I'm a bass owner again.

It has obviously seen better days, but getting any bass, even in somewhat shopworn condition, is an accomplishment of the first order. Good luck in putting it in order.

Is it an ex-military horn? I've never seen a silver Selmer before, and that "New York" obviously speaks against it being a French sourced instrument. Also, the neck pickup indicates that it's been used as late as the 1960's.
 
SOTSDO said:
It has obviously seen better days, but getting any bass, even in somewhat shopworn condition, is an accomplishment of the first order. Good luck in putting it in order.

Is it an ex-military horn? I've never seen a silver Selmer before, and that "New York" obviously speaks against it being a French sourced instrument. Also, the neck pickup indicates that it's been used as late as the 1960's.
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I've seen and played Selmer New York and Selmer Manhattan horns that were Buescher stencils before.

It doesn't have the markings I've usually seen on ex-military horns.

I can certainly believe this horn hasn't been used since the sixties!
 
Where would you send it to get the work done Merlin?
 
Helen said:
Where would you send it to get the work done Merlin?
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I'm going to have Kevin Rohm and Ian Pritchard at Cosmo Music in Richmond Hill do the work.

I posted on the Bass Sax group at Yahoo last nite, and Paul Coats repsonded with key height for Buescher basses.
 
At the very least your's has a spit valve. I had Paul Woltz add one to my Buescher. Actually he made it look easy. Getting the dents out of the butt of the instrument, now that was nerve-wracking to watch!
 
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Some things are not meant to be watched. When Bill at St. Louis Woodwind and Brasswind Repair took out some damage to my baritone bell, he did it with his bare hands. I expected a jig or two and a pressure bar at the very least, but he said that he did it that way all of the time.

Old saxophones are particularly worrisome, with exposure to dents in five or six different ways. My alto was a wreck, but Bill got them all out without a problem. Amazing...
 
Yes, I'll just echo Terry's words here with somethings are better off not being watched.

I get a real queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach watching a tech work on my horns, so as a general rule, I don't. Pad changes, new corks, simple stuff like that I'm OK, but things like dent removal, neck work, etc, I feel much like a family member would, watching someone they love getting worked on in emerg, so I simply leave. It is just not a good place for me be.

Some people say that watching a really good tech work is a beautiful thing to behold. OK, I'll take their word for that. I'd rather see the before and after efforts of their work. Now that is a beautiful thing to behold!
 
Helen said:
Yes, I'll just echo Terry's words here with somethings are better off not being watched.

I get a real queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach watching a tech work on my horns, so as a general rule, I don't. Pad changes, new corks, simple stuff like that I'm OK, but things like dent removal, neck work, etc, I feel much like a family member would, watching someone they love getting worked on in emerg, so I simply leave. It is just not a good place for me be.

Some people say that watching a really good tech work is a beautiful thing to behold. OK, I'll take their word for that. I'd rather see the before and after efforts of their work. Now that is a beautiful thing to behold!
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When I toured the Fox plant, Chip Owen told me they once had an oboist faint while watching them drilling holes in an oboe body. Wasn't even her instrument.
 
Hey Merlin, Your old Conn is still being played with loving care. I got a Zinner mp from Benedikt Eppelsheim which to me is perfect for that horn.

Much of the intonation and tone is evened out with the Zinner.
With a Legere reed it sings with a plasticover it is down right loud.
I use the Legere 2 1/2 contra bass clarinet reed for best results.

Glad you found another one.
 
How are things going in bass sax land Merlin? Where are you in the restoration process? Are you taking photos along the way?
 
Helen said:
How are things going in bass sax land Merlin? Where are you in the restoration process? Are you taking photos along the way?
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I've taken the keys off, and have removed the tarnish from the bell area. It's a long job, as it's so heavy.

I got my tech to give me a quote on the repadding; I'm just waiting to see what my work over the next year is going to look like before I get the horn done up.
 
If you are polishing it yourself, you might want to start by brushing on some "silver dip" with a paintbrush. You can probably find it in a grocery store. "Tarn-X" is one brand. It's similar to silver dips used in repair shops. Don't leave it on longer than a few minutes or it will slightly etch the silver plate. Rinse thoroughly with plain water - lots of it.

It's probably better to use silver dip after the horn is disassembled. Keys are no problem. As for the body, by the time you get the whole body covered, it will be time to rinse (garden hose?)

I don't mean to build up hopes too far. Silver dip will remove the black color and greatly improve the finish where it isn't tarnished too deeply, but in general, it won't make the horn shiny, just lighter in color. It will, however, cut your hand polishing time in half.
 
If it were me, I'd consider sending just the bell to be silver plated again and re-etched if necessary. I'd only do that for a horn I was gonna keep. but even then it is kinda spendy. I didn't do it on my Buescher as I was pretty sure I wasn't gonna be happy enough with the vintage keyworks and intonation challenges. I'm just not that good of a player.

I had my Selmer Paris silver clarinet replated and I'm having the Buescher Tru-tone silver clarinet double plated and re-etched. This isn't for resale, the money's not there. This is for having a cool instrument at the big band gigs. :cool:

The other day I was working with the bari sax player for the local Moonlight Swing Orchestra where I'm subbing on 2d tenor sax. He want us to do a dualing bass sax thang. But it looks like the coordination necessary to make this happen isn't in place. Still what an interesting idea.
 
Selmer New York

Prior to buying Randy's excellent Conn stencil (Wurlitzer) bass, I borrowed a Selmer New York exactly like this, except bare brass. It was a great horn, with an almost frightenly centered sound. The owner has meticulously maintained it since he bought many years ago from a fellow pro player, now deceased, in Cincinnati.
It was easy to see that it was a Buescher-made sax, but the owner, seeing the "Selmer New York" on the bell, would not sell for less than $12,000, because he compared it to ads for new Selmer basses. It still had the original case, a very odd looking shaped affair made of wood, all angles squared off. The neck did not have a pip, but that could be there for a lot of reasons, including all the variations when these were made at different times.
If this one plays at all like that "Selmer New York," you have found a real gem!
 
Hi, CellarDweller! Nice to see you posting!

I understand what you mean about "Selmer New York": they're Conn or Buescher stencils and are generally high quality, but they're not Selmers and don't play like Selmers.

And with the economy the way it is, I'd be insane to offer a used bass for $12K.
 
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