Starting to look for a bass sax. I am considering the following:
Old Conn, or stencil - probably keyed only to Eb
Old Buescher, or stencil - probably keyed only to Eb
French (for example, Noblet) - but not Selmer ($$$$)
No recent Chinese
No recent pro models (like Selmer, Keilwerth, Tubax)
In condition ready to play, although not necessarily new pads.
What do you all think is a reasonable selling (not asking) price for these, from a shop, or from an individual? Just give me your opinions, if you only have an opinion on one or two, that's OK, just trying to get as many data points as possible. It seems like shops are asking around $7500 for Conns and Bueschers, somewhat less for French. What does that mean for actual selling price?
OMG. What kind of music are you playing that you have gigged a bass sax 60 times in 18 months? 3-4 gigs a month on bass sax?! I've visited in New Zealand. Now I'm thinking of moving there.
1) Located in the N.E. US, but I expect to travel. (But not out of country, I am not interested in the importation hassle.)
2) I wouldn't rule out an old Keilwerth, but have never seen one for sale in the US.
Tell a lie - it's not as basic as an antique Mahillon bass I've seen that had simple action 8ve keys, non-articulated G# key, no long Bb, no Bis Bb, no chromatic F# key and only keyed from low B to high Eb. I think this Mahillon may still be for sale in the UK - fine if you like vintage saxes without any of the gadgets that make things easy.
Thanks, but I don't think a trip from the US to Italy to try out a saxophone fits into my budget. Neither does buying an expensive horn sight unseen on Ebay, paying to have it shipped, and taking the risk that it will be NG and having to dispose of it somehow.
I guess no one had any comments on actual selling prices of bass saxophones.
There just aren't very many bass saxes sold to be able to give you concrete comparable prices like you can track with other, more common models. $5-10k is the general range, but that's a big range, as condition and other factors will make a big difference. A Conn keyed to high F would be well above that range, but those almost never come up for sale. For a Conn or Buescher, keyed to high Eb, in good to great mechanical and cosmetic condition, with a good case, $7500 is not unreasonable at all.
Apparently not in your immediate neighborhood, no. But keep looking someone will show sooner or later with a bass in your backyard although they donāt exactly grow on trees.
By the way there was time when L.A. Sax was importi Orsi contrbasses and perhaps basses too.
It seems to me that the bass saxophone has returned to Europe, where it was born. There was a North American era, that went perhaps through the end of the 20th century in very reduced form, but now when I hear of someone doing something with bass sax, seems to be in Europe most of the time.
I see a few basses around these parts generally played in a traditional jazz context. But every time that a bass comes up for sale it is sold fairly quickly and for the money that I've mentioned above ( between ā¬5000 to ā¬8000 ).
Yes that Orsi bass is a very basic one but it must be a very old one and at the same time being one of the " ministeriali" instruments .
Yes Chris, this bass must have belonged to this particular strain of instruments with simplified keywork made by all the Italian companies and mostly to the many marching bands which once populated the country. Often these bands, due to the simple repertoire, needed cheaper instruments to be able to perform basically.
However an Italian contrabass was found by Scott Robinson in Rome at an antique shop, he bought it rebuild it and plays it
I've got a friend in Paris (France) who is selling a Buesher (1929) lackered in very good state, completely refurbish by one of the best parisian technician, he ask 6500/7000 Euros (now same price in USD) pictures available if interest
if you look at old sheet music with bands that have bass sax you notice in some 20's bands the tuba player also doubling on bass sax as they did on string bass.
Yeah, that's my story. I don't know, actually when I picked up the tuba I had only been playing contrabass clarinet. if I had gotten to the bass sax first, might have stuck with the woodwinds, but tuba is a really useful instrument. I didn't get off to a very good start and kind of wasted a couple decades where I could have been playing better.
I know this may seem like common sense, but you get what you pay for. If I were to buy one, I would save up and buy a series ii. But that is just what I played on in college, so I may be biased.
I've never even seen a Selmer bass sax, but they don't seem to enjoy the same prestige advantage as the Selmer tenor etc. Not sure I know who's making the premium bass saxophone these days - Eppelsheim?
I am sure that there are few makers that can rival with Benedict Eppelsheim.
He makes a Bass, Contrabass and Tubax(es) ( which is in a class of its own).
Despite this, he is not the only Bass maker, next to various Chinese makers and resellers ( which simply re sell Chinese instruments), there are the somewhat special Brazilian Makers, J'elle Stainer en Lopez musical instruments.
The second of the two specializes in low reach Basses and contrabasses, the first one makes various types of contrabass, octobass and so on . The Bass reaching G for example is very common in Brazil, they seem to have orchestras of those!
Sure, but candidates for the most prestigious make? I have no idea. I'd love to think so, as I'm slightly acquainted with the country, but it seems to me they're essentially propped up by the eccentric music program of a kind of local religious cult. Do we know of anyone elsewhere in the world who owns a Lopez bass sax? Stainers there might be a few of, don't recall hearing much about it though.
It could be said of Eppelsheim I suppose, that his bass saxophone is just something people see on their way to look at his more unique designs like the tubax, but he does have an impeccable reputation for quality, and for large saxophones.
I have a very old buescher but I am in australia....its marked HP ( high pitch) & is $4K USD. Its OK but needs some work, a good service will have it up to speed.
Not that pitch could be heard all that well but if it says HP the value of this instrument is greatly reduced. I have played and Italian made Alfonso Rampone Comet which turned out to be an HP instrument, practically useless.
the most prestigious make is certainly Eppelsheim, and that includes the bass an no only the tubaxes.
The Stainer saxophones are distributed in the rest of the world from the Italian importer Gilberto Lopes.
The Lopes Saxophones ( confusing that they have the same names) are not, distributed outside of Brazil.
Both these two makers produce unique instruments.
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