[AshokanKid]

New Member here . . . ;-)

Celebrated my birthday last month (mid 60's) and got a wild idea to try the SAXOPHONE?!?!?

Never blown a horn in my life, though am a guitar hacker of some 50 plus years.
Also, in my youte, as a broke college kid, used to stumble into a tiny joint on Washington Square Park called Barbara's Jazz Room, and there in the darkened interior, drinking my small, cheap tap beer, there was This Guy who might come in, I suppose to warm up for his evening gig(s). This was just about the time that NewPort Jazz Festival moved to NYC.
That Guy, happened to be Dexter Gordon . . . whom I heard blow, often for just me and a few others on odd afternoons, and usually from about 4 feet away. Truth.

ALWAYS loved the sound of sax . . . but only recently decided to give it a whirl myself. Yikes.
I have literally barely blown four notes, as of yet (more like squawks, honks & bleats!).
Being a serious Gear Slut (I own about 30 cool guitars), I've been on a Sax Hunt for a few weeks or so.

This Borgani came along and I've got NO idea what it is, or what year, or anything else (serial # is 5466).
Lucky that I know (I think?) that it is a tenor (seriously), so please be kind to the Newbie Old Fart here.

Thanks . . in advance.
Scott

Pictures can tell WAY more than I can in words, so here goes;

 

[hakukani]

Welcome to SOTW. Unfortunately, I'm not a borgani expert, but I'm sure there will be someone around to tell you what you have. Borgs have an excellent reputation.

 

[Charlie J]

Yes, welcome and good for you to try something that you have probably liked for a long time. Great story about your encounters with Dexter.
My only advice, having also started sax late in life, is to find a teacher to get you off on the right foot.
Enjoy your journey!

 

[Tzadik]

Looks one from the 60's.
It's worth about 150/200 bucks.

 

[Manitou]

i also think 60's vintage based on horns with similar s/n that had a date attributed to it. if you haven't already, the best thing you can do for yourself is get in to a shop with a good sax tech and make sure the horn is in good playing condition - it will save you a whole bunch of frustration.

 

[Dr G]

Welcome, Scott.

Have you already bought this horn? It may cost as much to get it into good playing condition as it is worth. Condition is everything when it comes to horns like this. It is a good idea to either get someone else to play the horn for you, or get it to a shop for a repair appraisal before you commit to it.

That aside, enjoy the path! I, too, am well past the half century mark, and have been enjoying guitars since junior high school.

All the best,

George

New Member here . . . ;-)

Celebrated my birthday last month (mid 60's) and got a wild idea to try the SAXOPHONE?!?!?

Never blown a horn in my life, though am a guitar hacker of some 50 plus years.
Also, in my youte, as a broke college kid, used to stumble into a tiny joint on Washington Square Park called Barbara's Jazz Room, and there in the darkened interior, drinking my small, cheap tap beer, there was This Guy who might come in, I suppose to warm up for his evening gig(s). This was just about the time that NewPort Jazz Festival moved to NYC.
That Guy, happened to be Dexter Gordon . . . whom I heard blow, often for just me and a few others on odd afternoons, and usually from about 4 feet away. Truth.

ALWAYS loved the sound of sax . . . but only recently decided to give it a whirl myself. Yikes.
I have literally barely blown four notes, as of yet (more like squawks, honks & bleats!).
Being a serious Gear Slut (I own about 30 cool guitars), I've been on a Sax Hunt for a few weeks or so.

This Borgani came along and I've got NO idea what it is, or what year, or anything else (serial # is 5466).
Lucky that I know (I think?) that it is a tenor (seriously), so please be kind to the Newbie Old Fart here.

Thanks . . in advance.
Scott

 

[AddictedToSax]

Being a GAS-aholic, I'm sure you know that all you have to do is buy the right horn, ligature, reeds, mouthpiece and neck strap and, bingo!, you're gonna be sounding just like Dexter in no time. Seriously though, a lot of good advice above. I'm in my late 60s and played a little clarinet and alto in my school days. I always loved the sound of tenor sax. About 10 years ago I broke down and bought one. I was kind of shocked when I took it into the shop and found out it was going to cost me more to get it into good shape than I'd paid for it. I bit the bullet and paid for the overhaul. I don't regret it. Saxophones, unlike guitars, are super temperamental and trying to play a leaky horn is going to take all the fun out of it. Do as those above suggest and get it into good playing shape and if you can take a few lessons just to make sure you don't start out with a lot of bad habits. Welcome to SOTW. Enjoy the journey.

 

[AshokanKid]

THANKS for all of the information, so far. Really appreciate it, as well as the encouragement.

I'm sure that someone will show up with some more definitive / specific information about this particular Borgani tenor, as I am very curious.
And yes, I already own the sax since it was pretty cheap. I've got a local friend who is the HS rental / tech guy, so he could probably assist.

Also have a very talented sax & bass clarinet player who has offered to coach me a bit once I can get down to visit with her.
I was already pretty sure that this Borgani was not one of the more appreciated models, especially for the price that I paid.

Still, it is a very cool looking horn and everything seems to be present and working, as far as I can tell (which is not much).

SC

 

[Dr G]

I don't think you will get more definitive info for this horn, Scott. I haven't seen a Borgani serial number list, and I have been deep into Borgani saxes for the last 15 years or so.

Get the leaks out, then enjoy the horn!

It's great to hear that you have some connections for getting started - a few lessons to establish good habits will save you a lot of frustration.

THANKS for all of the information, so far. Really appreciate it, as well as the encouragement.

I'm sure that someone will show up with some more definitive / specific information about this particular Borgani tenor, as I am very curious.
And yes, I already own the sax since it was pretty cheap. I've got a local friend who is the HS rental / tech guy, so he could probably assist.

Also have a very talented sax & bass clarinet player who has offered to coach me a bit once I can get down to visit with her.
I was already pretty sure that this Borgani was not one of the more appreciated models, especially for the price that I paid.

Still, it is a very cool looking horn and everything seems to be present and working, as far as I can tell (which is not much).

SC

 

[milandro]

THANKS for all of the information, so far. Really appreciate it, as well as the encouragement.

I'm sure that someone will show up with some more definitive / specific information about this particular Borgani tenor, as I am very curious.
And yes, I already own the sax since it was pretty cheap. I've got a local friend who is the HS rental / tech guy, so he could probably assist.

Also have a very talented sax & bass clarinet player who has offered to coach me a bit once I can get down to visit with her.
I was already pretty sure that this Borgani was not one of the more appreciated models, especially for the price that I paid.

Still, it is a very cool looking horn and everything seems to be present and working, as far as I can tell (which is not much).

SC

This is a '60 Borgani, I've had a few for sale, even Borgani themselves would be hard pressed to be specific about the exact production date.
They aren't uncommon, since in this era Italian made saxophones were more or less the equivalent of what Taiwanese or perhaps Chinese saxophones are these days.

Borgani have very often (as King saxophones) a retainer nut to the screws. Value is pretty much in the eye of the beholder.

There isn't a " market price" as such , I've also sold even earlier examples that this with left hand bell keys.

 

[JayeLID]

Looks one from the 60's.
It's worth about 150/200 bucks.

If in respectable playing shape worth around $450-500.

But THAT is the BIG question. UNLIKE guitars, which really, are pretty easy to ascertain play condition...even if a sax LOOKS to be in good shape, it might not play at all, or certainly not well....as others have noted.

So...the BIGGEST issue is not a teacher (not YET, that would be issue #2)...but rather.....get the horn to that tech friend and have them ascertain its playability.

Typically I would add the caveat: Be CAREFUL here. Newbie sax player walks into a repair shop, repair tech has NEVER seen or dealt with them before.

Newbie asks "how much to make it play well ?"...

...is akin to a Gazelle walking up to a Lioness and asking - "are you hungry ?"

But if this is a friend or acquaintance you can trust, and feel confident he isn't gonna give you an estimate to line his own pockets, that's a great acquaintance to have !

Other option (quicker, maybe, just to find out "if" ?)...you know a sax player ? Have them playtest the horn and tell you if its playability is acceptable or not.

Yes, 60's I would say. Good-quality instrument. Nice tone, well-built. Intonation is pretty good, not super-good but not bad. Learning proper embouchure off the bat is gonna be a good idea with a horn like this - thus the live, face-to-face teacher suggestion. Serial number of no use here, Borgani re-used their serial numbers back in the day. So one dates it via physical attributes.

The one thing about older Borgs I have found is the key touches tend to be on the smaller side, so for someone with big hands, the keywork can feel a little cramped.

Best of luck ! Welcome, too.

 

[AshokanKid]

AWESOME . . . thanks!

Certainly came to the right place here. Wow. Everyone is being SUPER helpful.

My tech friend is the local HS rental / music store in our small town & I've "known" him for almost 30 years.
More as a passing acquaintance in various local music dealings, but he is definitely a straight up, honest guy.

I had NO dreams that this Borgani was a pro or even intermediate instrument, and I will certainly be at "student" level probably for years to come.
This was my main concern, perhaps that I had not completely wasted my money on little more than a wall decoration (although, indeed a cool one).

"Yes, 60's I would say. Good-quality instrument. Nice tone, well-built. Intonation is pretty good, not super-good but not bad. Learning proper embouchure off the bat is gonna be a good idea with a horn like this - thus the live, face-to-face teacher suggestion."
Thanks Jaye!

As a Gear Slut, who seems to constantly attract more than my share of ANY instrument that catches my eye . . .
There are now a few other tenor saxes perhaps available to me; Selmer Bundy II, Yamaha YTS-23, older Buescher 400.

Always loved the sound of the sax, and now having held & looked over a few, these are REALLY cool, interesting, fascinating instruments.
Adolphe . . . WHERE the heck did this idea COME from / evolve from?!?!?! I mean, physics, mechanics, geometry, airflow, audio / sound. W T H ? ;-)

Gotta love it.
SC

 

[milandro]

Always loved the sound of the sax, and now having held & looked over a few, these are REALLY cool, interesting, fascinating instruments.
Adolphe . . . WHERE the heck did this idea COME from / evolve from?!?!?! I mean, physics, mechanics, geometry, airflow, audio / sound. W T H ? ;-)

it came from the need to have a much louder sound than a clarinet to match the brass instruments in a marching band.

Sax first applied a clarinet mouthpiece to a ophiclede , then it went from there

 

[AshokanKid]

LOL . . . SWEET!

Coming from guitar, mostly electric, old hippie rock & roll type, the sax was always just a cool sounding instrument.
LOVE me some JAZZ of all kinds & always have. Now am married to a highly accomplished, classically trained musician.
She is a singer & flutist who has performed Carnegie Hall / Lincoln Center (singing) and on film scores & orchestras in various parts of the world (flute).

Now, just over the hump of my mid 60's, something got me interested in sax, and more than just listening, apparently.
May be simply a fleeting fascination, who knows, but I'm having a blast so far, and have (literally) barely blown a note!

I've always been a techie who digs electronics and mechanics and work on everything from computers to cars to home heating systems and more.
The saxophone ticks ALL of the boxes of something cool to mess around with, and I could easily see myself messing with the bits & pieces involved.

Thanks milandro, as I have NEVER even heard of, or seen an ophiclede?!?!? WHAT?!?!?
Traveling to flute conventions with my wife, I am fascinated by "low flutes" which can be MASSIVE.

SC

 

[milandro]

Traveling to flute conventions with my wife, I am fascinated by "low flutes" which can be MASSIVE.

SC

 

[Tzadik]

Borgani, Meazzi, Rampone&Cazzani, Orsi horns from the 60's were less valueable than the typical chinese student horn you can buy these days on Amazon/AliExpress.

Grassi (till it ran out of business) was the most reputable instrument manufacturer (in Italy).

Then they come the first reputable italian horns at the end of the 90's (Borgani) and almost 20 years later R&C came out with remarkable horns.