buesher aristocrat mp advice needed

[gwilly]

hi everyone...

i'm playing tenor at the moment and this is my first alto that i've just won on ebay after reading good reports on here

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=300230913189&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=020

what do you think about this one?
i thought that it might be a mistake on the serial number due to the above and acutally be a 280k not 230k .. i base this on the design of the keys.. i thought it might be a series 1 after the true tone and the new aristocrat?... but before the 'big B'... am i on the right lines?.....

i'd love your opinions on a mouthpiece to choose...

the vendor has offered to match a mouthpiece to suit my needs... he has large barrelled quieter piece to suit a soft sound or smaller bores to suit rock'n'roll... i'll assume they are generic pieces of the era.... but i'll need to take one as i'm getting over budget!

i'm new to alto and play an old king rubber shorter shank on my tenor.. i'm not too sure which piece to go for and would appreciate ideas...

for what its worth (and this might be a bit cliched)... but my absolute fave alto tone is charlie parker playing 'star eyes' in the studio... could I(ignoring my technique obviously) choose a piece that is more in keeping with that type of tone?

thanks for all opinions.
paul.

[sax-ony]

Yes it's a Series One, and the serial number should be in the 280k range or thereabouts. It may be a simple error on the part of the seller, but if the serial number is so indistinct that the the 8 looks like a 3 then the sax has been buffed and relacquered. There's not reason why this should affect how it plays if everything else is OK, and you appear to have got it for a good price. I've had a Big B and I currently have two New Aristocrats, but I don't have a Series One alto, so cannot give very specific mouthpiece advice. It will inevitably be down to trial-and-error, but start with medium-large chambers without baffles. Have fun!

[J.Max]

It's a series 1. You probably want a mouthpiece with a slightly larger chamber than usual for intonation reasons...I'd try a Morgan L chamber.

[zxcvbnm]

Yep, series one. Great horns. Yours appears to be relacquered. However, I have to respectfully disagree with the posters above. You do not NEED a large chamber. My aristocrat takes anything well, from dukoffs to vintage buescher pieces. The horns BEFORE the series one aristocrat can be picky, but the aristocrats are not. However, it seems like the sound you want would favor a larger chamber. Morgan L would be a good place to start. If you are getting a mouthpiece from the seller, go for the barrel chambered quieter one. It seems as if you play a similar mouthpiece on tenor, so go for the same on alto if you like it.

[silvin]

I play a Morgan 5L with ZZ3 on my Buescher alto serie one.
You can here a "Misty" version on my myspace (http://www.myspace.com/sylvainlelievre)
or Nancy (http://www.mediafire.com/?mmexg233z32), here.
:)

[gwilly]

thanks for the replies.. loved the nancy track mate... just can't wait to get my hands on this sax...
paul