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Forum » Vintage Saxophones » Is this worth pursuing?


by mattsmith2795
(2 posts)
19 years ago

Is this worth pursuing?

Hey, I have recently located in a mates garage (He is moving) a very ancient Beuscher True Tone C Melody Sax serial 17***, it was his Grandad's I belive he does not know nothing about saxes and Im a tenor player but never been into vintage saxes. I looked up the serial and by what is said on a couple of websites it is from abotu 1913-1915 its manafacture date. It is in a fair state of disrepair- needs most of its pads redone and a few dents taken out. It is a silver sax, but has a fair bit of tarnish. He said I could have it for a couple of Hundred bucks, it probably needs close to a complete overhaul. What i was wondering is whether its worth pursuing or will getting work done on it be far too expensive to be worth it. Id just love to have a nice old vintage horn to go with my couple of nice tenors I have. Im sure there are people on here that know much more then me, Ive never been into vintage saxes but saw this and thought wow this could be a find of a lifetime. Thanks a lot Matt

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  2. by SelmerParisPassion
    (59 posts)
    19 years ago

    Re: Is this worth pursuing?

    From my experience, (and many much more educated others :P) the Cuescher C melodies are nice and decent, but the best are the straight neck Conns. I wouldn't invest over 200 bucks in it. You could always sell it on ebay, and make up the difference in buying a Conn. But then, most people are wary of ebay, but I've mostly had a good experience with it, and the deals are worth the chance of getting a "bad" horn, which has never happened to me. Christie J

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  3. by sax_maniac
    (984 posts)
    19 years ago

    Re: Is this worth pursuing?

    If the pads are shot and the horn needs dent work, the horn is worth no more than $100. Once you've paid to have it repadded and repaired, it wouldn't be worth more than you put into it, but it could be a decent player when all is said and done. What else is embossed near the serial number? If it says "H", "HP", or "High Pitched", it's practicality and value are even less. If this thing has been sitting around in his garage and it doesn't have enough sentimental value for him to keep it himself, why would your "friend" charge you for it anyhow? He should give it to you after you help him pack a few boxes.

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    1. by connsaxman_jim
      (2336 posts)
      19 years ago

      Re: Is this worth pursuing?

      I wouldn't want to put that much money into such an old C Melody sax. The Buescher True Tones were better than many others of the time, but the straight neck C Melodys have a much better intonation. There is an abundance of straight neck Conns to be found for less than $300 in good shape. I bought a 1922 Conn New Wonder C Melody last fall off Ebay that was playable for only $322. I did replace a few pads, and I cleaned it and polished it. It looks like brand new now! I bought a new Woodwinds C Melody mouthpiece (There are a few newer mouthpieces available for C Melody) The intonation is much better with this piece and a bass clarinet reed.

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