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Bundy Alto Sax repair costs

31K views 28 replies 20 participants last post by  clarnibass  
#1 ·
So, a few months ago, I bought a Bundy by Selmer alto saxophone at a yard sale for $50. I took it to a repair and rental place, the same place I'm renting my Bundy 577 clarinet, and he gave me an estimate of $525 to repad, repair the tone hole, fix the dents in the bow, and fix bent keys. He's really familiar with Bundy's Not knowing much about saxophone repair prices, I took it to a local shop that reels in lots of money renting instruments. Most kids in my band are renting from there. They wanted $1000 :shock:. So, is $525 the best price I'm going to find anywhere, or should I shop around?
 
#3 ·
What you need to do is find a tech that works out of his home. Without the store overhead, they can be much more reasonable; and some of the very best operate this way. Tell us your location and I'm sure folks might have more specific recommendations. Many techs will discount services on student horns, and just do the bare minimum to get them playing.
 
#5 ·
I take it you've never had any work done at Meyer Music. They tend to charge more than Marshall.
I wouldn't reccomend going to Rit Music for any repairs. BAD experience with their tech.

The price quoted for an alto overhaul is reasonable, but it wouldn't hurt to ask around and find out who the majority of the sax players use.
 
#6 ·
On the other hand, the question soon becomes.. Do you really WANT to spend $525 to overhaul a student instrument that is in all likelihood not worth the cost of the overhaul.

If you pop into the for sale section of this thread, you will find that a respected dealer here named Mark Wigginton is offering up a blowout sale on some ChristopherElliot Winds student alto saxes for $400 - Brand new.

Also, SOTW forum sponsor Dave Kessler (link at the top of the page) offers his Custom series alto sax for $749. Again, Brand new. I own one of the Kessler altos, and can vouch for their quality - I would consider the Kessler alto to be a high intermediate to entry level pro horn.

So.. You have to ask yourself, do you want to spend another $525 and bring your expenses up near $600 and have a horn that will still be an old Bundy... or.... do you want to spend a little less to a little more, and have something new, set up, and under warranty.
 
#7 ·
I think the amount of money from the quote is not nearly as relevant as the work being done. One quote may be for a really great overhaul the other may be for a pad job.

I have the same problems with my car, a 67 VW bug. I paid a guy $300.00 to replace my pedals. Two months later the gas pedal stuck throwing me into an intersection. I barely survived. The whole job was a mess and ended up ruining my brakes. Then, I took it to my new guy, Dave. Dave charges a bunch, he charged me $700.00 to do the same job. That was 3 years ago and still the pedals work.

The opposite could have also happened where I paid a guy more to do less etc...

I think the idea of going somewhere you, and others, trust is the best bet. If you think the quote is high, talk to the tech and find out what they are planning to do exactly. You may find that you want the extra work done or that the quote is just too high.
 
#8 ·
Curt's point is well taken, but there is no way that it is worth spending 525 let alone 1000 on an old Bundy alto. I have one of the H. A. Selmer old Bundys in very good playing condition with near new pads that I'd be happy to sell for half the cost of the overhaul.
 
#12 ·
Well, they did tell me about the resale value at the place that offered $525. But, I'm not interested in selling it. I understand Bundy resale values aren't good at all.

What I really need here is a Alto Sax that will take me through about 5-6 years of playing with no real huge repairs after this. I've had the same Bundy 577 clarinet for 5 years now, and had no problems. I even upgraded the mouthpiece to a Vandoren M13L. It's a great clarinet, and I've had it since I started. What I want to know is if putting $525 of work into it will be worth it for a great alto sax. And money is an issue, I really don't want to step it up to 750 for a brand new one.


Serious? Can I get some pictures? I might just be interested...

So, should I do it or not?
 
#9 ·
Yup, hang it on the wall and spend the money on a better student instrument. In the end you will still save money and be able to recoup your expense at upgrade time.

If money isnt a big deal forget student models and buy a intermediate or lower level pro horn used from a reputable dealer.
 
#11 ·
Ebay sales the past 90 days show that a for a Bundy II alto in new condition the highest amount paid was $500. For all of the Bundy alto saxes sold in that period of time the average price was $203.

If you invested $575 in an old beat up Bundy, you would end up with a sax worth about $200-$300. If the repair shop didn't tell you this up front---shame on them.



John
 
#13 ·
Any repair estimate can be reaosnable or not, depending on the repair. It's definitely possible that for the work that needs to be done on this Bundy $500+ is very fair, maybe even cheap, who knows. The prblems are, first as John said, but even putting resale value aside, I just don't think a Bundy is worth spending that much on. IMO it's not a good saxophone and because of especially bad design repairs are suaully more expensive (for example bad key arm design).

It sounds like you are willing to pay $500+ (and maybe even $1,000 if you knew it was definitely better). So the best option that I can recommend since "what I [you] really need here is a Alto Sax that will take me through about 5-6 years of playing with no real huge repairs after this" is that you get rid of the Bundy, and invest what you get for it plus the potentioal repair in another alto. If you find a used one in good condition that's probably best but maybe even a new one. As long as you're honest about its condition when selling it I don't see a problem.
 
#14 ·
You've been RENTING a Bundy clarinet for 5 YEARS!
Dude, you're getting ripped off. At the $25/mo that the kids in my area pay for clarinet rental, it should have been PAID for after ~2 years.

I've got a Bundy alto. It's not great. It's servicable.
You'd be better off finding a new or newer, better quality sax for roughly the same amount as the initial $50 plus overhaul.
 
#16 ·
A Bundy isn't worth the expense that you were being quoted. There are many deals to be had here for decent horns ready to go, both new and used. Save your money and hang the Bundy on the wall.
 
#17 ·
We still have seen no pictures of this horn. I agree $525 sounds reasonable, but it might be even more or less reasonable depending on the severity of those dents you mentioned.

I'm of the opinion that if a tech is meticulous enough in an overhaul, a student instrument almost always can be brought to better condition than when the horn was new. Even new professional instruments can have a few issues. It's possible that you could get another one as mentioned here and pay a lower repair bill and come out spending less, but not a guarantee. It also depends on the pads. I would charge around $350 for an alto overhaul (not including significant dents) with standard pads (I'm very new to the trade mind you, but saxes are what I know most about), but they don't all cost the same. Curt, who commented above there (MusicMedic) has some spiffy kangaroo leather pads, which cost more, but justly so, so it would be like $40 more. That's a fluctuation without even seeing it...so it really depends. Curt's overhaul would probably be more, but he's got someone working on every key of your instrument with 10 years of experience and could probably change the keys to slide keys and put "series II" on the bell and fool a few people hehe.

Whatever you decide, best of luck with the horn.
 
#18 ·
Sonis, what kind of playing do you do? Are you in school? At what level?

If you're a grownup, and if you really think you'll stick with alto for 5-6 years and you don't do anything ridiculous like use it for marching band... you might even consider looking for a deal on a used (but well-maintained) intermediate or pro horn. You can pick up great deals here in the marketplace, and you could look at it as a horn to grow into.
 
#23 ·
I'm pretty happy with how my little Bundy II alto has served me over the years. . . HOWEVER. . .I wouldn't put that much into a used one I picked up--money is better spent on something else. I think you can do better, like some of the horns that pop up on this site. Maybe you can get the horn simply put into playable shape for less, and keep your options open.
 
#24 ·
For quite a few years I played an Armstrong Alto. It was solid, had great tone and very good intonation. In addition I bought it off of a girlfriend who I still miss many years later.

When it needed a repad I dumped that sucker. It wasn't worth investing more than it was ever going to be worth, even with a sentimental connection to it. A band director friend bought it off of me and had a cheap repad done and loves it to death. It is a loaner for students and does that job well, but it is not some thing an advancing student should be playing - even though I played it through college.

If you are thinking long term, buy a used pro horn from someone here with a good reputation and save yourself the hassle of fixing up a beater and hunting for a better horn later.The market is a buyers market right now. Grab one of the bargains and be done.