[SeanMackney]

Hi. I am new, my first post and first Buescher.

I have recently bought at auction in the UK a Buescher Bari sax in velvet silver finish with mirror finish keys and bands and gold wash bell. It seems to have all the pearls and snap on resonators in place and comes with original case and three mouthpieces, one Buescher one unmarked and a third one that just says ‘Paris’ on it. Pads, felts etc need replacing and has a few small dents in the next that I guess will be a relatively expensive repair for our tech and will require de- and re-soldering. There was a receipt in the case that was for ‘strip and clean’ but not regulation or re-padding I don’t think. Tone holes appear straight and while it is quite leaky at the moment I cannot see any majorly bent or damaged keys.

The serial number is 266118 which from the discussion here dates it at 1933. Am I right in thinking as the New Aristocrat range had no Bari that this is a ‘transition’ truetone (it is marked as a truetone, low pitch)?

One thing I am puzzled by is the pinky table which does not seem to match any of the ones that I have seen elsewhere on the web for saxes with similar serial numbers. It has four keys and rollers. Can anyone explain? Octave mechanism on the neck looks complicated too.

Also, any other info about this sax would be gratefully received!

Some photos below.

Many thanks
Sean

 

[Jerry K.]

Looks just like the TrueTone bari I restored probably 10 years ago. Beautiful and great playing and sounding horn. Left pinkie looks the same as my old bari and every other late 20s TrueTone I’ve owned. Though your SN is late in the run it may still be a TT and unchanged prior to the release of the Aristocrats. Here’s a pinkie table off a 250K Alto:

 

[GT]

Welcome, Sean!
Beautiful horn!

 

[Tryptykon]

Nice looking baritone .
I think you simply have a late serial numbered 'The Buescher' baritone .
It does have 'The Buescher' engraved on the bell, yes ?

Take a look at the photos from this 274,000 Aristocrat bari --

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Ve...rentrq:c416249f16c0aadb22de1878fff35138|iid:1

It has a front F key and is engraved 'The Buescher Aristocrat' which is accurate being that was the next model .
Also has the later LH spatula and curved high E touch .

This 267K bari has the curved high E, and Aristo style LH spatula also
http://saxpics.com/?v=gal&a=5844

 

[SeanMackney]

Hi Tryptykon - yes you are correct, it does just have ‘The Buescher’ stencilled in the bell (see more pics). Thanks for the photos of later different baris. That 1937 one on eBay is on for way too much money isn’t it? I paid £360 ($442) for mine, though don’t yet know how much work it will need to get it properly playable. Any idea of if the dents in the neck a. Make a difference to its playability and b. (See photos) Are difficult to get out - is it worth fixing these bits?

Hi Jerry K, thanks for the photo of the pinkie table from the 250k alto TT - yes, mine is identical.

Is it right that because the baris were not changed for the New Aristocrat range, but did change for the Aristocrat (as in the photos Tryptkon sent) the baris that Buescher sold during the 1932 to 1935 period were just late number Truetones, without any changes. Or did they incrementally add features from the NA model? My bari is a TT but outside the serial number range that is listed on the saxophone.org model listing for Truetones (2500-265522) but still in the year 1933, judging by the saxpics.com serial number lists.

Does anyone know how many TT baris were made in the New Aristocrat period (1932-35)?

Best wishes
Sean

 

[Jerry K.]

You got a “great” deal! I paid about the same you did like 10 years ago but the horn was black with tarnish and a total gamble! Well worth it to get the horn overhauled and definitely retain the original snap in resos as that impacts the value. I spent several days cleaning and hand polishing mine and it looked like knew when done. I tore the horn down, removed all the pads and had a trusted tech overhaul it with thin pads and original resos. It was a beast with a beautiful and complex tone. I sold that bari for $3500, so you should be safe spending the cash on a good overhaul.

 

[SeanMackney]

Thanks for the advice Jerry. I have a really good tech just close to me who I trust with it (Griff from Exmouth, uk, who contributes on sotw sometimes). I will take it along to him when he is back from his hols and see what he says. He had two vintage restorations in the workshop the last time I visited him. The sax is for my 13 year old daughter who has been playing since she was 6. She plays tenor as her main horn but has been keen on a Bari since before she was tall enough to play one! She plays jazz mostly but has recently started jamming with some rock bands. Any suggestions over mouthpieces?
Sean

 

[Jerry K.]

I didn’t own the TT bari more than a few weeks after completing it, so didn’t experiment with mouthpieces. It was too dang pretty to risk damaging it, so I opted to sell it. I use an old Brilhart with my Conn 12M that I like. If I were you I’d start a new thread asking others what they use on their vintage Buescher Baris.

 

[turf3]

Looks in great shape. I woul not fool with the little ping on the neck, a tiny dent like that won't have any effect on playing.

Personally I would just have what is called in the US a "playing condition service" first; replace leaking pads and check and adjust regulation as necessary. Way down the road you can look into the "full overhaul" but I suspect it's not really needed.

As to models, keep in mind that sax manufacturers were making and selling "a baritone sax" without realizing that almost a hundred years later people would be obsessing over tiny variations in the shape of this key or that linkage, or whether the engraving was floral or angular. What you have there is a top quality saxophone designed and built for professional use to the highest standards of the day, and sold by Buescher as such. The only thing missing compared to a top quality saxophone made yesterday is the front high F key, which can be added for reasonable money by any qualified technician.

The mouthpiece with the metal ring in the pictures will probably sound like blowing into a pile of old socks. I would suggest starting out with something like an Otto Link hard rubber or Meyer hard rubber, in a reasonable tip opening, to get a mouthpiece with some degree of sparkle while not throwing intonation out the window. These oldsters, especially as baritone, like mouthpieces with a large or medium-large chamber. But that doesn't mean you have to use the dull, woofy mouthpieces of the distant past. Links and Meyers are reasonably priced.

 

[turf3]

I see that your daughter is the intended user. With a reasonable mouthpiece like I mentioned, that Buescher will be (once she learns how to blow through the thing and not at it) the loudest saxophone in the county. A great choice for jazz and rock.

 

[SeanMackney]

Thanks for the advice turf3. I am searching for a suitable 2nd hand Otto link mouthpiece now!