[Saxtripper]

Which is best?.. Selling the collectable mouthpiece in original condition even if it doesn't play well? Or getting it refaced by a reputable refacer?

 

[Sigmund451]

If it is super closed....as in absurd it will be better off refaced. If it is a decent opening that can be played well with a 3 or a 3.5 reed I would leave it alone.

That is my opinion but not by far the only one.

 

[Raphyel]

I would let the buyer get it refaced, that way nothing is on you as far as playability etc. I think everyone will vary on this subject.

 

[Nefertiti]

Or you could do what some guys on ebay do and say it is "killer" and a "monster" even though it doesn't play well. I've run into a few of those guys on ebay. They really tick me off. Seriously, I think honesty is the best policy or........say nothing at all.

 

[saxtek]

Always keep a mouthpiece in original condition if you intend to sell it. Photograph it carefully up close, describe it accurately and put it on ebay. Someone somewhere is looking for what you have. If it is altered, a rare piece is gone forever. Recovering the cost of refacing is difficult or impossible, and usually the value declines dramatically.

Not everyone is looking for a big facing, and even those who are usually want to choose the one who does the work.

 

[ThreeSixTwoFive]

Yep, I concur with those who say to leave it alone.

I once had a nice old Florida Link tenor 6*. It played great with a fat dark Stanley Turrentine thing. But I was very cash strapped, so I decided to sell it on eBay. It was stock and I thought I might increase its value by having it refaced to a 7*.

So I had one of the mouthpiece heavies do the work. Good work as expected and now the Link is a 7*. I listed the piece and it ended up selling for about $550, which actually might have been less than if I left it stock. In other words, I gained nothing from the reface aside from experience!