[adelsax]

Hello SOTW community,
i read tons of threads in this forum over the past years and I am very thankful for all the work the community puts in this forum.
I am a german 25 years old student who plays the sax for nearly 14 years and I just fell in love with my Tenor Conn Transitional 264.xxx which I bought this year.
I played an Otto Link New Vintage for the last 6 years which I recently traded for a Brilhart Tonalin 3* Streamline 26.xxx which fits my Conn perfectly !
Some days ago, my grandpa gave me a "Designed by Arnold Brilhart Tonalite" tenor mouthpiece, which he had found while cleaning up the last things from his old souvenir store he owned in the past..

The mysterious thing about the mouthpiece is that it does not have a table, no rails, no tip....no serial number.
The golden font of "designed by Arnold Brilhart, tonalite, great neck N.Y." is nearly 100% intact and the mouthpiece is in overall superb condition.
But it has no finishing work on it and no serial number. It is not playable since I cant fit reeds on it - the table is nearly round like the top of the mouthpiece.

So my question is - could that be a blank ?
I am able to share pictures later this day.

Thanks and best regards
adelsax

 

[adelsax]

Hello everyone, i just polished the piece and made some pictures.
Please help..

 

[mijderf]

Wow, that looks spectacular! I am sure that a refacer could complete the work for you, but I wonder if it might be worth more in its present state.

 

[adelsax]

I think the same way because this one offers the buyer the choice to finish this piece the way he wants it...like a personalized original piece..but I didn't find any "designed by arnold brilhart" mouthpieces offered, especially tonalites....what could this piece be worth ?

 

[Sigmund451]

Ive seen them around 300 but that was a while back.

It could be on the high side now or the low. Im not a vintage dealer but its a cool piece.

It will be worth less money worked on. Leave it be.

 

[Reet McVouty]

Well, you do have a quandary to solve here. The way I see it you have three options here. 1. Keep it as a keepsake, a gift from grandpa, put it on a shelf and admire it. 2. Have it worked on by a reputable mouthpiece guy and play it. 3. Sell it as is, and try and make some money. Personally, I would start with option 1. You can always change your mind.

 

[Sigmund451]

Oh now I see...no facing or mill work done.

Looks like the piece came out of the mold and never made it to the finishing floor.

Unusual. If you have it finished make sure it goes to someone who has worked with raw pieces before. Most guys have not.

 

[adelsax]

Yes, I would keep it too but I am in love with my old Streamline and would use the money to pay my next university fees...but I don't know at which price i should start. Maybe a vintage dealer could give me a tip here.

 

[Reet McVouty]

Yes, I would keep it too but I am in love with my old Streamline and would use the money to pay my next university fees...but I don't know at which price i should start. Maybe a vintage dealer could give me a tip here.

You're a young man, so I'm going to give you some food for thought. Once it's gone, it's gone, and you're never going to get it back. That said, make sure the monetary value is worth wile.

 

[click]

Well, the thing to do if you are not sure is to set a price so high that it makes it likely that you will keep it, which will be OK.

But, if the price is met, you will feel OK that you sold it, as well.

Collectors pay some crazy money to fill out a blank spot on the wall.

 

[Samusax]

I had a clarinet version I sold for about $100 a couple months ago. I'm not sure when this was sold but here is a listing for an Alto that had a list price of $200: http://doctorsaxwoodwinds.com/shop/buy-online/mouthpieces/brilhart-tonalite-3-alto-sax-mouthpiece/
Yours is in better condition (lettering intact, no scratches) but it needs to be faced so that might average it to around the same price, maybe higher - it all depends on if the right buyer is looking for it at the time.

 

[adelsax]

I'm curious.
I searched a lot in the last days and found out that the clarinet mouthpieces are not worth the same as alto or tenor mouthpieces.
The alto mouthpiece you posted is a later model from Brilhart, a great neck, but not the rare "Designed by Arnold Brilhart".
I find Great Neck NY's mouthpieces from 500€ up to 800€ on ebay?! but I never saw a "Designed by AB" ...
I'm tempted to just put mine to sale and see for how much it goes....since I'm in love with my old Streamline...

 

[adelsax]

I'm talking about tenor mouthpieces since they are much more worth $$$ than altos or clarinets..

 

[bruce bailey]

I have one for tenor that is a 4* and really great. Get this to a refacer and get a Brilhart copy facing on it. You will love it for smooth Jazz or Classical.

 

[click]

I have one for tenor that is a 4* and really great. Get this to a refacer and get a Brilhart copy facing on it. You will love it for smooth Jazz or Classical.

What is a Bilhart copy facing, and why was there no Brilhart facing on yours if it was marked 4*? I thought 4* was a Brilhart facing mark? In addition, I was under the impression that

a. The symbol * on a Brilhart indicates that there is a special, and short, facing curve

b. The numbers do not mean much, such that a Brilhart 3 might have a wider tip opening than a Brilhart 4.

Thanks in advance for the kind consideration of these questions.

I love my Brilhart pieces, especially for tenor.

 

[bruce bailey]

I meant to put a facing on it similar to what would have been used at the factory. My 4* has the original facint.

 

[click]

I meant to put a facing on it similar to what would have been used at the factory. My 4* has the original facint.

I guess my dull wit is working overtime. I jumped to the conclusion that you had one of these special jobs that had just come out of the machine. Sorry. Not wonder I could not make any sense of it.