| Buescher Saxophones Are Known For Their Great Tone
The credit for the building of the first saxophone in the US is often attributed to the Conn Saxophone company of Elkhart, IN. However the first American saxophone was actually built by Gus Buescher while working for Conn in 1888. Buescher went on to start his own company in 1895, and the Buescher saxophone was born.
One of the flagship models of Buescher Saxophones was was the True Tone model, manufactured from 1895 to 1930. During this time they were known not only for their tenor saxophones but for the C melody sax, a saxophone tuned in the key of C that fell into disuse during the Depression. Buescher True Tones are one of the saxophones that became associated with the sound of the Roaring Twenties. Vintage Buescher True Tone saxophones are highly sought after to this very day.
After Gus Buescher's retirement in the early 1940s, the company released their popular 400 sax line. The 400 Buescher saxophone featured a new design and was considered by some to be the best the company every produced. Among the key features of the Buescher 400 saxophone line were a leak-proof mouthpiece and placement of the lower B Flat and B keys behind the bell, where they wouldn't be muffled by a player's body. Buescher Saxophone was eventually bought by Selmer but continued making saxes into the 1960s. These included the Buescher Alto Saxophone, the Buescher Tenor Saxophone, and the well-known Buescher Soprano Saxophone.
Today, Buescher tenor saxes are some of the most highly prized, often commanding prices upward of $500 on the used market. Bidding for used Buescher saxes is fierce on Ebay, even for instruments that are in need of hundreds of dollars worth of repair. In some cases, you may run across a horn that is engraved from top to bottom with gold inlays. These are easily worth more than a few hundred dollars, having a high value placed on them by collectors. One of the most popular saxes is the Buescher Aristocrat Saxophone.
If you are considering buying a used Buescher saxophone, find out first if it needs new pads. A full pad job can easily cost as much or more than the horn itself. You also need to be aware that some saxophones made before 1930 were set to be tuned to a different standard, also known as "high pitch". These horns are marked with either an "H" or "high pitch" somewhere on the bell or back of the horn. Stay away from high pitch horns if you want to play with other people because you will sound out of tune.
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