Saxophones Low Bb vs low A baritones.

[Tonehole]

Whoa! I am interested in how you have a Bass Sax! That has gotta take up a lot of floor space.
What is a set up on a horn like that cost?

 

[PigSquealer]

What is a set up on a horn like that cost?

Dunno 🤷‍♂️. I haven’t had one in yet. I’d guess a pad set with a decent booster alone costs $200-$250. The 60mm pads are now like $9 ea. Add a booster and they’re over $10. Probably three sticks of shellac, bla,bla bla and you’re over $300 in just parts & materials. Labor time ? In good condition, no damage work / overhaul required. I would guess 15-20 hours minimum. @$50/hr that’s a grand. ( Shops around here charge $85/hr for student repairs).
The biggest problem I see is finding a technician that can & will work on one.

 

[Stephen Howard]

Dunno 🤷‍♂️. I haven’t had one in yet. I’d guess a pad set with a decent booster alone costs $200-$250. The 60mm pads are now like $9 ea. Add a booster and they’re over $10. Probably three sticks of shellac, bla,bla bla and you’re over $300 in just parts & materials. Labor time ? In good condition, no damage work / overhaul required. I would guess 15-20 hours minimum. @$50/hr that’s a grand. ( Shops around here charge $85/hr for student repairs).
The biggest problem I see is finding a technician that can & will work on one.

I reckon that's a bit optimistic.
£250 over here will get you a decent set of tenor pads - so I'd be surprised if a bass set came in at less than £400. Like you say, those big pads get very pricey.

Even in good nick a bass tends to require a great deal more....coaxing. The sheer size of the keywork means there's a lot more flex to take into account - though this tends to be offset somewhat by the very forgiving nature of a bass.
Perhaps the biggest issue is swinging the thing around the bench. I have a separate bench that's much lower than my usual one (which I stand at) which enables me to walk around a larger horn rather than have to swing it over the bench.

A bass in poor condition gets expensive real fast.

I don't do them anymore, simply because I always end up with a sore lower back. I had to turn down an Eppelsheim contrabass job once....just wouldn't have been able to lift it 🙁