[flava]

Hi everyone,

I saw this listing on Ebay for a 1947 (?) TH&C tenor today.

It looks OK except it has this strange and very ugly wire guard on the bottom bell side that I have never seen before (see photo #5). Did the TH&C come with this? I don't think so?

Is this an add on? Why would anybody do this to this otherwise beautiful horn?
What do the more experience Buescherites say about this?

Here is the link (hope it works)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BUESCHER-400-TOP-HAT-CANE-TENOR-SAXOPHONE-NICE-LOOK-/180771189872?pt=Brass_Instruments&hash=item2a16cd7470#ht_1478wt_993

Thanks,
Flava

 

[Enviroguy]

Yep,

It looks like a wire pants guard was added to the right side.

 

[maddenma]

One of the problems that old Buescher baris have is that you press against the bell key control rods when seated because there is no pants guard. Not a problem if you're standing, however.

Someone tried to fix this 400 tenor for the same issue. Easily removed, but it will leave a mark where the posts were soldered to the horn. Curiously, the Aristocrat tenors don't have the same issue, because the bell key guards on on the body side of the horn and provide enough protection to hold moving parts of the horn off your body.

 

[Hornlip]

Actually, I don't think it's all that ugly ('course, I can't see it up close). Might have softened the angularity a bit, but for a post-market horn-hack it's not all that bad. Somebody who didn't know better might think it was original.

Heh. Reminds me of how often you see Conn 28M altos with a post-market wire guard replacing the original plastic guard that cracked. I almost always think it looks much better than the original guard!!

 

[rzzzzz]

weird. and that dent needs some attention. but the bid is still pretty low on what is otherwise a great looking classic horn.

 

[maddenma]

Pull that guard off and that horn is seriously about $2k under market value even at the moment. At least $1500 even if it needs an overhaul.

I don't want another tenor, but I might just have to bid on it at that price.

 

[DavidW]

They might have more bids if it wasn't listed under "sousaphones"

 

[maddenma]

Ok, so it still went cheap at $1825. Someone with 69760 eBay transactions got it, so I suspect we'll see it back on the market soon. I just wasn't willing to go any higher than $1800 for a horn I don't need.

 

[Captain Beeflat]

Never having heard the expression "pants guard" I read it as a term of derision....it does indeed look Pants.

 

[maddenma]

Must be one of those wierd English things. I don't ride a lift, but in my younger years I might have stuck my thumb out for one....