paulwl
03-21-2003, 04:01 AM
If you go back to the Buescher area on the old, nonsearchable SOTW Forum (if you still can!...:?:), you'll see a few of us speculating freely on just when the various sax models phased in "New Aristocrat" features like Norton Springs and changes in keywork.
We had it pretty much nailed down to #263,xxx for altos (1931), #265,xxx for tenors (1932), and "never" for sopranos, C-melodies or basses, which took on the Aristocrat trade dress without changing any design features to speak of.
That left baritones. Well, now comes a very interesting horn to eBay that you'd think was surely the last of the True-Tone baris:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2516967016
But look closer. The horn, numbered #2679xx (late 1933), is just engraved "The Buescher". But it has updated keys like "two way" low Bb and curved side E - but NO front high F! Can't tell if there are Norton springs from the pic, but it wouldn't surprise me.
What's more, it's essentially the same model as the bari offered for sale at http://www.junkdude.com/saxes/saxophonesindex.htm
(baris are most of the way down the main frame - it's the first listed)
This horn (#2683xx, 1934) is engraved "Aristocrat" (not "New Aristocrat" - an appellation which, I'm tempted to conclude, never appeared on a Buescher bari). Same key layout, same no-front-F. And what's with that stubby old fashioned palm Eb? The eBay horn doesn't have that! Maybe a replacement?
Finally, by the time my Crat (#2723xx, 1935) was made, a front F key was an option (of course, it may have been before and these horns just didn't have it installed). To get any more new features you had to order the Custom Built Buescher, analog to the left bell "Series I" Crats.
Anyway, one more question answered for the horn detectives...although the eternal mystery of "what's in a name?" remains. Now back to playing (as the eBay item header sez) "HUGE, LOW PITCH."
We had it pretty much nailed down to #263,xxx for altos (1931), #265,xxx for tenors (1932), and "never" for sopranos, C-melodies or basses, which took on the Aristocrat trade dress without changing any design features to speak of.
That left baritones. Well, now comes a very interesting horn to eBay that you'd think was surely the last of the True-Tone baris:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2516967016
But look closer. The horn, numbered #2679xx (late 1933), is just engraved "The Buescher". But it has updated keys like "two way" low Bb and curved side E - but NO front high F! Can't tell if there are Norton springs from the pic, but it wouldn't surprise me.
What's more, it's essentially the same model as the bari offered for sale at http://www.junkdude.com/saxes/saxophonesindex.htm
(baris are most of the way down the main frame - it's the first listed)
This horn (#2683xx, 1934) is engraved "Aristocrat" (not "New Aristocrat" - an appellation which, I'm tempted to conclude, never appeared on a Buescher bari). Same key layout, same no-front-F. And what's with that stubby old fashioned palm Eb? The eBay horn doesn't have that! Maybe a replacement?
Finally, by the time my Crat (#2723xx, 1935) was made, a front F key was an option (of course, it may have been before and these horns just didn't have it installed). To get any more new features you had to order the Custom Built Buescher, analog to the left bell "Series I" Crats.
Anyway, one more question answered for the horn detectives...although the eternal mystery of "what's in a name?" remains. Now back to playing (as the eBay item header sez) "HUGE, LOW PITCH."