I have to disagree with the Buffet 100 being a steal. Its worth about half that. Who are your techs Jaye? Don't you have a business refurbing horns?
Well Saxcop...I like you, mate...an since you asked, I'd be happy to oblige:
But, BTW..how many saxes have you worked up ?
Over 1000 ?
I have.
Vintage ......and modern. Maybe like a 65%-35% split.
(Although IMHO that query of yours is a bit of a puzzler...because it seems to intimate that a tech who has 15+ years experience working on older horns is somehow not an appropriate professional to give an opinion on the quality of a modern horn which has crossed his path ? A bit of a specious argument, that would be....)
I've seen 2 Vikings on my techs' benches, . One tech in Bay Area. One in Portland. Guys with 20+ years experience each.
Not hearsay. Literally, I walked in, and there were the horns being serviced.
They were not happy campers working on those...and they showed me precisely why.
Fabrication precision was not very good. Key play, badly threaded point screws. Body metal was thin - and key metal on the softer side.
Matter of fact, one guy even thwacked one of the side keycups with his knuckle, and it made the key leak.
Even once assembled and regulated, they just didn't feel particularly substantial.
Lay those horns next to a Yamaha, a Yani, a JK, a Buffet....it's no contest.
They just weren't very good horns. Sorry.
That's my assessment, and I saw two firsthand; they weren't pieces of crap, but they were basically middlin'-quality asian horns ...being aggressively pushed/marketed as 'pro-level' instruments on par with Yama, Yani, JK, etc.
Which was pretty absurd.
And the company is out of biz now after a very short run.
'Nuff said.
Now, in
fairness: On the
good side......they were VERY, VERY
sexy looking !! (Perhaps the company should have considered putting less resources into their blingy detailing and more into the engineering and fabrication R&D ? Just a thought....)
Regarding that Buffet 100. I'll agree with you in this respect: the market value of a used 100 Tenor is probably around $600-700. The market value of a used Alto is around $500.
But that Tenor there is a brand-new horn. As we all know, depreciation of the value of around 90% of modern horns is significant, compared to their new pricetags.
Note there was a Best Offer option on that horn...for a brand new horn. So I look at that and I assume seller would certainly accept 10% lower, no problem.
So... a brand new Tenor, established name brand, not boutique brand... which can be had for $1300 or perhaps a tad lower ? I have worked up three 100's in the past year; 2 Altos and a Tenor....IMHO they surpass the current Yama 23/26's...hands down in all categories.
~They sound better.
~The keywork is more responsive.
~And the build quality is at least just as good. (I'd actually say the engineering of the key mechanics is superior).
In a recent thread on 100's in the Buffet section, here's an owner chiming in on his alto:
I took mine in to Bruce Belo, whose credentials in addition to servicing instruments for The Tonight Show and other pro players, also include being the Orange County School District's brass and woodwind tech for decades. So, a few saxophones of all levels of construction and makers have passed through his hands. His knowledge and skills are top notch as others on this forum can attest. He's also very matter-of-fact and forthright. Bruce plays a MKVI alto.
Bruce set up my alto when I first bought it while we talked. Then he played it for 10 minutes; a mini concert. The Buffet, and Bruce sounded pretty damn impressive in the cavernous room that is his workshop. Afterwords, I remarked on his playing and said that he got a fantastic sound out of a 'student' horn. Bruce, who plays a MKVI remember, was immediate and firm in his assessment that the build quality and playability of this alto was not student level, meaning it was better. He said it twice. Some may disagree.
I paid $600 for mine. No regrets. It has great intonation up and down, no fussy or stuffy notes, excellent projection, and is mouthpiece friendly. Feels fast and smooth in hand. No issues in 3 years since Bruce set it up. My only beef is that it's heavier than my cherished Big B and my '45 silver Zephyr. But it's an alto so . . . . YMMV.
and another member:
Another Buffet 100 owner here. Mine looks exactly like this. Very high quality, solid horn, better than equivalent Yamaha model. I'll check the serial tonight.
EDIT: My serial is BCA 9648 something, close to yours. I like it better than any intermediate model Yamahas I've owned. Tone and build-wise, it's on par with an old Selmer USA I used to have. Both are very heavy, solid horns, with a somewhat dark sound. Lots of nice pro-level touches - steel springs, plenty of adjustment screws, mother of pearl keys.
Now, a quick search shows a brand-new Yama 26 (which seems to be what has replaced the 23 in N. America).....costs around $2600.
This 100 on eBay likely costs $1300-ish. Perhaps they'd even accept $1200 (?)
A pretty solid example of a
no-brainer, for someone looking to buy a new horn....
....IMHO...from a guy who has refurbished and serviced a very significant # of saxes.
Cheers.
. Specially transitions in the low notes are difficult. I sometimes have the feeling that it's too much of a horn for my current level...
