Saxophone Forum


by Angela
(5 posts)
18 years ago

Wondering what year my Buescher tenor was made

I have a tenor that says BUILT BY BUESCHER, ELKHART IND. - serial number 104xxx and am wondering what year it was made. I was told it was a 1940's, but am confused by serial number lists I've seen. Is it a stencil (not even sure what that means as far as value goes)?

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  1. by Dave Dix
    (421 posts)

    18 years ago

    Re: Wondering what year my Buescher tenor was made

    You cant use the buescher serial number list for stencils . The only way to estimate the age is a guess and previous model lines made by buescher Dave

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    1. by connsaxman_jim
      (2336 posts)

      18 years ago

      Re: Wondering what year my Buescher tenor was made

      On Buescher saxophones, yes you can. Buescher is the only US company I know of that you can, as most of the stencil saxophones did have their own serial number list, but Buescher used the same number sequence for all of their horns, even stencils. According to the source I use, www.drrick.com, your tenor was made in 1922, which would make it a True Tone model. Great horn! Huge sound!

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      1. by Dave Dix
        (421 posts)

        18 years ago

        Re: Wondering what year my Buescher tenor was made

        Is it a split bell key model ? and if it is then Jim is correct. I didn,t know buescher did use the same numbers and this one could answer this. If the bell keys are same sided then it wont be 1922 but Jim is most probably correct Dave

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        1. by Angela
          (5 posts)

          18 years ago

          Re: Wondering what year my Buescher tenor was made

          This is a great horn, rich sounds. I am not a very skilled player (anymore) it's been about 5 years since I've played and unfortunately I have forgotten a lot of parts terms. So forgive me when I ask what split bell key means! I am very interested in finding out more about this horn because since I've started looking into the age it's been a rollercoaster! One thing leads me to believe it's older than I thought, then I find out it's a stencil ( I'm still not quite understanding what that really means). I'll keep it nearby to describe specifics about it if anyone could walk me through what to look for (in simple language!) Thanks everyone. Angela

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        2. by Dave Dix
          (421 posts)

          18 years ago

          Re: Wondering what year my Buescher tenor was made

          Hi Angela , split bell keys means that the low B tone hole and pad are on the left side of the bell and the low Bb pad is on the opposite side . Same sided is the lowB is directly under the low Bb tone hole on the bell . Stencil means the sax was made by one large company for another company with the recieving company putting their name on it rather then the original manufacturer . Yours was made by buescher for elkhart even thou buescher owned elkhart. Conn made horns for hundreds of companies , stencils are usually lesser quality from the main line horns. Please let us know about your bell keys as this is valuable info for dating horns Dave

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        3. by connsaxman_jim
          (2336 posts)

          18 years ago

          Re: Wondering what year my Buescher tenor was made

          I didn't realize that it was an Elkhart horn. The Elkhart horns are unique as far as stencils go. The Elkhart horns were sort of a collaberation between Conn and Buescher, and were made by both companies, which could be why the Elkhart is the only horn I know of that did NOT follow Buescher's serial number sequence. The Elkhart is one of the earliest stencils. The first Elkharts were Wonder stencils, not New Wonder or True Tone. Apparently Conn had a hard time keeping up with production as they were making horns for many companies. Conn offered Buescher a part of the Elkhart line and Buescher began building Elkhart horns in the early 1920's. Conn never used the same number sequence for their stencil horns. In fact, just about every Conn stencil used a different sequence. Many people speculate that stencil horns were numbered and engraved by the company the horns were stenciled for. Other people suggest that the horns are numbered and engraved with the stencil company's engraving in the factory where they were made; which I believe is usually the case. My theory is that some of these horns were engraved in house, while others (stencils) were sent to a subsidiary to be engraved. I suspect that in the case of the Elkhart horn, both the Conn and Elkhart models were engraved by the same company; a company which may have been owned by Conn, who engraved and numbered their stencil horns and the Elkhart horns made by Buescher, and possibly a few others. Again, this is just my theory. Jim

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        4. by Angela
          (5 posts)

          18 years ago

          Re: Wondering what year my Buescher tenor was made

          Thanks Dave. Looks like the low B and Bb tone holes are both on the left side of the bell. Took awhile to figure out because I couldn't remember my fingerings!

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        5. by connsaxman_jim
          (2336 posts)

          18 years ago

          Re: Wondering what year my Buescher tenor was made

          Amy chance you could send me a picture Angela? I would like to see it. Also, is it silver plated or lacquered? I'm still thinking Buescher True Tone stencil, but I could be wrong.

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        6. by Angela
          (5 posts)

          18 years ago

          Re: Wondering what year my Buescher tenor was made

          Well I don't have the equipment to get pictures of my horn online but there is a horn on ebay right now that looks very similar including the case. Item #7374075310 (going for a whopping $26!) I emailed the seller to get the serial # on it: 97389, 21A. So older than mine? I suppose the easiest thing to do would be to take it to someone to look at, but if it's a $20 horn, I don't want to pay to do that! I'm also unsure who to take it to (I'm in the Minneapolis area). Thanks so much for you're help!

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        7. by Sax Mom
          (964 posts)

          18 years ago

          Re: Wondering what year my Buescher tenor was made

          If you're in the Minneapolis area, I would take it to Schmitt Music. Call first and ask which location is best.

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        8. by johnsonfromwisconsin
          (767 posts)

          18 years ago

          Re: Wondering what year my Buescher tenor was made

          Personally, I've never thought much of Schmitt Music. They do all repair work offsite as far as I can tell (can't meet the tech to assertain competence) and they wouldn't let me try out mouthpieces without purchasing them first. Their selection of woodwinds is also depressingly sparse.

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        9. by Angela
          (5 posts)

          18 years ago

          Re: Wondering what year my Buescher tenor was made

          Schmitt is actually where I got the horn. I had a friend that worked there and found out they had it in the repair shop (at their big warehouse location in Brooklyn Center they do some repairs on-site). I traded in my student line Yamaha alto (about an 8 year old horn at the time) for it, because I needed a tenor, and thought I was getting a really good deal. So they were the ones who originally told me it was a 40's horn (sold to me as "a 1940's vintage Buescher"). I decided to look into it more because I wasn't too sure about how much they actually knew about vintage horns (my experience with Schmitt hasn't been the greatest either). It's been good getting all of this helpful info from everyone. I'm kind of getting into playing again for the first time in a couple years. I'm thinking about bringing it in to replace the pads and get it into better playing condition.

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        10. by Sax Mom
          (964 posts)

          18 years ago

          Re: Wondering what year my Buescher tenor was made

          I don't go to Schmitt much anymore, because I no longer live where one is convenient. I liked the guys when they were in Fargo, but there's been a lot of turnover since I lived there. My current tech lives in Owatonna, south of the Twin Cities a ways. I'm very satisfied with his work, and don't need to drive further. And it sounds like they're probably not as good as they used to be...

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        11. by Dave Dix
          (421 posts)

          18 years ago

          Re: Wondering what year my Buescher tenor was made

          I am thinking its an aristocrat stencil with the elk engraved on the bell which would be after 1935. Dave

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        12. by Dave Dix
          (421 posts)

          18 years ago

          Re: Wondering what year my Buescher tenor was made

          After looking at that one i would say yours is indeed a 40's made horn made by buescher for their student line , thou, a student line from the 40's is well made and better then most made nowadays Dave

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