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1934 VINTAGE BUESCHER NEW ARISTOCRAT ALTO SAXOPHONE - FOR RESTORATION - 01 NECK
Estimated price for orientation: 1 249 $
Category: Saxophones
Class:
Description Body Finish: silver plate Body Material: brass Brand: Buescher Model: New Aristocrat Key Finish: silver plate Country/Region of Manufacture: United States Skill Level: Professional Exact Year: 1934
THANKS FOR CHECKING OUT MY AUCTION. PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE DESCRIPTION AND MY POLICIES BEFORE PLACING YOUR BID. Check out my !Be sure to add me to your ! *Today I am listing the latest installment of mouthpieces and other sax gear which I am selling on consignment for saxophonist Frank Catalano. For those of you who may not be familiar, Frank is a true heavy hitter in the jazz world and has been featured on multiple Grammy winning albums. He is also the quintessential gear hound, having amassed a collection of over 500 mouthpieces! He now endorses and plays Jody Jazz mouthpieces exclusively so he is purging some of his massive collection of mouthpieces he has acquired over many years. Be sure to check out my other items for more great mouthpieces from this collection. There will be more to come later, so add me to your favorites list and check back later to see new additions.
This listing is for a vintage Buescher 'New Aristocrat' (NA) alto saxophone. This was a transitional model, which was produced in relatively low numbers over the course of only a few years. The serial number 267,xxx indicates a c.1934 production date, which would also make it one of the last of this model. The NA has developed quite a cult following, in large part because the famous classical saxophonist Sigurd Rascher used one throughout his career. Thus, these became very popular for students of the 'German school', and many students of Rascher's students continue to seek these instruments out. The NA is by no means a strictly classical horn though, as many jazz players also favor them. At first glance the NA looks very similar to the preceding model, however it does have some visible differences, most notably, the enlarged, six roller left hand pinky key cluster and the Norton screw in springs. It also features sharp art deco style engraving. Most of the changes though were with design aspects that can't be seen with the naked eye, such as improvements in the bore. By this time Buescher was already experimenting with different neck tapers. Earlier models had only a single neck option, then came improved necks labeled either 1 or 2, however this model has one of the next generation of necks, labeled either 01, 02, or 03, or *, **, or ***. This example has a "01" neck, generally considered the best of the three, and most desirable.
This horn is being sold 'as is' for restoration purposes. It is not currently playable, and will require a full overhaul to be made so. It is a rare instrument that is certainly worth that effort though! It is in overall good physical condition. The body is straight. The neck has not been pulled down or otherwise damaged. There might be a couple tiny pings and nicks, but there are no significant dents or dings. The key guards are slightly bent, but it should be relatively easy to straighten those out sufficiently. It is missing the brace between the low B key guard and the forked Eb pad key guard. This is super common as it appears to have been a weak solder point on this model. On almost every Buescher that I've seen that had this brace it has either been lost, or re-soldered at some point. Earlier models didn't even have this piece, so it will certainly function fine without it. Otherwise, your tech should be able to easily fabricate a replacement that is aesthetically similar. I don't see any re-soldered joints. Most of the original snap on resonators are present, but it looks like maybe four or five are missing. The pads on these keys seem to bulge a bit, so I suspect the spuds are still in place in the key cups. All Norton springs look to be intact. The silver plate finish is heavily tarnished, but should clean up nicely. It is 95+% intact, with typical wear through to the underlying brass at a few contact points. All keys are moving freely and rebounding properly, so it should need minimal swedging. The horn comes in its original case. The case is in typical condition for its age. It is quite worn and a bit musty inside (but not too overpowering). The latches require some manipulation to open and close, so I certainly wouldn't trust them. Bottom line, it's worth keeping for the sake of its originality to the horn, but once the sax is restored you'll definitely want to invest in a better case for day to day use. The only accessory included is the original end plug. There is no mouthpiece, ligature, etc.With a proper restoration this should make a fine player. There is a reason people still seek out these old Bueschers. The tone is superior to (and just plain different than) anything you can get today! If you have any doubt as to the feasibility of using a horn of this age to play difficult modern music, just listen to recordings of Rascher. He continued used one of these well after all the so called 'modern' horns came out!Please feel free to email me with any questions.Thanks again for looking!
Description
| Body Finish: | silver plate | Body Material: | brass |
| Brand: | Buescher | Model: | New Aristocrat |
| Key Finish: | silver plate | Country/Region of Manufacture: | United States |
| Skill Level: | Professional | Exact Year: | 1934 |
THANKS FOR CHECKING OUT MY AUCTION. PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE DESCRIPTION AND MY POLICIES BEFORE PLACING YOUR BID. Check out my !Be sure to add me to your ! *Today I am listing the latest installment of mouthpieces and other sax gear which I am selling on consignment for saxophonist Frank Catalano. For those of you who may not be familiar, Frank is a true heavy hitter in the jazz world and has been featured on multiple Grammy winning albums. He is also the quintessential gear hound, having amassed a collection of over 500 mouthpieces! He now endorses and plays Jody Jazz mouthpieces exclusively so he is purging some of his massive collection of mouthpieces he has acquired over many years. Be sure to check out my other items for more great mouthpieces from this collection. There will be more to come later, so add me to your favorites list and check back later to see new additions.
This listing is for a vintage Buescher 'New Aristocrat' (NA) alto saxophone. This was a transitional model, which was produced in relatively low numbers over the course of only a few years. The serial number 267,xxx indicates a c.1934 production date, which would also make it one of the last of this model. The NA has developed quite a cult following, in large part because the famous classical saxophonist Sigurd Rascher used one throughout his career. Thus, these became very popular for students of the 'German school', and many students of Rascher's students continue to seek these instruments out. The NA is by no means a strictly classical horn though, as many jazz players also favor them. At first glance the NA looks very similar to the preceding model, however it does have some visible differences, most notably, the enlarged, six roller left hand pinky key cluster and the Norton screw in springs. It also features sharp art deco style engraving. Most of the changes though were with design aspects that can't be seen with the naked eye, such as improvements in the bore. By this time Buescher was already experimenting with different neck tapers. Earlier models had only a single neck option, then came improved necks labeled either 1 or 2, however this model has one of the next generation of necks, labeled either 01, 02, or 03, or *, **, or ***. This example has a "01" neck, generally considered the best of the three, and most desirable.
This listing is for a vintage Buescher 'New Aristocrat' (NA) alto saxophone. This was a transitional model, which was produced in relatively low numbers over the course of only a few years. The serial number 267,xxx indicates a c.1934 production date, which would also make it one of the last of this model. The NA has developed quite a cult following, in large part because the famous classical saxophonist Sigurd Rascher used one throughout his career. Thus, these became very popular for students of the 'German school', and many students of Rascher's students continue to seek these instruments out. The NA is by no means a strictly classical horn though, as many jazz players also favor them. At first glance the NA looks very similar to the preceding model, however it does have some visible differences, most notably, the enlarged, six roller left hand pinky key cluster and the Norton screw in springs. It also features sharp art deco style engraving. Most of the changes though were with design aspects that can't be seen with the naked eye, such as improvements in the bore. By this time Buescher was already experimenting with different neck tapers. Earlier models had only a single neck option, then came improved necks labeled either 1 or 2, however this model has one of the next generation of necks, labeled either 01, 02, or 03, or *, **, or ***. This example has a "01" neck, generally considered the best of the three, and most desirable.
This horn is being sold 'as is' for restoration purposes. It is not currently playable, and will require a full overhaul to be made so. It is a rare instrument that is certainly worth that effort though! It is in overall good physical condition. The body is straight. The neck has not been pulled down or otherwise damaged. There might be a couple tiny pings and nicks, but there are no significant dents or dings. The key guards are slightly bent, but it should be relatively easy to straighten those out sufficiently. It is missing the brace between the low B key guard and the forked Eb pad key guard. This is super common as it appears to have been a weak solder point on this model. On almost every Buescher that I've seen that had this brace it has either been lost, or re-soldered at some point. Earlier models didn't even have this piece, so it will certainly function fine without it. Otherwise, your tech should be able to easily fabricate a replacement that is aesthetically similar. I don't see any re-soldered joints. Most of the original snap on resonators are present, but it looks like maybe four or five are missing. The pads on these keys seem to bulge a bit, so I suspect the spuds are still in place in the key cups. All Norton springs look to be intact. The silver plate finish is heavily tarnished, but should clean up nicely. It is 95+% intact, with typical wear through to the underlying brass at a few contact points. All keys are moving freely and rebounding properly, so it should need minimal swedging. The horn comes in its original case. The case is in typical condition for its age. It is quite worn and a bit musty inside (but not too overpowering). The latches require some manipulation to open and close, so I certainly wouldn't trust them. Bottom line, it's worth keeping for the sake of its originality to the horn, but once the sax is restored you'll definitely want to invest in a better case for day to day use. The only accessory included is the original end plug. There is no mouthpiece, ligature, etc.With a proper restoration this should make a fine player. There is a reason people still seek out these old Bueschers. The tone is superior to (and just plain different than) anything you can get today! If you have any doubt as to the feasibility of using a horn of this age to play difficult modern music, just listen to recordings of Rascher. He continued used one of these well after all the so called 'modern' horns came out!
Please feel free to email me with any questions.
Thanks again for looking!