A visually striking saxophone with a huge, full‑bodied sound

Created to celebrate Julius Keilwerth’s 100th anniversary, the Shadow soprano is one of the most admired models in the SX90R range. Renowned for both its dramatic appearance and its rich, powerful tone, this is a truly special saxophone.

Powerful Sound, Exceptional Playability

This is a truly special instrument in every respect — appearance, response, feel and sound. The SX90R Shadow soprano delivers a big, room‑filling tone with an impressive dynamic range, thanks to Keilwerth’s distinctive body tube design and large bore.

The Shadow series is constructed from solid nickel silver as the base metal, then finished in black nickel plating. This combination is key to the Shadow’s signature sound: broad, bold and unmistakably powerful, with excellent projection and depth.

Like all SX90R models, the keywork is of outstanding quality. The fully silver‑plated keys and mechanism are smooth, precise and responsive, while black mother‑of‑pearl key touches add a refined finishing touch. Adjustable palm keys — a hallmark of the SX90 range — allow for enhanced comfort and customisation.

Striking Aesthetic Design

Visually, the Shadow soprano is simply stunning.
Sparkling silver‑plated keys contrast beautifully against the deep black nickel body, complemented by matching black Pro Pads by Pisoni and elegant engraving. It’s an instrument that looks every bit as impressive as it sounds.

A Trusted Heritage

Julius Keilwerth has a long and respected history of crafting high‑quality saxophones. The development of the SX90R range — in collaboration with renowned saxophonist Peter Ponzol — marked a significant step forward for the brand, attracting world‑class players such as Dave Liebman and Ernie Watts.

Features

Material: Nickel Silver

Finish: Black Nickel / Silver Plating

Case: Keilwerth Custom ‘saxmover’ Case

Mouthpiece: Keilwerth Ebonite mouthpiece Included

Made in: Germany

Key Touches: Mother of Pearl

Neck: None - one piece design!

Tone: Huge, bright, powerful

Engraving: Extremely impressive and covering both sax & crook

Pads: Pisoni black pads

Key Arms: Single

Free Professional Set Up & Free Check over within a Year

STAFF REVIEW

I was very excited to play test this new soprano prior to shooting a YouTube video on it - I wanted to see whether the notoriously spread sound of the top-end Keilwerth also applies to this new Shadow soprano.  I am pleased to tell you that it does!  

Keilwerth as a brand has a long history of making saxophones and I love the fact they have carved their own unique path in terms of sound identity that differs from the traditional Selmer-style that most manufacturers go for.  Big, broad and bold is the name of the game – in some ways it’s almost reminiscent of the American sax brands in the Golden Age of manufacturing; the difference is that Keilwerth also bring a contemporary edge to the party; the Shadow not only has the breadth of sound, but it also has power and projection, allowing it to work in any modern setting.  With the extra width of sound does come an additional resistance – some may prefer the generally more free-blowing nature of Yanagisawas or Yamahas from this standpoint, but others will happily work with this added resistance if it means they can achieve a standout tone!

Jim Cheek