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Sax on the Web Archive / Buffet Archive / Old Evette Schaeffer

basil b
User ID: 0004344 Jan 28th 12:56 PM
This alto seems to be quite old It has the Name stamped vertically on the side of the bell, which has split tone holes. Just says Evette Schaeffer Buffet Crampion Paris. It's in the shop so I don't have the serial number. My tech says he's never seen one like it, he thinks it's a Buffet. Anyone know for sure?

satb
User ID: 1007814 Jan 30th 3:13 AM
I believe these ended production around 1920, and ran from about 1895. Does your have 2 octave keys? I bought and on-sold (misled by the seller) a tenor from about 1907. It was originally silver and had no pearls on the buttons. If you look a bit further on this site (see note elsewehere re Couesnon and Dolnet from about a week ago) you will see there is a member of this forum who has a site with lots of pics and info about these saxes. Although one company bought the other (not sure which way round), it was the later Buffet saxes which are generally of any interest or value to a player, and I believe the Evette Schaeffer name was dropped by then. I have to say I don't know what you mean by split tone holes though!

Bones
User ID: 1307164 Jan 30th 3:19 PM
Evette Schaeffer purchased Buffet. Even though Evette Schaeffer had the reputation for building fantastic saxes - they continued the Buffet name as their premier line afterwards. The old Evette's are fantastic vintage instruments. The automatic octave key was an extra cost option. I also have a silver soprano with two octave keys.

paulwl
User ID: 0909594 Jan 30th 10:35 PM
Evette had a neat feature in those days called the Apogee System, which consisted of extra right hand levers to allow you to bypass the left pinky fingerings for the bell notes.

A professor of my acquaintance happened onto an Evette sopranino that was a bit older and lacked not only the Apogee keys, but any notes above C# (making it more or less a soprano with some bottom end missing). We promptly dubbed this the "Perigee System."

basil b
User ID: 0004344 Jan 31st 4:08 PM
Thanks for all the info, I've been able to narrow it down to either an Apogee, or a Series IV probably made between 1917 and 1924. Any Ideas on value?

stevew
User ID: 7399413 Feb 1st 3:15 AM
http://www.saxpics.com/buffet/index.htm

This might help with ID. I paid just over $500 US IIRC for the Evette Schaeffer tenor, and managed to sell it on at a small profit.

There is some interest in the Apogee models, though and there was one on ebay a couple of months back.

basil b
User ID: 0004344 Feb 19th 4:04 PM
Update to this post, I had some pads put in and a minor tune up and this sound really nice. The keywork is a little awkward, but the tone is there!

basil b User ID: 0004344	Jan 28th 12:56 PM This alto seems to be quite old It has the Name stamped vertically on the side of the bell, which has split tone holes. Just says Evette Schaeffer Buffet Crampion Paris. It's in the shop so I don't have the serial number. My tech says he's never seen one like it, he thinks it's a Buffet. Anyone know for sure?
satb User ID: 1007814	Jan 30th 3:13 AM I believe these ended production around 1920, and ran from about 1895. Does your have 2 octave keys? I bought and on-sold (misled by the seller) a tenor from about 1907. It was originally silver and had no pearls on the buttons. If you look a bit further on this site (see note elsewehere re Couesnon and Dolnet from about a week ago) you will see there is a member of this forum who has a site with lots of pics and info about these saxes. Although one company bought the other (not sure which way round), it was the later Buffet saxes which are generally of any interest or value to a player, and I believe the Evette Schaeffer name was dropped by then. I have to say I don't know what you mean by split tone holes though!
Bones User ID: 1307164	Jan 30th 3:19 PM Evette Schaeffer purchased Buffet. Even though Evette Schaeffer had the reputation for building fantastic saxes - they continued the Buffet name as their premier line afterwards. The old Evette's are fantastic vintage instruments. The automatic octave key was an extra cost option. I also have a silver soprano with two octave keys.
paulwl User ID: 0909594	Jan 30th 10:35 PM Evette had a neat feature in those days called the Apogee System, which consisted of extra right hand levers to allow you to bypass the left pinky fingerings for the bell notes. A professor of my acquaintance happened onto an Evette sopranino that was a bit older and lacked not only the Apogee keys, but any notes above C# (making it more or less a soprano with some bottom end missing). We promptly dubbed this the "Perigee System."
basil b User ID: 0004344	Jan 31st 4:08 PM Thanks for all the info, I've been able to narrow it down to either an Apogee, or a Series IV probably made between 1917 and 1924. Any Ideas on value?
stevew User ID: 7399413	Feb 1st 3:15 AM http://www.saxpics.com/buffet/index.htm This might help with ID. I paid just over $500 US IIRC for the Evette Schaeffer tenor, and managed to sell it on at a small profit. There is some interest in the Apogee models, though and there was one on ebay a couple of months back.
basil b User ID: 0004344	Feb 19th 4:04 PM Update to this post, I had some pads put in and a minor tune up and this sound really nice. The keywork is a little awkward, but the tone is there!