Here is a late Buescher 400 I purchased off of eBay. One of the biggest points of conversation in the world of musicians concerns the equipment they play, and saxophonists are no exception. here are some attempts at a few pictures of the latest acquisition:
Now..I know my lighting needs help, but these are perhaps the best images I have taken so far.
About the horn itself: I have for a number of years played on a tenor in the 440,000 range as my primary instrument. It's warm, has good response and overall tuning, and has solid keywork. My aim was to replicate something like that in alto (which is a dubious effort, I know) and get a "matched set" if nothing but for purposes as a collector.
The availability of these instruments is uncommon, but luckily, there were three on eBay at this time, this one being the best available. The other two either had a non-original neck or had a BIN price far too high.
It arrived a week later, and surprisingly played top-to-bottom quite well, though I have yet to take a closer look for leakings. The pads themselves are old, but have some life left and may be original. scratches do exist here and there, but not pervasive. The most wear to the lacquer is on the neck and the body has only a couple small dings. Wear to it's nickle-plated keywork is minimal. Altogether, it's in good shape cosmetically and physically.
Buescher saxophones had unique features as far back as the 1920's: namely Gold plated "Norton" springs and "Snap In" pad resonators. By the time Selmer bought Buescher in the early 1960's, only the 400 series still had them and continued to have them until about 1970. Oft times, the snaps and springs will be removed by technicians unfamiliar with Bueschers who replace them with standard resonators and springs, ruining a significant part of their originality and value. Luckily, all norton springs and snap in resonators are present in this horn.
Overall, the instrument is quite attractive in appearance with it's floral, art-deco "Buescher 400" engraving on the notably large bell flair, amber colored rollers on the usual keys, and real mother-of-pearl key-touches. The dark, honey shaded lacquer compliments the nickle plating well and the thin, wire framed gaurds and left bell keys give it a very "retro" profile.
More to come later...
