Vito is a brand name of Leblanc, started in 1951.
Actually, the trademark for Vito cites 7/23/1958 as the first use in commerce. The place where Vito saxes were originally made is Nogales Arizona at the Best Manufacturing Co under contract. In 1959 Best Mfg. Co went bankrupt closing late that year. Conn bought the plant reopening it in January 1960. Conn ran the plant through 1962 making its own model 50M alongside the Vito model. This is all reported in the various Arizona newspapers from the time period and included in the local business directories.
In 1978 Conn again produced Vito branded saxes In Nogales, Arizona after its return in the late 1960's first under the Artley subsidiary. Then in 1971 with the opening of the first USA manufacturing plant in Nogales Mexico Conn began making saxes. The Mexico sax operation became a parts making only facility in 1978 with instrument manufacturing moving to Nogales, Arizona. This is all reported in the various Arizona newspapers, law suites between LeBlanc/Vito and Conn, and demonstrated in a registry of saxophones of the time period.
History Vito is a brand name for Leblanc USA, now part of Conn-Selmer USA. The Vito name was used for student through professional (Yanagisawa baritone saxophone) instruments. Leblanc USA was formed in 1946 by Vito Pascucci and French woodwind manufacturer G. Leblanc Cie. To meet high demand, Leblanc USA started to manufacture clarinets in the US from plastic bodies and French keys. Eventually all of the parts were made in the US. These student clarinets were named "Vito".
Many, if not all, Vito flutes were "stencil" instruments manufactured in Japan by Yamaha. They were roughly the equivalent of a Yamaha YFL-200 series student instrument.
Some manufacturers of Vito instruments:
Eduard Beaugnier et Cie of Mantes-la-Ville in France, located close to the Henri Selmer Paris factory. Beaugnier made soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones under their own name and also as "stencils" labeled with various other names. These include: 'Leblanc', 'Vito' (comprising the Model 35, Model 37, Model 38 and 'Duke') for export to the USA, 'Noblet' and 'Revere' for the U.S.A and French markets. Beaugnier's 'Besson' and 'Selmer Pennsylvania' stencils were made for export to the United Kingdom. Yanagisawa of Japan - (Vito VSP: Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Baritone Saxophones). These Yanagisawa stencils were marketed in the US as intermediate /professional model horns. Yamaha of Japan (7131 model Alto and also Tenor Saxophones) KHS/Jupiter brand (7133 model Alto and Tenor Saxophones).
Serial numbers
Vito Alto Saxophone Model 7131 Japan Stamped Serial Numbers.
These serial numbers ignore the leading zeros at the start of the serial numbers.
19701-500 1971501-2155 19722156-3529 19733530-4421 19744422-12000 197512001-25603 197625604-30827 197730828-33947 197833948-38844 197938845-42434 198042435-47975 198147976-52455 198252456-58306 198358307-62177 198462178-68524 198568525-72535 198672536-78579 198778580-85091 198885092-89758 198989759-501000 1990501098-510332 1991510333-511518 1992511519-515800 1993515801-519845 1994519846-526925 1995526926-533097 1996533098-537807 1997537808-552998 1998552999-560613 1999560614-575843 2000575842-587455 2001587456-624567 2002624568-654084
Vito Saxophone models Vito 7133SS Soprano Sax Vito 7131R(K) Alto Sax Vito 7133 Alto Sax Vito 7131T(K) Tenor Sax Vito 7133T Tenor Sax Vito 7190BA Baritone Sax Vito 7136 Alto Sax Vito 7140 Alto Sax
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