Gandalfe said:Full disclosure, Quinn is a friend of mine and I think he is a very savvy person. I hired him at Microsoft to create documentation for us when he finished his doctorate. He is published many times over.
That said, I asked him about his prices and he told me the overseas collectors usually get an item like this. It makes a lot of people unhappy but then it is the same with other exceedingly rare items in the world of art. I personally don't fault him for getting top dollar for his investments and I have purchased a number of instruments from him. He stands behind his horns too. Look at his rating on eBay; it's even more impressive when you realize how many people he's sold to world-wide.
Actually, it wasn't taken the wrong way by me because I feel I know you. But it was more of a pre-emptive thang for those who like to ride the negativity bandwagon.Helen said:I hope my flip comment wasn't taken the wrong way. I've got no problem with a seller asking anything he/she wants for something. I remember something I read online a while ago that went somthing like this: a horn is worth whatever the buyer and seller agree to in price. (That was a really bad paraphrase, but the meaning is there.) My comment was meant to reflect my view that at those prices, buyers are harder to find.
I've seen people use a stand and have even seen pro's lean the stand, tipping on two of four points, towards the player with great effect. The case for my Eppie looks as large as a coffin but fortunately has wheels.SOTSDO said:Playing bass sax is also a bit on the exhausting side for any extended period. You can use a stand (and tear up the horn in the process) and avoid some of this, but you can't use a stand to transport the thing.
The Eppie was a custom job with special engraving, custom stand, low-A, and three Zinner mouthpieces. Still it cost almost a quarter of the price listed below. And, I think I can say this without anyone disagreeing, the Eppie probably sounds better both in intonation and voice.Pete said:However, if we wanna discuss price, I've seen a few of these for sale on eBay in equivalent condition for ... considerably less. Heck, a new S80 is $16K at usahorn.com. A Keilwerth SX-90 is $14K at WWBW. Hey, Jim can tell us how much he paid for that Eppelsheim. All three are arguably better horns.
25% more ($20K) or 25% less ($12K)?Gandalfe said:The Eppie was a custom job with special engraving, custom stand, low-A, and three Zinner mouthpieces. Still it cost almost a quarter of the price listed below {"above" -- Gandalfe threads his messages differently}. And, I think I can say this without anyone disagreeing, the Eppie probably sounds better both in intonation and voice.Pete said:However, if we wanna discuss price, I've seen a few of these for sale on eBay in equivalent condition for ... considerably less. Heck, a new S80 is $16K at usahorn.com. A Keilwerth SX-90 is $14K at WWBW. Hey, Jim can tell us how much he paid for that Eppelsheim. All three are arguably better horns.
Exactly my point.SOTSDO said:Since we're still living in a capitalist environment (and since the only folks who seriously want to change that are the ones who are in the "have not" category), it seems only right that the "what the buyer and seller are satisfied for as a price point" method be used. There will always be those who are wanting something but who don't have the tin to make it happen, but that's just life. If a "collector" is willing to pay way more than anyone else, and if the seller is getting what he wants, then more power to both of them.
While I'd be all over a Mark VI for $250, I still don't necessarily think they're teh best horns since sliced Kenny G, either.One thing that's behind all of this is the perennial wish for Selmer to start producing the Mark VI again, maybe not at the same price point but at least to the same specifications.
I somewhat disagree.In the case of a bass saxophone or a contrabass saxophone, the case for making it "more affordable" is more or less moot in the first place. In 99.99999% of the cases you might make, there is no need for such a beast. For the miniscule opportunity that someone would find outside of dixieland, saxophone choirs and very old arrangements, it's just not worth the cost, maintenance, and storage and transportation issues to have one. Far better to long for a baritone and settle for that.
Ack! I was thinking about the $100,000 Conn-o-sax. It's less than a quarter of that baby. Doh, I should just go play my sax now...pete said:25% more ($20K) or 25% less ($12K)?
Psst. Ed. I mention the price of the S80 in my post, above .Ed Svoboda said:I haven't checked recently but I think the Selmer bass sax is 14k or so.
Selmer prices are up a lot recently. Their new bass sax is very good, but early Selmer basses, even the Mark VI era basses, are very problematic. Visually, the old ones look like the new ones except for the high E, F, and F# keys on the new ones. I think Selmer changed the bore recently and it worked. The new Selmer light bass sax case is a disaster, however, with virtually no padding where it's needed most - at the neck receiver.
And with the small bore and the baritone-like mouthpiece, the Selmers sound a lot like a baritone saxophone.