[madlee]

I recently purchased a late 1940s Buescher Big B alto that included this mouthpiece in the case.

It has no markings at all. The mouthpiece looks like it was lightly used, which would also go along with the condition of the saxophone.

I thought that it may have been a Buescher mouthpiece that came with the saxophone when originally purchased, but it doesn't look like any of the ones I've seen online.

The ligature that came with the mouthpiece is also unmarked, but looks like a vintage berg larsen. It also looks like it has been used considerably.








I have found a couple images on the internet that look very similar, but not exact.

The first is identified as a "Woodwind Co. New York, Steel Ebonite B5* baritone" listed on the old worldwidesax.com website.



The other is identified as "Abbot Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece RR" on Roberto's Winds (https://www.robertoswinds.com/products/abbot-alto-saxophone-mouthpiece-rr)




Anyone have any thoughts?



EDIT:

I took out a magnifying glass and I am now able to see some light markings. The only one at this point that I can discern is the word FRANCE on the side of the mouthpiece by the table.

 

[bruce bailey]

Older than the horn. Probably mid 20s or older.

 

[madlee]

Any thoughts on the manufacturer?

 

[TMadness1013]

Could possibly be a vintage Conn "eagle" mouthpiece. See this listing:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Conn-Eagle...519474?hash=item3d8f51fa72:g:FaoAAOSwGlZdKo0G

That doesn't jive with the word "France" being seeing with the magnifying glass - but the era & look are right.

 

[Reet McVouty]

Could possibly be a vintage Conn "eagle" mouthpiece. See this listing:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Conn-Eagle...519474?hash=item3d8f51fa72:g:FaoAAOSwGlZdKo0G

That doesn't jive with the word "France" being seeing with the magnifying glass - but the era & look are right.

Yeah, it looks the same as the Conn Eagle. Perhaps the OP is mistaking the word Trade with the word France. You know, Fra with Tra would look similar, if it's really faded.

 

[madlee]

Thanks for the replies!

It does clearly read "FRANCE" on the side by the table. Looking at the mouthpiece with the table facing me and the tip pointed up, the lettering runs around the base of the body, perpendicular to the table.

From Bruce's suggestion, I started looking at 1920s and older catalogs and I'm wondering if it's a pre-1920s Selmer Paris. I had read on other sites that these early Selmer mouthpieces were wood, and since this is hard rubber, I assumed it wasn't a Selmer, but the catalogs have listings for both wood and hard rubber. There is a 1910 catalog that has a mouthpiece that looks similar, but it's not very clear. Every similar mouthpiece I've seen the shank just looks a little different from this one.

 

[Reet McVouty]

Thanks for the replies!

It does clearly read "FRANCE" on the side by the table. Looking at the mouthpiece with the table facing me and the tip pointed up, the lettering runs around the base of the body, perpendicular to the table.

From Bruce's suggestion, I started looking at 1920s and older catalogs and I'm wondering if it's a pre-1920s Selmer Paris. I had read on other sites that these early Selmer mouthpieces were wood, and since this is hard rubber, I assumed it wasn't a Selmer, but the catalogs have listings for both wood and hard rubber. There is a 1910 catalog that has a mouthpiece that looks similar, but it's not very clear. Every similar mouthpiece I've seen the shank just looks a little different from this one.

Just curiosity, have you played it? How does it sound?

 

[Samusax]

Here are some pics of a pre-Airflow Selmer alto mouthpiece I have for comparison. It is hard rubber and looks similar to yours with the same kind of band around the shank. The shank on mine looks thinner than yours though, like it curves in more to the band. Mine does not have "France" written on the side of the table but has "H. Selmer, Paris" written in a dotted oval on the back. It is very faded though and hard to see, so it could be completely worn off on yours - do you see any remnants of a logo?

 

[madlee]

Wow, thanks for the photos of your mouth piece. I agree, mine does not look to be the same as yours. As far as I can tell, there are no other markings other than the word "FRANCE." There are indentations caused by ligature wear, but I don't think there's ever been any kind of stamp or logo on the back.

While the band looks similar, the shank on my mouthpiece has a different curve profile.

I emailed Theo Wanne et al hoping they would know something and they replied:

"We all had a look at this, and unfortunately none of us have any more info available. It's an old one, but we can't come up with any specifics. Sorry about that!"


I have not tried playing it yet. I'll give it a spin tomorrow.

Kind of blows my mind to think this mouthpiece might be 100 years old!