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Saxophones Wossit wurf

Stephen Howard

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This'll make you chuckle...or cry - depending on your perspective...

Got a call a few week back - client wants to bring a bass in for a once-over. No make mentioned.
I figured it'd go one of two ways; either a new Chinese job that would need the action rebuilding, or a vintage banger that had been around the block a few too many times.

Come the day, the client rolls up with the bass. No case. I feared the worst.
However, as soon as it came through the door I thought (in my best Leslie Phillips voice) "Well hello,,,,"
It's a 1929 Pan American 56M, in remarkably good nick. I can't remember when I last saw a vintage bass with so few dings and bashes.
Anyway, it seems that the client's daughter wanted a baritone sax - and her father happened to chance upon an estate sale where 'a rather large' sax was up for grabs...so he bought it and rushed home with it, hoping to delight his daughter.
"Ummm...er...dad - that's not a bari, that's a bass!"
"Is that good?"
"Well, it's, er...it's big".

Having examined the bass and chatted with the punter, I've advised them to spend a few quid on some tweaks and to sell the horn 'as is', given that the daughter doesn't really want it (and can barely lift it) and buy a bari. But what's it worth?
I do so little buying and selling that I'm rather out of touch when it comes to the esoteric horns - so I figured one of the folks in here would be up to date with vintage bass values.

I did make the point that bargain basses tend to come up but once in a lifetime, and that if the young lady had even a modest hankering to play one, she'd be hard put to find a better example...but no, it's got to be a bari (which is fair enough).

12895
 
There was a Buescher bass for sale on ebay UK a few months ago which was available for what I thought was a very reasonable £2750. Unfortunately I hesitated and missed it.
 
I'm not sure how much this helps but Terapeak EBay Research shows that there were 4 Conn bass saxes sold in the last 12 months in the states. The prices were $8000 to $3500 with an average of $5380. The current exchange rate is 1 dollar = .79 pound.
 
That's very helpful, thanks.
The young lady seemed open to the idea of swapping it for a baritone, but I suggested it would be worth at least placing a rough value on the horn...in case someone tried to palm her off with a Weltklang.
 
Sigh....youth is often wasted on the young! If she should keep it, she may learn to treasure it later in life.

How true this is.
I have a feeling it was bought at a very advantageous price - and I dunno about you lot but sometimes I buy things at a ridiculously cheap price and end up hanging onto them because they didn't cost much and would likely never be available again at anywhere near the purchase price.
With that said, I'm not sure how likely it is that the young lady might find herself, in forty years' time, thinking "OMG - why did I ever, ever sell that bass!!?"

Could 'appen,, I s'pose.
 
Shame but I need my bauhaus to play with the septet, unless they remove the low A or rewrite for bass.
 
What a find!

It wasn't until I got to the bottom of this thread that I figured out what the title meant.:eek::rolleyes::rofl:

It still takes me about half an hour before I understand more than half ofwhat my aunt in Morecambe is saying

I've been deciphering German for a couple of months now, so that was rather easy in comparison. :rolleyes:
 
There was a Buescher bass for sale on ebay UK a few months ago which was available for what I thought was a very reasonable £2750. Unfortunately I hesitated and missed it.
I have a Buescher bass and would probably assume (if I was going to) I would sell it for something between £3000 - £3500. Like the one in the pictures it has no aux F. Partly because it only goes up to Eb anyway.

Maybe that is optimistic though as these days you can buy the decent (Jinbao?) bass which is probably better in some respects than the old ones. (Never thought I'd hear myself say that) at least if you must have a bass there is more choice these days. Unless you have to have a MKVI.
 
Wirklich!

Gerhmahn ist nod zad divikuld. Repleich Ds by Ts, ant TS Bei Ds, Att a view Hs hiere und dere ant datzid!

Az Zu Kan sieh, Ich bin allemozd dere. Vlüend schon!
'Allo 'Allo! revisited!
 
Wirklich!

Gerhmahn ist nod zad divikuld. Repleich Ds by Ts, ant TS Bei Ds, Att a view Hs hiere und dere ant datzid!

Az Zu Kan sieh, Ich bin allemozd dere. Vlüend schon!

exécrable
 
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