If you want to see some amazing old / transition instruments there is a great museum in Oxford called the Bate collection. It's free to go in and you can take photos. I was staggered at the evolution of such things as the oboes, flutes , and they have keyed flageolets with two chambers, a family of 'oons! and sub bass tubas, alpenhorns - you name it!
as a player of C-mel saxes, I think the big problem is that the mouthpieces are no longer made ,and the old ones are'nt the normal reed size. It's also strange that although you'd think they'd be ideal for folk tunes they dont go down to low A and the highest notes are difficult to blow, so I bounce between octaves.