Saxophone for sale

We still have the Selmer Balanced Action alto sax for sale. It's a great sounding horn.
Some people prefer these to Selmer Mk VIs.
This particular horn has had a couple of repairs. The foot of the low C guard had come off which can often happen with early BAs as they have just two, rather than the usual three attaching it to the instrument.
The owner had secured the foot by applying soft solder around it which had burnt the surrounding lacquer. I've removed the soft solder and reattached the foot with silver solder and soldered it back in place - which looks better but there is still the area of burnt lacquer visible.
The horn also has a microphone fitted to the neck. These were popular in the seventies and you can see them in use on Top of the Pops clips on Youtube with bands like Frank Zappa's.
For some the horn doesn't look great, but the beauty of this alto is in how it sounds.  It's a horn that deserves to be played.

Any offers?. 

A New Year

A Happy New Year to all our customers.
We're back to work with the wild weather swirling around us. The west coast is taking a pounding and we are seeing flooding and coastal damage locally. (We have some experience with repairing flood damaged instruments, if anyone is experiencing such problems.) Let's hope things improve soon!

In the meantime don't forget to shop local and get your instruments serviced and checked over. Keep your instrument in good order and it will keep playing well for many years!

Altos for sale

We have a couple of alto saxophones that are well worth a look for serious players.
Firstly is a Yamaha YAS62. This is one of the best modern instruments. Highly regarded and thought to be very close to the Selmer MkVI sound.  This one is a great example of an early 62 with the 'Purple logo' badge and long bell key guard. (Modern ones have Selmer style guards and I've heard some arent' built in Japan any more. ) Great  instrument to upgrade to.

The second one is a Selmer Balanced Action. One of the best sounding altos ever made. This is great for a soloist. It stands out with a big edgy sound. The not-so-good news it has had a knock or two in the past and repairs are quite visible. But that means it's cheaper than it should be, so here's a chance to grab a super horn.

Come and give them a try. (See Saxophone section for pictures and further info. )

Get palm key risers on your sax !

Palm key risers on a modern tenor sax

Saxophones are instruments that have changed gradually over time. The older ones may need a little adjustment for today's play. An example of this is in the palm keys. You can buy rubber palm key risers and these do help play the instrument - BUT they also have a problem in that they can come off or move.

We use a silicone putty to mould palm key risers to suit the player exactly. They won't fall off.

Older saxophones may need more silicone to make them fit your hand, but even newer saxophones can benefit from having palm key risers fitted. You may need just two on a newer sax. (As in the top picture.) The lower picture shows three palm key risers fitted to an old Selmer 'Cigar Cutter' alto.

Autumn - service time?

As the weather turns and the leaves start following, it's nice to stay warm inside and play some music. The baritone appears to be sold, pending payment, but we have a few more instruments.

We have a number of beginner-intermediate flutes, mostly made in America. These are built far better than most of the new instruments you see today for the beginner, which are made in China.

There are vintage and nearly new alto saxophones. These are very versatile instruments as you can play blues, rock and jazz on them as well as classical etc. It isn't so easy rocking on a clarinet!

We have just a few clarinets. A couple of beginner instruments and a couple of wooden ones. I'll be looking to get one or two in to keep stocks up.

But if you already have your instrument then perhaps it's time to be thinking of getting it in for a service. Before long we'll be into the festive season where instruments tend to be used a lot with many concerts taking place.

So get your instrument serviced now, so it'll be ready for when you need it. 

A Couple of Pics

We've got two piccolos in that are now ready to sell.

The first is a Czechoslavakian intermediate level instrument with a wood body. Almost certainly this will be from the Amati factory. Many people here know the cheap clarinets, but they did make better quality instruments too as this shows.

Piccolos aren't the easiest instrument to play partly because of the tiny embouchure hole. This one has a shaped lip-plate which makes it easier to play.

It has been repadded and is an instrument with a nice warm tone.

The second piccolo is a Bundy. Basic student instrument from the States. Sturdy construction similar to Yamaha 32 but now at a fraction of the cost.

These are a good choice for occasional use. 

In the flute dept, we have some Artley flutes as well as the similar Gemeinhardts. They are well-built, beginner/intermediate model instruments. Most of the new instruments for the beginner are now made in China and we feel these American flutes are much more reliable.

See our FLUTE page for more information.

Baritone Reduced !

It's been a difficult year with everyone struggling so we've reduced the price of our Selmer MkVI baritone hoping to find a new home for it. It is certainly worth more then that, so grab it before it goes.

Selmer Mk VI baritone with low A now £4750