VINTAGE BUESCHER ARISTOCRAT SERIES III 156 TENOR SAXOPHONE - IN VG PLAYING COND.

Description

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his listing is for a vintage Buescher Aristocrat 156 tenor saxophone. The serial number is 340,xxx, indicating a c.1951 production date. It is series III Aristocrat, which is almost identical to the famous "Big B" version. The only differences are that the series III doesn't have as fancy of engraving, and by this point the G# trill key was discontinued. This horn does retain the famous Buescher snap on resonators (and all are present!), and gold plated Norton screw in springs (again, all are present).
This sax is in very good physcial condition. The body is straight, and the neck has not been pulled down. There is one small dent on the front of the bow that could be pushed out relatively easily if you so desired, although it has no effect on playability. Other than that, there are a handful of minor pings on the bow and bell, and a few very minor nicks on the neck.  I see one re-soldered post. The ribbon style key guards are all nice and straight. The keys are all operating smoothly, and rollers are turning freely. There is very little mechanical wear to the key-work. As mentioned above, all of the original Buescher snap on resonators are intact, as are all of the Norton screw in springs. I think this horn most likely has an old, but well done, relacquer job. The engraving is still quite clear, so it wasn't overly buffed. The lacquer is almost fully intact with normal light scratching and scuffing.
This horn is in excellent playing condition. It came to me already in very good playing condition, and I did some minor tweaking to take care of the few leaks that were present. It now plays easily from top to bottom, as you can hear in the demo video link below. The pads are a mix of some older and some quite new, as they have obviously been replaced piecemeal over time. It might need a few more replaced a couple more years down the road, but for now everything is sealing properly with a light touch. The action is nice and light, and there is no lost motion as far as the adjustment.
See the product in action.
This sax comes in older hard shell case in very good condition. It does look like a Buescher case, but I don't think it is the original for this horn. I think it might be a replacement from the 1960's or 70's. It is in very good condition. There is very little wear to the exterior, and the latches still spring open. The interior is clean and odor free.
There is no mouthpiece, nor any other accessories included with this sax, except for a plastic end plug.
Please feel free to email me with any questions.
Thanks again for looking!
Note to international buyers:
Due to the current global pandemic, international shipments via USPS mail are experiencing significant delays. This is due to lack of available transportation (ie. mail is normally carried overseas as cargo on commercial passenger flights, however the flight schedules have been slashed). European buyers have experienced wait times of up to 2 months for shipments to arrive. If this potential wait presents a problem for you, please refrain from purchasing at this time. I sincerely apologize for this, unfortunately unavoidable, inconvenience.