[ooptec]

Hey,

What a cool forum y'all have.

My Father-in-Law just passed and the family is downsizing the family home for mom.

He was an avid saxophonist and regularly played shutting himself up in his music room for hours. He played right up until a couple of weeks of his death early this summer.

The family has asked me to get any information and values for his horns. They are a B flat Selmer tenor and a e flat Buescher alto

The pictures can be found at http://ooptec.googlepages.com/sax

Any help from this forum would be greatly appreciated by me and the family

thnx

cheers

peter

 

[DukeCity]

The Bb tenor you have is a Selmer Mk VI. From the serial number, it looks to be from the mid-1960's (I think). Looks like it's in pretty nice condition (lacquer intact, no obvious dents). Horns like that have been going on eBay for low end of $4500 to a high end of maybe $7000-ish.

Check eBay.

Don't know much about the alto.

 

[Rackety Sax]

ooptec, sorry about your father-in-law's passing.

As DukeCity says, he left behind an example of the most desired tenor saxophone model ever.

The alto, a late Buescher-made (i.e., before Selmer bought the company and downgraded this model to a student line) Buescher 400 from around 1960, is not nearly so valuable. It's probably a good-playing horn, but depending on condition I think it would be worth around $400 on eBay give or take a hundred. Maybe others here will have a more precise estimate.

 

[Seasax]

sorry to hear about your father in law..

what chiltownjazz has said is totally right.
that tenor is a real beauty though! oooh, the things i would do to get it
when you sell you will definately do very well,
just thinking, you may want to hold on to it for a while since the value of a VI in such good condition is constantly going up as they become rarer and rarer.
also try taking it down to a tech to get it serviced.

hope his helps.
Dan

 

[tjontheroad]

I sold recently via SOTW two Buescher 400 altos with slightly later serial numbers for about $700 each. They're very nice IMO and steal at that price.

 

[bruce bailey]

It is always a sad time when a person's horns go up for sale. I have a few that have been owned by some oldtimers (gee, I am 60 and calling them old!). I always think of the day they bought them and all the tunes and places that these horns, the owner and listeners enjoyed.
I agree with what the others said bUT my feeling on the tenor (from about 1964ish (No high F# if anyone asks) would be to price it really high and see what happens. I think if you put it on ebay with a $9,500 reserve or Buy It Now, you may just get it. These are the most highly respected tenors ever made. Better yet (assuming you don't need the cash) keep it in the family for future use (keep it wiped off and serviced). The Alto will probably be sold here at SOTW in the marketplace section but the tenor is too high for most of us poor guys!
Keep us posted as we are a family which loves these nice stories. As I get older (with no family) I always wonder where my Selmer alto will end up.
Last week I got an alto from 1931 that appeared to have been only played a few times. It had all the original packing and the reed had lipstick on it. My guess is that a HS girl got it (originally sold in St. Louis and I got it from there) put it away after a few toots and probably passed recently (In her 90s!) and I got it. I just wish I knew the family so I could let them know that she may be gone but a memory survives.

 

[Seasax]

i totally agree Bruce, i think that my SBA came from the family of a very elderly man who either died or couldn't play it any longer since his daughter brought it to the shop, it was amazing, i think he bought it and bought a MK VI when they came out (the SBA was very late) and left the SBA in the case, it came with the original case and neckstrap with several original pads and resos!

 

[ooptec]

estate advice

Hey,

On behalf of myself and the family I will pass on the excellent advice.

The 'old boy' was born on a homestead farm in Saskatchewan in 1918 and started life in the horse and buggy days clearing land w/a team and ax. Here is when he found music as w/no other entertainment every winter he would trade for another instrument and self taught violin, ukeleile(sp?), banjo, guitar, clarinet and sax. Him and his bros. formed a dance band as in those days dances at the community halls were a large part of their entertainment.

He was a spitfire pilot during the war years and never lost his love of music and so I am not surprised he only bought the best even if he never let on to rest of us.

With the G.I. bill he enrolled in Pharmacy and worked in manufacturing at Eli Lilly's in Indianapolis for 16 yrs. and then maybe the race troubles or Vietnam war or perhaps maybe just wanted to return home, he moved back to Saskatoon Saskatchewan and was a professor of Pharmacy at the U of S till he was retired and lived to a grand old age of 88. Independently w/mom and passed happy w/his days and ready to go to the next frontier as the last few weeks he was not functioning w/o help as his heart just wore out.

The saxophone was a tremendous pleasure and comfort to him and he played in a old timers concert band and later a few of the boys started a glen miller style dance band where the youngest member was 65 where he played in every old folks home and other venue prob. a few times a week till just 2 mos. before he passed.

All his children (3) were musically inclined and also played in many venues to his immense pride. The youngest boy, now 45 still rocks w/a band every now and then when time permits.

We all miss him a lot but take comfort in the charmed life he had and hope the rest of us do a fraction as well.

Many thnx again

cheers

peter and family