Saxophones Buescher True Tone 1926 C melody sax possible to play without repad?

[turf3]

That just means you should look elsewhere. That’s either BS (see post above) or the tech has not actually done this before. Or the tech just doesn’t want to do it.

Ask your musician friends who is a good and honest tech, and name-drop like crazy when you talk to her/him: “So-and-so recommended you highly, can you work on this sax?”

Well, replacing pads with snaps is MARGINALLY more trouble; first of all they have to punch the larger center hole which takes a couple minutes to find the hole punch, a couple minutes to select the right size hole, and 15 seconds each to punch the hole; then you float the pad as per normal, then an additional 15 seconds or so to push the snap into place. So I'd say on the order of 45 seconds additional labor per pad. At $120/hr, that's $2/minute, they should charge something like US$1.50 more per pad for snaps.

 

[turf3]

Certainly it's possible to start as a beginner on the C melody, but most people, pretty soon, they want to be playing with others and the C will greatly limit your opportunities. No parts in the local band. But if you want to form a quartet and spend Saturday afternoons in the barn playing old standards, no problem.

Many shops, it seems from internet forum reports, are trying to ditch "playing condition service" and when they see an adult walk in with an old horn, they just default to the very expensive "overhaul" (however one chooses to define this) quote. This is also, I expect, frequently a "go away!" quote. I'd suggest you find a shop that does a lot of work for school band instruments; they'll be accustomed to the mode of "just fix what needs to be fixed to get this thing playing from top to bottom".

From your username it looks like you might be located in the great state of Texas? If so, maybe that will help with some specificity on shop recommendations.

 

[thomsax]

If you have a Buescher with Snap_on-Pads (system) and yu want to keep it with Snap-On's I think you should have something l the same style as the orgiginal pads. I have Buescher Snap-On-Pads and they have metal back and it's not that easy to puch a hole in the pad.

Check so all the spuds and Snap-On are there. I have a Buescher wo Snap-Ons. They are replaced with more modern pads and glued in.

 

[turf3]

If you have a Buescher with Snap_on-Pads (system) and yu want to keep it with Snap-On's I think you should have something l the same style as the orgiginal pads. I have Buescher Snap-On-Pads and they have metal back and it's not that easy to puch a hole in the pad.

Check so all the spuds and Snap-On are there. I have a Buescher wo Snap-Ons. They are replaced with more modern pads and glued in.

If you float the pads on shellac as per 2024, you don't need the metal backing and you can just punch a larger hole in an ordinary pad. That's what the "Buescher" pads sold by Music Medic are: standard pads with a larger hole.

 

[saxyjt]

Lets try an analogy. Your grand father left you a hundred year old car that needed a fair amount of work. Would it be sensible to learn to drive in it without having the work done

Being practical, I'd leave this one as it is for now. Rent a modern saxophone or buy used, perhaps from the repairer and have a few lessons. When you have a better idea of what's involved, you can make a more informed decision.

It's very easy to let your heart rule your head and drift down an impractical path of romantic notions.

@PenelopeTX what Colin says is probably not what you want to hear and I understand perfectly, but I have been toying with saxophones for a good while now, including an old C-Melody that I repaired myself, including a full repad as the original ones were in poor shape and I can say from experience that learning on such a beast is far from ideal...

It's not like old horses for new riders, new horses for old riders.

To learn you need a reliable instrument. These C Melodies are, in my opinion, for experienced and adventurous players. I may add that compared with alto and tenor saxes, they are somewhat uncomfortable. But that may be me!

I would recommend you try a modern alto/tenor and get a feeling.

But I hope that I'm completely wrong and you have the best of times with this one. I can relate to the grandfather aspect as I recently found out who my grandfather was (on my father's side) as my dad was adopted.

 

[PenelopeTX]

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice! I wasn’t receiving notifications for some reason so just now saw the latest replies.🥴 I’m going to look for another repair shop because I think the first gave me a “go away” quote. Lol. I’ll also try to find a local sax player that might be willing to test out the saxophone. In the meantime, I’ll look into these pads more. I’m sure I can’t do them myself, but doesn’t hurt to learn more about them. I believe one of my sons will want to learn to play saxophone (they currently play piano/guitar) so I could see a newer horn coming into our house at some point and I can possibly learn on that instrument.

 

[thomsax]

If you float the pads on shellac as per 2024

So why use the old Snap-On_Pad system if you use shellac?

 

[turf3]

So why use the old Snap-On_Pad system if you use shellac?

Because it looks original and you don't have to go through the trouble of getting rid of the studs in the keycups. Plus if for some perverse reason a future owner wants to just install the pads without shellac, they can.

 

[PigSquealer]

So why use the old Snap-On_Pad system if you use shellac?

The pad needs to be somewhat rigid. The orginal pads have metal backing. Modern pads with cardboard backing is not stiff enough.
@LostCircuits has been successful with installs shellac free. The original pads are something like .180 thick. IIRCC he used a .160 thick pad and extracted the metal backs from the pads he removed.
Used as support and shim behind a modern pad he was 100% successful with this technique. Shellac free.

 

[PigSquealer]

@PenelopeTX
Are you located in Texas ? @JayeNM is closer than I am ( Los Angeles). Either of us can help you.
$1k is high but no surprise.
Retail shop rate in some areas is $85 - $150hr.
A repad on a modern student alto is 14-16 hours with no repairs.
These old ones are 25 hours or more.
Retail shops loose money on these at $1k. Honestly I’m surprised they did not quote you $1500.

Review this thread for better understanding of the task at hand.

https://www.saxontheweb.net/threads/buescher-tt-c-melody-project.399494/

 

[PigSquealer]

Whatever you do to get it playing. Make sure it’s disassembled cleaned and oiled. You’re playing on a sax that was made when transportation by horse was normal. The oil warranty expired about 90 years ago.

 

[LostCircuits]

Like I said earlier, just have a decent player try out the horn, anyone who knows just above entry -level playing should be able to point out if there are severe issues, and if so, where they are.

One thing to keep in mind as well is that horns that have not been played for decades will need some time to wake up from their Sleeping Beauty sleep. I would check the pads visually and if there are rips in the leather, then it's probably time. If they are just dried out, apply leather conditioner with a q-tip to clean the old crud and soften the leather, in the least, it'll buy you a few years.

And FWIW, the perverse reason is that the horns were designed for exactly this type of mounting and if Buescher had not patented it and blocked other manufacturers from adopting it, there would have never been a smear campaign against snaps. They just work .

 

[PenelopeTX]

@PenelopeTX
Are you located in Texas ? @JayeNM is closer than I am ( Los Angeles). Either of us can help you.
$1k is high but no surprise.
Retail shop rate in some areas is $85 - $150hr.
A repad on a modern student alto is 14-16 hours with no repairs.
These old ones are 25 hours or more.
Retail shops loose money on these at $1k. Honestly I’m surprised they did not quote you $1500.

Review this thread for better understanding of the task at hand.

https://www.saxontheweb.net/threads/buescher-tt-c-melody-project.399494/

I'm in central Texas near the Austin area. Wow, I had no idea it was a 25+ hour job. I'm sure the shop was relieved when I decided to hold off. It's too bad I can't get by with replacing only a few pads. Maybe after some one tests it, we will miraculously find it playable. 🤞This saxophone has basically been in storage in a basement for decades. As far as I know, no one has played it since my grandpa did in high school.

 

[LostCircuits]

I'm in central Texas near the Austin area. Wow, I had no idea it was a 25+ hour job. I'm sure the shop was relieved when I decided to hold off. It's too bad I can't get by with replacing only a few pads. Maybe after some one tests it, we will miraculously find it playable. 🤞This saxophone has basically been in storage in a basement for decades. As far as I know, no one has played it since my grandpa did in high school.

I wouldn't be surprised but you can do some of your homework as I mentioned above to make it easier on the player and the instrument

 

[PigSquealer]

I'm in central Texas near the Austin area. Wow, I had no idea it was a 25+ hour job. I'm sure the shop was relieved when I decided to hold off. It's too bad I can't get by with replacing only a few pads. Maybe after some one tests it, we will miraculously find it playable. 🤞This saxophone has basically been in storage in a basement for decades. As far as I know, no one has played it since my grandpa did in high school.

There’s still a good chance of getting this to play on most of those pads. It’s the ones sprung closed that usually need changing.
Regardless I wouldn’t be giving it much exercise until it’s thoroughly cleaned and oiled. The hinge rods are made out of steel. The key tube work is brass. The chances are about 99.9% that all the hinges have rust. That makes a really nice grinding material for all the nicely fitting parts being ruined.

 

[PigSquealer]

Not unusual to have stuck parts.
These pictures are from a baritone but you get the idea.
left. I had to remove the post & all from body.
Mid. Heat & soak for a day or two. Removed shows rust.
Right. What it should look like.

 

[LostCircuits]

Not unusual to have stuck parts.
These pictures are from a baritone but you get the idea.
left. I had to remove the post & all from body.
Mid. Heat & soak for a day or two. Removed shows rust.
Right. What it should look like.
View attachment 27983

Don't frighten Texas-Penny 😉
Q-tips and leather conditioner is all she will need to get started

 

[PenelopeTX]

A couple more photos. Definitely could use some cleaning and conditioning. Interesting that the original reeds are still in here as well as an ancient tin of cork grease that’s says 15 cents. 😅

 

[PenelopeTX]

Most of the pads look like this (condition):

But there are a couple that look pretty rough, like this:

 

[LostCircuits]

A couple more photos. Definitely could use some cleaning and conditioning. Interesting that the original reeds are still in here as well as an ancient tin of cork grease that’s says 15 cents. 😅
View attachment 27985View attachment 27986

That looks like a very pretty horn. Of course, my pedantic heart aches when I see a red bumper felt on a Buescher but all in all, and I can't look under the pads in those pictures, I am thinking that with 3-4 hours DIY cleaning you will be totally rejuvenating the horn.

Important. This is a matte silver-plated instrument and any scouring pad or abrasive like Brasso - Noxon will immediately ruin the finish forever. Hagerty or Wrights silver polish are all you need. Also, given that the pads are tan color, it has been repadded at least once and there is a really good chance that those pads just need a little attention.

Edit:

id not see your second post before I posted my reply but I think I mentioned it before that the palm and side keys are the ones that go bad fastest. And replacing those is a matter of minutes but I'd give it a try first using Charcoal Lighter fluid to clean, followed by conditioner/sealer. The best cleaning cloth is those microfiber rags they use to clean glasses. Give it a shot, Lighter fluid on a kitchen towel, let it soak 5 min and drag the glasses cloth through pad/tone hole (while it is closed) and marvel at the crud you see. Then apply conditioner.