[DancehallSka]

wh'appen sotw,
I juss got a buescher alto with a serial number beginning with a 5. it has 6 digits and i dunno how old it is.
i know selmer bought out the company and the charts show that the 5***** range models were made somewhere in the sixties/seveties...
but i dunno how good it is since its really a selmer and no a buescher.
lots of sites pon the internet say that buescher quality went down loads since the buyout.
i cant play it until i replace all the pads.
how good is a selmer-own made buescher sax?

blessings from Kingston, Jamaica

 

[RootyTootoot]

hi. Nowhere near as good as the earlier ones, I believe. If it's a total repad and costs a lot you might almost be better selling it on and getting something else. The point is that the horn will never be worth a lot even if you spend a lot on it. I'd honestly only spend a lot of money on it if it's in brilliant condition and even then it's questionable. Ironically, with a repad, it might play really quite nicely. The key issue is how much you would be talking about spending to get it playing decently.
All the best and blessings to you too from the uk!

 

[saintsday]

This vintage Buescher struggles to make the cost of a repad on ebay. As RT said, it might actually be a decent player with an overhaul, but unless you can do a good job of it yourself, unfortunately it isn't worth spending the money.
There are just too many decent playing horns out there for under 300 that aren't in immediate need of pads. An earlier Buescher for 600 or less in playing condition would be a better bet.

 

[bruce bailey]

I would try to have it repaired to working condition and not a repad. Most horns can be patched together enough to make them work. I have a 1952 Conn with only 3 pads non original and I just got a 1961 the Martin that only required one pad which had fallen out. I agree that that Buescher will be worth less than the cost of the repad. Unless it is the horn you love or have some attachment to, just make it work for cheap.