[JillyC]

Hi there - I have a Grafton, in original case "John E Dallas" - it appears to be in very good condition but I don't know a lot about these things I'm afraid. I am selling it for an elderly friend and don't want him to be ripped off. I would really appreciate any advice about getting it valued and where the best place is to sell it. It has a serial number on in, 10744?

With thanks and best wishes to everyone who reads this

 

[Canadiain]

It really depends what sort of condition its in. These are unique horns and quite valuable now. Good condition ones are getting rarer and rarer due to the nature of the plastic used. Even poor condition ones are allegedly changing hands for 4 digit numbers for spares it seems.

If you could post pictures, or a link to pictures posted elsewhere then the experts might be able to give a more accurate idea.

Options for sale would be ebay (with a high reserve, like $2 or 3k), a sale through this site (although its hard to set a value) or a consignment sale with one of the recognised vintage horn sellers who would have a good idea what its worth.

Im not sure these were ever great players (although great players sounded good on them), but the charlie parker link (his sold for 93 thousand pounds!) and the uniqueness and cool look of the thing make it a "must have" for some people.

If you want more info on graftons there is an interesting page here:
http://www.xs4all.nl/~lexlub/chroma-tic_eng/grafton/sommaruga.htm

 

[JillyC]

I will definitely post some photos, probably later on today...

 

[old git]

JillyC,
Go to Just Flutes, Pre-owned Saxophones, Vintage Saxophones, price there but it is a very good one.
Good Luck,
Bill

 

[JillyC]

Thanks to both of you, I will post some photos asap...

 

[SAXISMYAXE]

I can vouch that they are good players, and have a warm, distinctive sound. Their Achilles heel is of course the famous fragile material and construction, and the fact that only a masochist technician would work on one.

 

[JillyC]

Some photos...

Here are a couple of photos, if anybody has any advice about selling this Grafton I would be very grateful - perhaps more detailed photos are needed? Thanks for your patience


http://img486.imageshack.us/my.php?image=s5030070xt2.jpg

http://img220.imageshack.us/my.php?image=s5030071hx3.jpg

 

[JillyC]

Advice on valuation please!

Hi there, could anyone suggest a good place to get my Grafton valued, I am in West London so can easily get up to Denmark Street etc.

With many thanks for any tips

 

[crazydaisydoo]

Jilly, try Howarths, they will give you an idea

http://www.howarth.uk.com/

If you have an active ebay account with good feedback I would put it up there. Expect anything from £1200 to £2000+ depending on condition, it looks good to me, but get a report befoer selling it. One sold about 6 months ago on ebay for about £1200 but it had no indication of playability or very good photos.

If Howarths say that it needs work, then take their advice. It might be worth spending a few hundred £ to achieve an ever better price. A good repairer for theses (if Howarths don't want to) is SH Woodwind

http://www.shwoodwind.co.uk/Reviews/Saxes/Alto/Grafton_alto.htm

Good luck with it, you will have NO problem selling it, but to achieve the best price I would ebay rather than go through a dealer, but it is up to you. Or, you could post it here on the marketplace once you have had it checked over, but it is not an auction,so you will have to state your price up front. But it is free! (although it would be good to pay a donation to the site)

 

[JillyC]

Thanks very much, I will contact them. I have had an offer through this site from the US but wouldn't want to sell something that needs a lot of money spend on it of course, conversely I wouldn't want to undersell it!

 

[Seasax]

Hey.
I am in London on Saturdays. I would love to play it and it'd be great if we could meet up in Howarths when you get it valued, if you can do it on a Saturday?
Do not go to denmark street, and especially macaris, their repairs are real bodges and they really mistreat some horns, i played a VI there that had the octave key replaced with something that looks like wire ties and bits of paperclip.
I'd love to give you an idea of how it plays if you want.
Dan

 

[griff136]

You could pop it along to John Myall music in croydon
( www.justflutes.com). I am the sax repairer there and both myself and John Myall have a v good grasp of what these are worth in the right condition.
(cracks,bumper stops missing etc)

Matthew also mentioned howarthsd and Steve Howard both reputable shops/repairers who will also give you an honest appraisal.

If you send it to the US make sure its very well packed as the acrylic is very brittle - one reason why these didnt take off in the US because the first few shipments sent, when opened were literallyin pieces.

we have a few in the shop and at least one on the pre owned section on the web site.

 

[JillyC]

thanks for the feedback, really helpful and appreciated!