Well, got another Martin, but was it a good deal?

[JPrince]

Well, yesterday I graduated high school, and today I was going into town to just look around and drop off my Monique Tenor Sax to get it adjusted in hopes of improving its performance. Well, since the my future college band director was talking about me playing clarinet, I decided to hit the local Pawn shops and check on any clarinets they might have cheap. I figure a clarinet is one giant leap from my The Martin Bari, so I figured I should start practicing. Well, I walk in and out of habbit I start looking at their saxes. I was just glancing and I saw a tenor (w/o neck, it was in its case) and right off by the keys I could tell it was a Martin. So I decided to ceck it out. Turns out it was a Series 1 Committee The Martin serial 198,XXX. Wanting to buy it with graduation money, and yet not wanting to get a crap horn, I remembered I had my Monique Tenor in the car with its mouthpiece. So, the guy let me play it and just like when I first played my Martin Baritone, I fell in love with this Tenor. So, I talked the guy down to $550 (he wanted $629). It came with the horn, A Brillart Tonalin 4* mouthpiece, a stock Martin mouthpiece, and a Pro-Tech Contoured Tenor Sax gig bag. So, do you guys think I got a good deal? The horn has a few scratches, no dents or dings, and as good as the lacquer is it may be a relac, but it didn't affect the intonation. Thanks for any info.

Funny though, I go in to buy a cheap $100 clarinet and I come out with another sax. I am 18 and have 4. Hrm, the way this is adding up..... :)

[Media Lint]

For someone that just got out of high school that's a lot of money, but when you look at $1,000 a month mortgage payments down the road it's not really a lot of money, and if you really like the horn then it may not be a fantastic deal, but not a bad one. Sounds a lot better than a blind ebay gamble. My opinion.

[mark_m]

If it plays well and you like it, sounds like a swell deal to me, what do I know but you might want to resell the gig bag and get a real case for it...congrats!

[JPrince]

Thanks. I just figured it was a good deal mostly for the good condition of the sax, and that Brilhart Tonalin with seems to sell (with an early 5 digit serial like this one) for $250-300. Well, I'll say this, it plays cicles around my Monique!

[Morry]

The best thing you could probably do would be to trade that Monique in on something that the shop owner has.

[Stencilman]

I'd say it was a good deal if it is in good playing condition (which you inidcate it was). The older Martins go for $250 to $400 on Ebay but the ones I see need new pads, etc. You probably have an excellent horn there.

[JPrince]

I might not trade in the Monique (Both because its a gift and it could serve as a backup), but I'll stick with the Martin Tenor for all my needs though. Even if it is a relac (it might not be, the engraving feels the same as on my Martin Bari), it plays sweet, all the pads are good, only thing is the bumped things on the B, Bb, and C keyguards are gone. I'm quite happy with it tho. Except I can't play it for about a week. Was in a car accident yesterday and sustained a jaw injury. It was really funny because they kept asking me if I had ever had surgery on my mouth or something because I had huge Mastoids. When I said, well, I am a sax player, they said "Yep, that's it then."

[rrex54]

No, you didn't get a good deal. You got a fantastic one. As Stencilman says, on eBay you could expect to pay that kind of money for a "The" you could not evaluate but which would need a full overhaul at minimum. Absolutely no need to look back on this one even if the horn is a relac. Congratulations! Now enjoy that Martin's sultry voice as soon as you're able!

[soreliprick]

only thing is the bumped things on the B, Bb, and C keyguards are gone..."

All you really need, or have space for, is a thin bit of felt, which is what I used on my e#%$ The Bastard Tenor, only $450, but with a non-original neck and tenon, looks like an Indiana neck, relac'd, but still sounds quite nice compared to my '55 Aristocrat, still using the pads it came with. You got a great deal. I've never seen them go for less than $400. See if you can switch cases with your 'gift' sax, since I've heard that this model is easy to knock out of kilter, although I've had no problems, but I don't have that special quirky neck.

[1saxman]

Yes, you got a good deal. The case - does it open on a hinge at the back, and does it feel like it has wood under the nylon? If so, that's a Pro Tec 'Pro Pac' and it's all you'll need if you take reasonable care with your instruments. That serial number is about 1956, and there is no 'series I' in Martin saxes. It does have 'The Martin Tenor' in big letters on the bell, right? I gave $635 for mine and had to give it an overhaul with dent removal before I could play it. Does it have the original brass end plug with it? If it has no end plug, you should find or modify one so it will be held properly in the case.