[bbbouklas]

Hi, here is a pics of my aristo 272xxx tenor:
http://s211.photobucket.com/albums/...crat 272xxx/?action=view&current=IMG_1876.jpg
I until recently though that the lacquer was original because it is very dark from age and the engraving is very sharp.. but a few minutes ago on closer inspection and when I looked closer to the pics, I saw that wherever the lacquer was missing (mostly around the engraving) I could see silver underneath..
From what you can see on the pics do you think that this is the case?
if it is silver don't you think that I should have it delacquered? it will probably have the the gold washed bell if this is the case and the finish will probably be intact because it was protected from the lacquer all this years..
I had this horn in the marketplace for trade but now I am intrigued and I am seriously thinking of keeping it. It was a project horn so I will ask from my tech to do this before it is overhauled overhauled
..

 

[milandro]

on the other hand what you think is gold lacquer might be real gold....gold plate is applied on to silver plate....

 

[Seasax]

it doesn't look like gold plate, king sometimes lacquered over plating, so i don't see why buescher definately didn't

 

[ChuBerry47]

The previous owner of my True Tone Tenor apllied Laquer, (clear), in the 1960s, I am guessing, to protect the satin silver finish. It has right now, 100% original plate, and is in mint condition! Pain in the **** removing it though!

 

[bbbouklas]

it is 100% nOT gold plated... it is lacquer that is over the silver..

 

[saintsday]

Are you sure it is silver? Have you tried a silver polish in those areas to see if it gives off the characteristic black?

I have a similar age alto with some gray areas where the lacquer has come off and it isn't silver.

I've never heard of Buescher lacquering over silver at the factory, although I have seen a silver TT with lacquer over it and it did not look at all like your horn. It looked like a clearly silver horn with a slight yellow cast until we washed off the lacquer with warm, soapy water and a lot of toothbrush time.

This

is what it looked like.

 

[bbbouklas]

I am not saying that buescher did it.. I think it was done later by the owner a very long time ago.. The lacquer is very thick and the silver underneath is very shiny at some points on the engraving where the lacquer is cracked..

 

[ChuBerry47]

Are you sure it is silver? Have you tried a silver polish in those areas to see if it gives off the characteristic black?

I have a similar age alto with some gray areas where the lacquer has come off and it isn't silver.

I've never heard of Buescher lacquering over silver at the factory, although I have seen a silver TT with lacquer over it and it did not look at all like your horn. It looked like a clearly silver horn with a slight yellow cast until we washed off the lacquer with warm, soapy water and a lot of toothbrush time.

This

is what it looked like.

I hate doing that, I have spent two an a half hours doing that over time, and I still cannot get all of it off!

 

[Dave Dolson]

FWIW, I have a '28 TT soprano (matte silver and straight, without a goldwash bell) and someone put a coat of clear lacquer over it YEARS ago, before I bought it. A close inspection reveals some poor quality in applying it, too - runs, etc.

Still, the horn is among my most resonant saxophones, so I've never bothered trying to remove it. From a distance, one cannot see the lacquer OR it's low-quality application. DAVE

 

[Wind_Mill]

If it is indeed a silver-plated horn, the inside of the tubing will not have any lacquer coating. Look inside (say, deep down into the bell) and compare with any other silver-plated horns you have. If the inside looks brass, chances are the outside is lacquered brass.

 

[bbbouklas]

here are the pics where you can see it better. View attachment 2956
View attachment 2957
View attachment 2958
The bells on these are usually gold washed so I cant really see anything inside,
but even under every scratch you can see bright silver, and generally where ever there is lacquer loss there is silver undreneath so I am 99% sure that this is the case..

 

[JL]

I agree, it definitely does not look like gold plate. But the photos don't really show the silver very well, at least to my eye. More importantly, how's the horn play? These can be really great horns. If it needs an overhaul, you might consider having the lacquer removed, if you're sure it's silver plated underneath. Otherwise it might be best to leave the finish alone other than a thorough cleaning once it's disassembled.

 

[kymarto]

To me it looks like bare brass under a dark lacquer: it's lighter than the lacquer but it isn't silver to my eye...

Toby

 

[Jolle]

To be truly honest, it looks like brass to me too, not silver.

The oxidation on top of the bell (on the back) is defenitely brass. And the rest looks brass too if I take into account the flash of your camera.

 

[saintsday]

The test is easy.
Just take some Hagerty's on a soft cloth and polish an area you think is silver. You should have the characteristic black tarnish on the cloth if it is silver.

 

[Jaice Singer DuMars]

The test is easy.
Just take some Hagerty's on a soft cloth and polish an area you think is silver. You should have the characteristic black tarnish on the cloth if it is silver.

Brilliant!

This horn is not gold plated, it is lacquered. I also tend to agree that it looks like brass underneath, and that removing the lacquer may be a huge mistake.

 

[LBAjazz]

I have seen more than one horn that was gold lacquer over silver. When silver plated horns fell out of style [1930s? 40s?] some guys had their horns gold lacquered to look the same [or close] to their section mates' horns. The ones I've seen all looked pretty rough as it was usually a bad idea poorly executed. This horn does not look like one of those [to me].

 

[bbbouklas]

LBA jazz, I thought that what happened is exactly what you are talking about..
The horn is in great condition so even if it is silver under the lacquer I might keep it like this..
but I am sure that it is silver, I can see it, the color is a bit distorted on the photos, it is really bright silver at the spots where the lacquer is gone..
I will do as Saintsday proposed with Hagerty's and post the results..
thanx again..

 

[ChuBerry47]

Now that you guys have mentioned it, I do recall (not the laquered Aristo), but I have seen maybe four or five Bueschers that have been coated with a "Clear" Lacquer over Satin Silver Plating. Oh by the way, I will bet you a fifty dollars to a donut that it is only the brass that is underneath, but then again....

 

[bbbouklas]

I guess you were all right, it is just brass..
sorry for all the fuss
Nikolas