be

Bio info adapted from VisitBruges.be