Sax on the Web Forum banner

Price-check for Buescher True Tone C Melody

11K views 32 replies 8 participants last post by  Captain Beeflat 
#1 ·
I've read many posts here regarding pricing of these models and I'm not sure how to go about shopping for one. I've read a number of "How much is this worth?" type threads and have seen replies with anything from $50 to over $500.

What would you say an overhauled one in excellent condition (95% finish) is worth? Or one that looks excellent but needs an overhaul? In other words, how much would you be willing to "invest" in TT in excellent mechanical and cosmetic condition? My wife is a pianist which is why I'm interested in a C-mel. It would be nice to just look off her music. I only play as a hobby (played in jazz band in HS) and the only time I'd play in public would be at church. lol

Also, I've read that pretty much any tenor mouthpiece sounds great on this horn?

Thanks for any advice! :)
 
#2 ·
If I spent $500 I would expect to have one that plays "out of the box". (I've bought 6 c-mels in the past 4 years). I just bought a decent True Tone for $350. It needs some work and $100 with a tech would get it playing well. I wouldn't have paid more for it and I personally have a limit in the $300 area unless I was buying from a very reputable source. You just can't see all the blemishes for a sax you're interested in by looking at pictures. Bruce Bailey and cmelodysax are sellers of c saxes I would trust.

I would not agree that all tenor mouthpieces sound great on this horn. Your taste will lead the way to the right mouthpiece for you. A number of tenor mps will never work - the intonation will be seriously off no matter what you do.
 
#3 ·
As a C melodist for 15+ years myself, I say "experiment!" Try alto pieces, tenor pieces, as well as the available C pieces made today. Most don't cost much.

Buescher Cs are useful because they're capable of fuller, more tenorish tone when pushed, as well as the gentler alto type sound. The Conn, which I mostly play, is tough to push. Its lower register is more fragile.

I might go $600 for a very nice condition, freshly overhauled C. Only if it's gold plated or a late serial rarity (like my 1936 Naked Lady Conn) would it be more valuable.
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the replies!

I guess I'll just cut to the chase. I can hide behind my computer...lol

Judging by your response, I think I didn't make a very good purchase. I just bought this on ebay and I'll get it Friday. They accepted a lower offer over the phone and I'm wondering what experienced buyers here would've paid for it. I'm not sure what the nickel finish does for it in terms of value, but I really like how it looks! In the end, I think I'll have a horn I really like and a price I'm comfortable paying (budget was $1000), but I hate to think I overpaid. I know, I know...I should've posted this BEFORE buying. :tsk:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Buescher-True-T...&otn=2&po=LVI&ps=63&clkid=8273178835019029210
 
#5 ·
Well, it's one of the nickel finished horns, which are a bit unusual. Not certain that adds to its value, but it does give you a different look than the usual silver horn.

It's a Type 2 version, notable in that it has the typewriter button for G#, instead of a roller G# Type 3 or 4 that would generally be easier to play and bring a few extra bucks as a result. Neck has been pulled down, you can tell by the kink in the lower neck support just after the man in the moon brace.

If it was advertised to be in playing condition "out of the box", I might have gone as high as $400, because I always assume anything off of eBay requires a complete overhaul. It's an unfortunate fact that there's a whole lot of these out there in non-playable condition, and it's not a popular type of horn to begin with. The cost of repair usually is greater than the value of the instrument, and you have to want a C-Mel in playing condition to pay anything for it -- there's just not a lot of demand.

Tenor pieces work well on it. A Selmer soloist seems to do quite well, but I use an F on it, not the usual C#. I have a Morgan C, but it's so dark that it's pretty lifeless. I did attempt to try the Aquilasax C (still have it if someone's interested), but alto-diameter pieces won't fit this horn at all without surgery to the neck.

I paid $475 last year for mine. A type 3 with the roller G#. I ended up putting another $825 into it for the complete overhaul ($600) and replating the interior of the bell (gold wash, $225), so total out of pocket was $1300 -- which is why I always assume "needs adjustment or a few pads" really means a complete overhaul.

It's fair to say I wouldn't recover the investment if I turned it back around on eBay. Lucky to get half that for it, and it truly is playing and looking like new. That said, it was worth it to me, so I figure I paid a fair price. I have a better horn than a new Aquilasax for less than half the price.

I've attached a couple pics of mine -- before and after overhaul and some minor plating work.
 

Attachments

#8 ·
Wow, what a beautiful sax!

Can you tell me what "neck has been pulled down" means?

I don't plan to sell it so I'm not too worried about resale value. I'm guessing you don't either with all that custom work. The seller assured me it was "completely overhauled" and ready to play out of the box. They have a 100% feedback rating (over 100 transactions) and a 7-day guarantee so I felt pretty comfortable with the purchase.
 
#6 ·
The listing is still active.....

What did you pay anyway, you obviously didn't pay 1k and I doubt anything near the buy it now price. I kinda dig the nickle finish right now, the bari I got last year is nickle, I think the patina they end up with is pretty cool.
 
#7 ·
I assume you made an offer, but it hasn't been accepted. Were I to offer a price for this, given the listing, it would be in the $200 range.

I did buy a NOS Berg SS bari piece from them very recently. They're legit as far as I can tell. If you can get some sort of description of the playing condition of the horn, it would be easier to make a judgement on the price. As I mentioned before $400 tops in playing condition needing nothing.
 
#13 ·
Thanks Maddenma, this makes me feel a lot better about the purchase. Except for the neck...I'll have to be extra careful with it. My local shop says they will inspect it for me for free so I'll have them take a look. They didn't seem to be very fond of the C Melody saxes however. I called two other shops and same thing. Maybe I need to send them a couple of the links from this sub-forum. :)
 
#14 ·
Take comfort...nickel is a fine finish, currently, when available, is highly regarded....probably the most durable finish.
Also, with regard to price, my silver/gold key-work/goldwash bell TT, in A1 condition, would not be available at the price you paid.
I have three C tenors....all in use, & I hope that you have as much pleasure that I continue to enjoy with mine....even if we play at diametrically opposing venues.
 
#20 ·
Why beat around the bush on this. Two hundred bucks is the going rate even if it plays for one in this shape and spending $650 is an incredibly poor investment. Since the seller hasn't taken down the auction, I would rescind your offer immediately. Since you didn't go through Ebay, and only have an oral offer extended by telephone it shouldn't be too hard to do. Get out of this deal now while you still can.
 
#22 ·
Why beat around the bush on this. Two hundred bucks is the going rate even if it plays for one in this shape and spending $650 is an incredibly poor investment. Since the seller hasn't taken down the auction, I would rescind your offer immediately. Since you didn't go through Ebay, and only have an oral offer extend by telephone it shouldn't be too hard to do. Get out of this deal now while you still can.
Is this what everyone truly thinks? I want a C Melody Buesher or Martin with new pads and ready to play out of the box. There are several on ebay, but overhauled ones were all listed higher. I don't know how to install pads or do any adjustments myself so I'd have to pay someone to do it. This is why I thought the price was okay. But if everyone thinks it's over-priced, I will see if I can cancel the order. The purchase was done over the phone so there is no bid to retract. It's supposed to ship out later this afternoon though so I don't have much time...
 
#24 ·
Well, I just got off the phone with them. It was shipped out already, but they are retrieving it from the post office now. When they told me it shipped, I was going to just go through with the sale. But, they didn't ship it overnight, which is what we agreed on. This upset me more than overpaying for the sax. I was going to use this for an Easter performance so getting it 5 days earlier for an extra $15 was worth it.

Thanks for all the advice here. If anyone has an overhauled C-Melody for sale or knows of good deal, please let me know. Looks like I'll be playing hand-written music this Easter. lol
 
#25 ·
I feel disappointed your deal didn't quite go over...The thing to remember is that a lot can go wrong when doing business with the Broadway area stores, because they're constantly busy with foot traffic and heavy phone business. It is kinda a vicious cycle. They have to do major volume to pay the rent = phone is a better use of their time than email = details often get lost.

About Rod's work - he's done some great work for me (some of it on short notice) and some just ok. So much depends on time.
 
#26 ·
Yes, I spoke with them on the phone 3 times, and every time it sounded very busy. It was more of a mis-quote than a lost detail. I was told it would cost $15 more to ship overnight, but now I'm told it's an extra $80 (which sounds more accurate).

I feel disappointed your deal didn't quite go over...The thing to remember is that a lot can go wrong when doing business with the Broadway area stores, because they're constantly busy with foot traffic and heavy phone business. It is kinda a vicious cycle. They have to do major volume to pay the rent = phone is a better use of their time than email = details often get lost.

About Rod's work - he's done some great work for me (some of it on short notice) and some just ok. So much depends on time.
 
#27 ·
Regardless of Grumps very direct post, you will wait a long time to get a good C-Mel in playing condition for $200. They do exist at $200 in non-playing shape, and that's pretty much the norm. I did think it was pretty high at $700+, but I also know what it costs to get it in playing condition -- which are the numbers I gave you.

As I said before, you have to want one of these and be willing to put up with the fact that it's not a good "investment". Sorry to hear your deal didn't go through. You'd be better off looking for one of the later ones with the roller G# and front F anyway, although it will likely cost you some bucks to put it back in playing condition.
 
#28 ·
Thanks. This is what I find confusing with all of this. The going rate seems to be less than $200 but I can't find anything remotely close to that in good playing condition. Tried craigslist in dozens of cities, ebay, local shops, etc. Has anyone here actually bought one in good condition for less than $200? Or could someone provide a link to one on ebay that is a good buy (any price)?
 
#29 ·
You won't find one in good playing condition at $200, but indeed, most of them go for that because they aren't. The later models I mentioned in the last post bring $400-$450 in non-playable (just needs a few pads) condition.

Here's a couple similar instruments from Gayle Friedenberg (Vintage Sax). Look at the "C-Tenors".

http://www.vintagesax.com/tenor.html

$400 and I'm sure it plays, but it's also a relacquered instrument, not an original finish, it's older, and it doesn't have the same value. Gayle also works out of her home and has a lower overhead than a storefront.

The people you were making a deal with seem to me to be on the "up and up" and I have direct experience with them. Yes, it's a store with overhead, so it's a bit more expensive to buy from them, but it also means they're willing to stand behind it when they say it's in playing condition. The fact they were willing to stop the deal AFTER they mailed it and were willing to go back to the PO to retrieve it speaks volumes.

Buy a $200 C-mel, spend $650 in repairs to make it work. Total out of pocket = $850. What was your price from them?
 
#30 ·
Yes, I appreciated the fact they canceled the deal because of an error one of the reps made. If they have something I want at a later time, I won't hesitate to buy from them. If they honor their side of the deal anyways...They accepted an offer of $650 plus shipping.

Grumps stated he wouldn't pay more than $200 for it. It's a nice Buescher with 95% nickel finish and overhauled. I've never been in a position like this when shopping. It seems these are so undervalued and I've never said that about anything. Other things I've purchased recently for $200: vacuum, blu-ray player, wife's shoes...
 
#31 ·
I look at any ebay (or internet) horn as if it will need a repad at the very least. Since I collect these beasts, I would rather find a horn with near pefect plating needing an overhaul for $200 than one with a claimed redo for $600 as I see most of these needing some kind of work when they arrive. I have about 5 C Melodies right now and I got very lucky finding some gems (great Conn full pearl) and some that need repairs. I paid $150 for a Holton needing a redo but the plating is near perfect so that is an example of a closet horn ripe for a new home. Too bad I have so many ahead of it in the repair future!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top