Saxophones What to avoid?

[LostCircuits]

Those price ranges seem reasonable. However, I have looked at bari's that were busted and/or missing parts that are still listed for $3-4k. I would love a bari, but an alto seems to be what we're short this time around.

I've seen baris on craigslist for $800 - 1500, including 12M, Buescher or King. Just keep in mind that a set of bari pads is at least 2 x that of an alto set, plus, leveling them is a little more demanding than doing it for the smaller horns.

 

[JayeNM]

So it would be a safe bet to pick up anything king, conn from the 20s to 80s? I have had my eye on a 20s york alto around $300?

The York is OK for a tester...thing is....20s horns, unless it is a Beuscher TruTone or Conn New Wonder 2 (Chu Berry)...have little value and are considered 'too old' by many to have much appeal. Those two models have mythological status hower. The FLIP SIDE is, even as PROJECT HORNS, they usually aren't 'cheap'.

IMHO, stick to '40s or later, both bell keys on same side of the bell.

That York, on auction in US, would not fetch even $125. Take a pass IMHO.

Offer Up and FB marketplace, as already noted, along with Craigslist, can often have very good deals as fewer viewers on those....

 

[JayeNM]

People these days TRY to sell project Baris for a lot, but rarely do. King Zephs tend to go reasonably, as do Euro models like Vito, Noblet. Bundys tend to go cheap too.

The problem is...very few listings for Baris are open auction anymore. They all want Buy Now or Best Offer listings. Open auction/bid old American Baris go cheap, talking $500-800, even for a Conn 12M....

I mean, open auctions for Yanis or Yama low A's ALSO end up cheap.... $1500 tops, oftentimes...for a model another seller wants $2500 for, same condition....

I do agree with your game plan, tho....start with an Alto....unless a Tenor happens to pop up for a great price.

 

[PigSquealer]

So it would be a safe bet to pick up anything king, conn from the 20s to 80s?

There’s an insane amount of differences in each makers models over 60 years. Some / most are above your hinted budget.

I have had my eye on a 20s york alto around $300?

In full play condition / needs nothing that’s ok. As a project starter nope by at least double.
IMHO Yorks are underrated. Still keep in mind the market price point and build were to the humble average musician. The community band player looking for affordable new instruments.

York Loyalist - Dedicated to the York Band Instrument Company

York Band Instrument Company history, serial numbers, catalogs, pictures, J.W. York & Sons, York Loyalist

www.yorkloyalist.com

 

[Woodpad]

"I'm looking for dirt cheap used instruments. I really like old instruments. I'm very good at repairing things and I work in a machine shop with access to all the toys."

You will avoid learning to play the saxophone now, with any horn that is not ready to play or just needs some service, and not avoid getting started with learning to repair horns.
Decisions decisions. 😜

Start learning to repair on a cheap oldy. Start learning the saxophone on a good student horn. When both have comparable properties change them.

 

[SuperAction80]

Avoid all instruments not named Vito.

This may be a great method in getting the prices back in check.

(Waves hand like Obi-Wan)
Forget what you heard about the VSP series. Yanagisawa is a difficult name to pronounce, thusly it's not a horn that you want. Vito is so bad that they couldn't even make their own horns.

 

[Woodpad]

Vito is so bad that they couldn't even make their own horns.

Instead you get a Beaugnier, Yamaha or Jupiter stencil. All three are better known for constant quality than Selmer.

 

[SuperAction80]

Instead you get a Beaugnier, Yamaha or Jupiter stencil. All three are better known for constant quality than Selmer.

Shhhhhh... we're trying to lower the prices. 😆

In my case, I have an oddball prototype Vito YAS-21 alto. Fully lacquered, adjustment screws over the G#/F toneholes, and a few other oddities bringing it more in line with a 52 than a production YAS-21. Oh, and it has MOP key touches. I had to email Yamaha about this horn after I bought it. They confirmed that they were negotiating with Vito in 1974, and they were looking for possible higher quality student horns. Mine was one of the running change prototypes. I recall only seeing one other like it online. I slapped a V1 neck onto the thing, and it's been my alto of choice for a long time.

I like having other sax players try it out and try to figure out what it is. The neck obviously throws a fly into the ointment. More recently, a buddy of mine lazer engraved a scaled down version of the Supreme engraving pattern onto the scratched up bell and bow. This was a marching band horn long before I bought it, and I always wanted to mask those scratches a bit. Now, nobody knows what to think of it. 😆

 

[LostCircuits]

Instead you get a Beaugnier, Yamaha or Jupiter stencil. All three are better known for constant quality than Selmer.

Selmer are like French cars. Specifically R4. If the starter fails, you still have a hand crank. Or a Citroen DS, you don't change the tire, you just keep driving on three wheels. And you have the crank, too, for temperatures below freezing.

But, great ergos, specifically the shifters.

 

[Woodpad]

Selmer are like French cars. Specifically R4. If the starter fails, you still have a hand crank. Or a Citroen DS, you don't change the tire, you just keep driving on three wheels. And you have the crank, too, for temperatures below freezing.

But, great ergos, specifically the shifters.

True, but great ergos requires great maintenance.

 

[Targa]

Selmer are like French cars. Specifically R4. If the starter fails, you still have a hand crank. Or a Citroen DS, you don't change the tire, you just keep driving on three wheels. And you have the crank, too, for temperatures below freezing.

But, great ergos, specifically the shifters.

Like the umbrella gear stick in the R6 and I think the R4 had it as well.

 

[Wonko]

Selmer are like French cars. Specifically R4. If the starter fails, you still have a hand crank. Or a Citroen DS, you don't change the tire, you just keep driving on three wheels. And you have the crank, too, for temperatures below freezing.

But, great ergos, specifically the shifters.

Seems likt it's a long time since you saw a French car ......
My father used to have a Citroen DS (when I was 16), and I learnt to drive in my mothers R4. But that was about 40 years ago.
And I must say that I wasn't aware of a hand crank on either of those cars. I think that might have been in the earlier versions ......

 

[JayeNM]

I once dated a chick who drove a Peugot, here in the states. That car was far cooler than the chick....

Occasionally I see a Renault around here -they always have Chihuahua MX plates. Apparently Renault likes its MX market quite a bit....

 

[LostCircuits]

Seems likt it's a long time since you saw a French car ......
My father used to have a Citroen DS (when I was 16), and I learnt to drive in my mothers R4. But that was about 40 years ago.
And I must say that I wasn't aware of a hand crank on either of those cars. I think that might have been in the earlier versions ......

You had to remove the front license plate to get access to the hole in the bumper needed to insert the crank. And I believe they kept this till the end, my dad had 2 DS19 and a DS21 and I remember cranking all of them. The R4 was much later, my first GF drove one. And of course the 2CV...