Saxophone Forum


by barisaxalpha
(9 posts)
8 years ago

The Buescher 157 Aristocrat

Since I got my '68 "400" bari sax some 13 years ago, I've been a big fan of the Buescher saxes. I love the way they play. They're reasonably comfortable in my big hands (I'm not a fan of Selmer-style keywork). And I love watching all of the design variations as different Bueschers cross my repair bench. I've got a 300XXX Big B alto and a 361XXX post-TH&C "400" alto. Of the two, I much prefer the "400." For years, I've been looking for a tenor to match. Of course, it had to be the right price and since I'm not a pro player, I have a hard time justifying to myself putting down the cash on a TH&C that could otherwise be in much more skilled hands. 

Right about a year ago, I got a call from a friend saying that he'd acquired a 157 Aristocrat Tenor (358XXX) in original Satin-Silver Plate with Goldwash bell. From all of the pics I've seen and horns I've compared, I concluded that the 141/157 are very nearly the same type of instruments as the post-TH&C "400s." (I'm still working on gathering measurements from various instruments, so I can't say that they ARE the same. But they're definitely very similar.)

The horn in question had previously belonged to a church in south Alabama and had some bell and body damage, a nearly worn-through strap ring, as well as a badly split neck. The price was right and I like a challenge, so I got the horn from my friend as well as an old "400" neck and the teardrop strap ring from a junker horn.

It's taken a year, working in fits and spurts around daily life in the repair shop, but the horn is finally up and playing and BOY does she play. I had in my head an idea of how I thought she would sound, but have always wondered if she'd sound that way or completely different. Truly, it worried me that my expectations would be all wrong. Gratefully, the 157 is EXACTLY what I imagined she'd be. She sounds exactly as I thought she would and is the sound I've been looking for on tenor. She blows easily and in tune from top to bottom. Here's what I've got to say about the sound (keep in mind that this is opinion and the mystical terms that I use to characterize what I hear from behind the horn may be different from the terms that you, the reader may use):

To my ears, the sound is very warm, much like the 156 'crats that I've played. The 157 is easier to push to higher volumes, much like the "400" TH&C and has quite a bit of its edge, though isn't really as bright. I find the 157 to be quite focused (I imagine the sound leaving the horn in a single direction) whereas the "400" is more...spread, we'll say spread (I imagine the sound leaving the horn more like a cloud). Also, blowing overtones and multiphonics is very easy.

I A-B-C'd the 157 against the 156 Big B and the "400" TH&C that we have in the Saxquest museum and the above paragraph characterizes the differences/similarities that I heard. 

To my ears, the 157 'crat is the best of both worlds of the 156 and the "400." Warm, but powerful. Focused with a bit of edge. 

Have some sexy before and after pics (though please excuse the cell phone image quality, my wife took her camera our of town with her). Sadly, silly 2015 me didn't think to take "before" photos of the original 'crat neck. I'll try to get some after pics of it once I recork it and get it adjusted to the horn. Soon, I'm going to try to take some comparison pics of the keywork and whatnots between the 156, 157 and "400."

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