[tsaxy]

Hi,

Just aquired a 297xxx 400 TH&C Buescher Tenor. ( 1941/1942?)

The original lacquer is very dark and at 90% or better. Everything appears original, case, snap ins, springs, Even has the factory maint. manual is with it.

Question....Where the lacquer has worn away to base metal, the color is silverish, not yelowish as my 341xxx Aristo. B156 tenor.

Does anyone know what alloy metals they used in those early years?

On my B156 Aristo. I can polish the bare metal and it pretty much blends in with remaing lacquer, not so on the 297xxx Tenor.

Not a big deal, just curious in the different metals used. Also, the 297xxx horn is heavier than the Aristro.

Thanks

 

[jicaino]

Kudos man! 400's TH&C tenors are really something else. te metal on those horns is a different alloy, they changed the metal 2 times in that serial range span between your TH&C tenor vs. your late aristocrat. The alloy on the earlier horn is softer and the gage on the horn's thicker. I've weighted just the bodies and found that the lighter feeling later horn's body it's actually heavier, so maybe weight difference is in the keywork and other features (400's have a whole different key layout regarding placing, sizing, hinging, etc)

Your horn has silver key tubing, strap ring, thumb hook, and reinforcement rim on the bell. All those areas are indeed solid nickel silver, not plated. Wether you can see that or not depends on the lacquer aging, absence/presence at those points, and other factors such as if the horn was stored in a rather acidic or caustic enviroment But also the brass looks different when oxidation plays in. It develops sort of a silver tarnish look over the brass.

Got pictures? did you get it from the bay or ??

 

[rolirebu]

Yes, pictures please???

 

[tsaxy]

Hi,

I have not taken any pictures ,yet.

The Ebay listing is still available, though. Ebay # 130 533 573 590.

 

[jicaino]

Lovely horn man as I said on our private interchange

 

[tsaxy]

Thanks Juan,

I now have this sax dialed in and cleaned up. It looks better than the Ebay pics. When I have time I'll snap some new pics.

Who ever had this sax really took care of it. I only had to seat a few leaking pads and replace one broken spring and it really sings now. I was not too happy when I won the auction at the last second. I had visions of a few hundred bucks more to make it playable.

I always take the position that a horn on ebay will at least need a pad job when sold by a seller that knows nothing about saxes. I lucked out this time.

The 400 serie Buescher lives up to it's hype, at least this one.

 

[JL]

Who ever had this sax really took care of it. I only had to seat a few leaking pads and replace one broken spring and it really sings now. I was not too happy when I won the auction at the last second. I had visions of a few hundred bucks more to make it playable..

You did great on that sale. It still would have been well worth it if you needed to sink $200-300 more into it. I have an Aristocrat tenor from the same time period (292,xxx, about 1940) and it's a fantastic horn. Bueschers from this era are among the best horns out there. The TH&C are the most valued in terms of price, so you ended up getting a great deal, given it needs no major work. Enjoy!

And yeah, my 1940 Aristo is noticeably heavier than the later 156.

 

[Enviroguy]

Same here. I've got a 296,xxx Crat from this same era. And it sounds way better than I should be able to play. That's the only way to describe it. I can only imagine what the TH&C from the late Pre-War era sounds like. I envy you. :bluewink: