[The Salmon Thief]

I've got the opportunity to buy this old Conn sax, however I'm unsure of what it's worth... here's some info the owner gave me:

S# 28848
L= low pitch A=440
Conn - Pan American
W. 408 P-A Bldg
Elkhart, Ind

Would it be worth the effort to spend a few hundred bucks to restore an instrument like this? Also, what's a good estimate of when this sax was made? I'm no good at analyzing serials...

Thanks

 

[Seasax]

pan american is Conn's sideline make, yet still great saxes, should be worth it.

 

[Dave Dolson]

What size (sop, alto, C-Mel, etc.)? DAVE

 

[jbtsax]

The Conn woodwind serial number chart in the Allied Catalog puts this sax serial number somewhere between 1913 and 1914. I don't know if the Pan Am stencils followed this serial number pattern or not.

It depends entirely on the condition of the sax if it is worth the cost to make playable. A basic repad runs about $300. If there is body damage, rusted rods and screws, loose keys etc. a mechanical overhaul could be over $500 to make it a good playing sax again.

John

 

[The Salmon Thief]

What size (sop, alto, C-Mel, etc.)? DAVE

It's a silver alto.

 

[Birdman]

Its worth it, I think and the chart is very helpful so take a look.

-Birdman

 

[Dave Dolson]

I agree that if the horn requires MUCH work, it may not be worth it. But if all the parts are there and they work, then an overhaul may be WELL worth it. I once bought an early '20's Buescher TT alto off eBay and when Rheuben Allen finished with it, he said it was the nicest TT he'd seen. It plays great.

If you'd said it was a C-Mel, then I would've probably said forget it. Not that C-Mels doesn't have a place in today's world, but even the good ones don't bring enough dough at sale to justify the cost - unless you are a C-Mel addict (like some of us). DAVE

 

[Guest]

I don't believe I would bother with a Pan American. I purchased one on Ebay for only $55.00. After considering the cost to repad, and recork, I decided it wasn't worth the investment. I havn't seen Pan-Ams bringing
decent coin anywhere. If you like the horn and are going to keep it, then spend the money. Mine played fine, but I like my Conn Wonder alto quite a bit more. If you want an early Conn, I'd go with a New Wonder and fix that up. You should be able to find one fairly reasonable.

 

[SAXISMYAXE]

If you are looking to flip this horn for a profit, you might find yourself upside down in the monetary investment quite quickly.

The condition of the horn, the type, and the overall price is paramount in answering this question.

 

[Othello3]

You have to decide whether this is to be kept and played or restored and sold. Pan-Am's are undervalued as most stencils are. It will probably play well, not much different than a mainline Conn from the same time period. It will not sell for much though.