Saxophones Selmer Pennsylvania Tenor sax (need more info about it)

[geg1700]

Hi everyone, I am interested in buying a saxophone that i have found on ebay. It is a Selmer Pennsylvania Tenor Sax. Serial number D7911.

I need to know how old it is and what its worth.

more pictures to come

thanks

 

[kevgermany]

Lots of guesses about who made this and when. Probably not Selmer. Probably not Kohlert. Selmer had a subsidiary in London, but probably not made there either. Pennsylvania's were their student line. Guessing post war, 50s/60s. Not really worth too much, sadly. A lot will depend on playability, pad condition and so on.

 

[geg1700]

By not much what do you mean? i need a price estimate as i am buying it and need to offer on it

 

[Nick Wyver]

£50

My first tenor (1975?) was an old one of these. By the time it got to me it was decidedly battered. But I suspect it was pretty rubbish to start with.

 

[kevgermany]

Here this would go for about 300 or so. Whether it's worth it is a gamble. For me that's too much. You need to factor in at least a setup and possibly a repad as well.

I couldn't find the one you're talking about on the UK ebay site, but I found 2 others. A scruffy alto that's on bin at 225 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-S...Instruments&hash=item1c31a6e59d#ht_986wt_1399

Same seller for both. Seller's asking too much in both cases imho.

One has to ask why this sax? Is it for the Selmer name? Cos they're not Selmers. And people tend to pay more for them than they're really worth, just cos Selmer is engraved on them.

and a better condition tenor on bin at 385 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-P...nstruments&hash=item1c31a6ec3f#ht_1278wt_1399

 

[geg1700]

I got it for £285, the person selling it fixes up saxophones and says it is in very good condition and is ready to play....

 

[ProfJames]

Typically that is an average price for a tenor saxophone on eBay but it can be "hit and miss" with any purchase without seeing the sax or trying it out. Sometimes you just have to go for it.

 

[jonf]

I got it for £285, the person selling it fixes up saxophones and says it is in very good condition and is ready to play....

If it's been well set up and is ready to play that's an OK price. I had one of these a while ago. I had it to keep at work, so I could go and have a blast in the bike shed in the car park when I was getting fed up. It actually played pretty well, clunky, cheapo keywork but a pretty good, bluesy tone. I think I sold it for about £200, if memory serves me right.

 

[saxismyaxe]

Helen has some good information on these at her Blog site:

http://bassic-sax.info/blog/?p=36445

 

[simon spillett]

I started on one of these and did my first year of pro gigs on it! Vic Ash once borrowed it to do a gig at Mansion House.....

 

[thomsax]

I guess it's a DDR sax from the 70's. Some details that are close to a B&S blue label. But I can be wrong. How much it's worth? Depends on how well it play.

 

[MontyMac]

Helen has some good information on these at her Blog site:

http://bassic-sax.info/blog/?p=36445

I remember stumbling upon Helen's photos of Selmer Pennsylvania Orsi stencils while researching other Italian saxes.
Seeing that photo with the tall key guards, the colours of lacquer & plated keys and a serial # starting with a letter, my first impression was Orsi.
I came upon (and bought) an Italian LaMonte Superior tenor, but it's Not an Orsi.

 

[Melissa]

That is an Orsi of Milan from the looks of it, I had one a few years back, no kidding it was a lovely dark player with plenty of core to it, I sold mine for £500 to an English fella who played at clubs in Spain, he was delighted with it.

Be careful though, because some do have problems with the bow and the lower notes do not play right, a tech molded some (? forgot the name-sorry) inside the bow and it changed it to a fantastic player.

 

[MontyMac]

That is an Orsi of Milan from the looks of it, I had one a few years back, no kidding it was a lovely dark player with plenty of core to it, I sold mine for £500 to an English fella who played at clubs in Spain, he was delighted with it.

Oh Yes! NEVER Underestimate Italian Saxes!
I've got big bore ebony mpcs for all of mine and they are Monsters!

 

[thomsax]

There must be something in water in north Italy! For a long time there were Grassi, Borgani, R&C, Orsi .... when other manufactors closed down.

I've onwed lots of Italian made saxes, but I can't get along with them. Nice saxes.

 

[milandro]

Just as a matter of interest.

Borgani is not in a region classed as “ North” in Italy and in fact is very far away from other places where Italian saxophones were made.

Borgani is in Macerata, in the Marche region, firmly and for as long as Italy in its present form exist, the Marche region is in the center of Italy ( called like that because it “ marked” the borders of the Vatican state, also a marquisate has the same origin, being the title given to a Noble who has possessions which mark the border of a kingdom).

Italy had one cluster of three companies briefly co-existing in Quarna Sotto (Verbania- Piemonte).

Rampone & Cazzani, Alfonso Rampone and Grassi. Now only Rampone & Cazzani still exists in Quarna.

Orsi still is in Milan (but they appear to have ceased the saxophone production) . Alfredo Santoni ditta Giglio was in Parè, Como. Ferdinando Roth was in Milan. (those are in Lombardy)

Desidera was in Verona (Veneto) and bore relationship with the Stowasser company

Orsi and Santoni were responsible for countless stencils sold around the world when the Italian industry was to the French, American and German industry what Taiwan is for the rest of the world now in saxophone country.

 

[milandro]

This is as noted by others an Orsi saxophone, even in perfect overhauled state not worth too much more than 600€ . It is a stencil and usually these are worth somewhat less thatn the brand they were stenciled from, if it would have the Orsi name engraved on it, perhaps, at most 800€,. Orsi had other, better and more modern models which might fetch as much as 1000€

 

[thomsax]

Just as a matter of interest.

Borgani is not in a region classed as “ North” in Italy and in fact is very far away from other places where Italian saxophones were made.

Borgani is in Macerata, in the Marche region, firmly and for as long as Italy in its present form exist, the Marche region is in the center of Italy ( called like that because it “ marked” the borders of the Vatican state, also a marquisate has the same origin, being the title given to a Noble who has possessions which mark the border of a kingdom).

Italy had one cluster of three companies briefly co-existing in Quarna Sotto (Verbania- Piemonte).

Rampone & Cazzani, Alfonso Rampone and Grassi. Now only Rampone & Cazzani still exists in Quarna.

Orsi still is in Milan (but they appear to have ceased the saxophone production) . Alfredo Santoni ditta Giglio was in Parè, Como. Ferdinando Roth was in Milan. (those are in Lombardy)

Desidera was in Verona (Veneto) and bore relationship with the Stowasser company

Orsi and Santoni were responsible for countless stencils sold around the world when the Italian industry was to the French, American and German industry what Taiwan is for the rest of the world now in saxophone country.

Thanks for the info!

 

[Melissa]

Just as a matter of interest.

Borgani is not in a region classed as “ North” in Italy and in fact is very far away from other places where Italian saxophones were made.

Borgani is in Macerata, in the Marche region, firmly and for as long as Italy in its present form exist, the Marche region is in the center of Italy ( called like that because it “ marked” the borders of the Vatican state, also a marquisate has the same origin, being the title given to a Noble who has possessions which mark the border of a kingdom).

Italy had one cluster of three companies briefly co-existing in Quarna Sotto (Verbania- Piemonte).

Rampone & Cazzani, Alfonso Rampone and Grassi. Now only Rampone & Cazzani still exists in Quarna.

Orsi still is in Milan (but they appear to have ceased the saxophone production) . Alfredo Santoni ditta Giglio was in Parè, Como. Ferdinando Roth was in Milan. (those are in Lombardy)

Desidera was in Verona (Veneto) and bore relationship with the Stowasser company

Orsi and Santoni were responsible for countless stencils sold around the world when the Italian industry was to the French, American and German industry what Taiwan is for the rest of the world now in saxophone country.

There he goes again, the most incredible sax guru on the planet! Thank you for this wonderful information!

 

[MontyMac]

There he goes again, the most incredible sax guru on the planet! Thank you for this wonderful information!

His knowledge of saxophones in general, but most especially the Italian makers, is most likely unequalled by anyone currently in Europe.