Cosby's Sax
The Motown Museum, founded in 1985 by Esther Gordy Edwards, celebrates the music, musicians, producers, and other figures of Motown. Located on the Motown Mile in Detroit, the museum houses a number of exhibits, provides guided tours that detail the history of some of the most famous music ever created and showcases artifacts and memorabilia from the time.
In late 2024 the museum began development of an exhibit celebrating Henry Cosby. Cosby was a Motown songwriter, musician, and producer who played a pivotal role in the growth of the record label and co-wrote multiple No. 1 hits. Among other instruments, Cosby played the tenor saxophone. He played the saxophone on Martha Reeve’s “Dancing in the Street”, The Supremes’ “Baby Love” and “Come See about Me”, Marvin Gaye’s “Can I get a Witness” and many more hits.
Because his Bundy tenor saxophone is no longer in his family’s possession the museum commissioned Thingsmiths to recreate a full-scale model of the Bundy sax that Cosby owned. Using photos and files as reference, Thingsmiths 3D modelled, 3D printed, and assembled the saxophone. Relying on the guidance of the museum’s Digital Archive Tech, Dr. Karen Fox, our team was able to capture all details of the saxophone that will soon be on display at the museum.
This saxophone model is made of 117 constituent parts. Excluding the silver rods that attach to the sax, every part was 3D printed, post-processed, painted, and assembled. By splitting the model into subcomponents our production manager was able to optimize each print for appearance and function.
