MINT ORIGINAL Buescher 400 TOP HAT & CANE Alto Sax - Serial # 307510

Product ID: 307510B400Alto

Sold

This is a mid-1940s vintage Buescher 400 “Top Hat & Cane” engraved alto sax in pristine, mint condition, serial number 307510. I don't know that I've ever seen a nicer example; this horn is as perfect as they come and is a real stunner.

As the photos tell, this alto stands head and shoulders above the rest. The original lacquer is 99% intact with no major wear of note, even on the touch points. There's some cosmetic scratching on the bottom bow and a few spots on the back of the body tube, but that's about it. No major lacquer loss, no dents or dings, no resolders. The sax looks much like the day it left the factory when new.. It was last repadded a couple years ago by another shop (matching with the original Buescher snap-in resonators) and while there are a couple minor leaks in the bottom, it is playing great and the pads have years of life left in them. It still has the majority of the gold plated Norton springs too, just a couple had to be replaced.

The 400 was Buescher's answer to dominating jazz horns of the era. Unlike the Aristocrat, it featured a bigger bell and definitely gives you a bigger sound, while retaining the resonance and warmth of Buescher's long-popular Aristocrat lineup. Arguably the best horn Buescher ever made, and certainly a top tier pro model that can still hang with anything made today.