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Sax on the Web Forum / Vintage Saxophones / Buescher "Artist" Alto 1926

jenseman
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User ID: 0373644
Nov 23rd 4:02 AM
Take a look at some pictures of my fully engraved gold plated Buescher Alto made in 1926.
www.steinhorst.net/buescher1.jpg
www.steinhorst.net/buescher2.jpg
www.steinhorst.net/buescher3.jpg
www.steinhorst.net/buescher4.jpg
Sorry for the poor picture quality!
Warren
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User ID: 1355924
Nov 23rd 9:54 AM
Very nice finish, kept the engraver rather busy! Your finish according to the Buescher 1926 catalog is the "Finish L - De Luxe Finish". The catalog description is "Beautifully engraved designs all over instrument from mouthpiece to bell, quadruple gold plate over silver plate, entire instrument burnished to mirror finish, ivory rollers for little finger of each hand. This is a beautiful finish, especially designed for those who want something distinctive and elaborate, and which will instantly attract favorable attention." The price is listed as $350 for the alto in this finish, quite a sum in those days!
The basic silver plate "Finish E" TT alto was $125 as a comparison. The next step up from that was the "Finish G" which was silver with the gold plate keys, like the C Melody Buescher stencil I currently have on eBay. The price on the C Melody "Finish G" was $165. I have a 1924 gold plate TT in original case same as this without the engraving and ivory rollers called a "Finish J" that I just finished up restoring that goes on eBay very soon. Does yours have the snap in pads? I know some of the gold plates had them and others like mine didn't come with them originally. I also have a gold plated Buescher stencil tenor that I'm finishing up, it is a "Finish J" and cost $215 originally. I also have an in house restored silver TT alto with the snaps and it was an interesting contrast to play the gold plate without the snaps (with Mark VI resos instead) compared to the silver plate with the snaps. The silver horn seems to have more overtones and is a little louder, but the gold plate was very smooth and seemed to have a little less of a "distorted edge" to it. Very interesting differences!
ToreH
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User ID: 8032783
Nov 23rd 11:46 AM
Great details Warren. What is the "Finish letter" for my 1926 202k TT alto with bright burnished gold body ,silver keys, black rollers and snaps ?
Warren
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User ID: 1355924
Nov 23rd 7:59 PM
Interesting combination. I don't see that in the 1926 catalog. It could have been a 1927 new option not in this literature since your serial could creep into 1927. If it doesn't have the elaborate engraving it would probably be close to the "Finish G" but perhaps a little higher in cost maybe between that and the "Finish J". I see conflicting serial information from different sources around this year. Steve G's site says 175xxx is 1926. Another site I look at says 175xxx is 1925. Also who knows when the year changed over in the fall perhaps, like new cars or at new year? Also since I haven't ever seen that combination in the 1920's it may be quite rare and maybe was only around a couple years like a fad that came and went until it became so common in later years starting with Martin in the thirties. Or another possibility is yours isn't a factory option and someone took silver keys off a silver horn and put them on an all gold horn, though that seems a little far fetched I admit, ha ha. Maybe some of the original gold plate keys got damaged or lost prompting the silver replacement. Sometimes I think the detective work involved in identifying horns is never ending. Are the snaps silver or gold?
paulwl
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User ID: 8437443
Nov 24th 10:31 AM
What do you bet the keys were replated silver at some point as a lower cost option?

BTW: a thought on vintage "artist engraved" horns...AFAIK, Conn had the only real artistic engraving shop in the industry. So any other maker's instruments would have had to go to Conn. This meant that to compete in price, they'd have had to sell them at a lower margin. This would have been a disincentive to offer such horns, even as special orders.
MusicMedic
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User ID: 7301983
Nov 24th 10:35 AM
What does AFAIK mean?
LTB
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User ID: 8673953
Nov 25th 8:13 AM
MusicMedic
AFAIK
=
As far as I know.

Are conn style res-o-pad available in kangaroo leather and in sizes for tenor and alto?

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