buescher academy saxophones

[puresaxman]

I was on ebay looking at saxophones one day and came across a buescher academy saxophone. This was the weirdest sax I have ever seen. It has no side keys they are all missing! It plays from low c to high c with no sharps or flats. Who would make a sax like this and why? What benefit was there for only being able to play a c major scale? I can't figure this out.
If anyone knows why they made this sax and the purpose for it please let me know :D

[paulwl]

: Who would make a sax like this and why?

A company facing declining sales (as Buescher was in the late 50s), and willing to try just about anything to open up a new market. The Academies were intended for school kids, to make the sax easier to learn. Problem is, the sax is pretty easy to learn already.

Buescher made Academies in soprano and bari as well as alto and tenor. I think they were trying to create new demand for sopranos (there wasn't much in the 50s). They even advertised a "complete line of American made saxophones" to trade magazines - without letting on that some of them didn't have all the keys.

[Jwilson236]

I didnt know these horns were made by Buescher, I just won a 47.00 bid on one from Ebay, wow, that is a new addition to my Buescher collection, still looking for an SOPRANO/TENOR Silver/Gold Wash/Sil Keys.
Thanks

[Ari]

The decline of the academy sax was innevitable. I don't know who in the marketing department thought that this was a good idea. The saxes were only marginally cheaper and any student new to the sax could achieve the same results with the full keyboard but just ignoring the extra keys (they would be there for him in a year or two when the student needed them)

[awholley]

If you have ever tried to start a 4th grader on sax, you'd understand why the keys are missing. They can't reach around them yet. I have one that I started a second-grader on. He had much less trouble than some petite sixth-graders.

It's not a matter of not using them, it's a matter of not accidentally using them.

[bruce bailey]

I think the idea was to sell them TWO horns. Once they graduated from the Academy, they would need to buy another horn.

[G-dawg]

If you have ever tried to start a 4th grader on sax, you'd understand why the keys are missing. They can't reach around them yet. I have one that I started a second-grader on. He had much less trouble than some petite sixth-graders.

It's not a matter of not using them, it's a matter of not accidentally using them.

LOL - I had not thought of that, but that makes perfect sense now. Manufacturers produce the "fraction-size" violins and have smaller flutes with curved headjoints to help younger students through the Suzuki program. Hmmm.....

[John Kasaian]

OK this is an old thread, but my 6 year old son just started taking lessons on an alto Academy (I won on ebay no less) because his hands were too small to "not" hit the side keys.

The horn isn't that bad. Its not a 'real' buescher I guess, when compared to my tt alto and tt bari but it has a good sound to it and fills the bill as far as my son's playing is concerned.

[Pinnman]

I'm late to this, too. However, it may be worth noting that Martin did the same in the early 1930s with the Home model - http://www.themartinstory.net/ .

[John Kasaian]

Pinnman,
Thanks for the link! Great looking website!