WOW! Vintage Buescher Straight Alto Sax in Custom Gold/Silver Plate - Serial # 208877

Our Price: $ 12,500.00

Product ID: 208877BuescherStrAlto

Very rare 1926 vintage Buescher straight alto saxophone, serial number 208877. This alto has a unique look that will turn heads, and it has been restored with a gold plated body with silver plated keywork. It looks incredible and will definitely grab attention wherever you go.

This beauty looks huge, but it is really the same size as a standard Eb alto sax, but with the bell going straight down instead of curving up. Made during the True Tone era, it has similar keywork as those horns, but the feel is definitely different, with the weight distributed differently. Because that bell goes down too, the horn sonically sounds more akin to a deep soprano voice, at least to the player, probably because you are perceiving the sound in a different way than you are used to.

Physically, this alto is a stunner. The previous owner had it perfectly restored in all new gold plate on the body, with silver plated keys. The work was done exceptionally well, with no heavy buffing (the factory original engraving still pops). There are no dents or dings, no obvious resolders, and the sax has obviously never been abused or played hard. The keywork all feels fresh under your fingers. Pads are new condition with the original Buescher snap-in metal resonators, and the sax will go through our shop for a fresh pro set up before shipping. We'll replace any material not up to our standards and reseat pads as needed, really ensuring that everything is perfect when it goes out.

We've only ever seen a handful of these old Buescher straight altos over the years (one is in our museum) and they are always a joy to play. It really is a unique experience playing one of these. It has a warm, colorful sound, with a lot of resonance and overall free-blowing nature that takes your air very quickly. Slightly spread overall but not so diffuse that you can't push it hard when you want to. Ships in its original hard case, which is good because, otherwise, finding a case would be impossible!