303,xxx Buescher Big B Alto Saxophone, Mint, Just Serviced
Buescher Big B Aristocrat Series II alto saxophone, s/n 303347. This is the cleanest 1940s Buescher I have ever seen. It is remarkable that a horn over 80 years old can look like it is fresh from the factory. Everything on the sax is original with the exception of the neck cork, which my repairman replaced when servicing the horn. The lacquer is original. The pads are all original and remarkably still seal well, along with the original metal resonators and Norton gold springs. I have never seen Buescher pads this color before. They are a striking greenish gray. The sax has a gorgeous dark, velvety tone. The key action is quite light by today's standards and moves freely. If you look up this serial number using our DC Sax Serial Number Calculator, you will see that it gives a date range of 1942 to 1947. Buescher's serial number records from this period are incomplete, so it is difficult to assign a precise year of manufacture. Any serial number guide that gives a specific year for a horn from this period is still making an approximation and could be off by several years. Give the new calculator a try and please let me know what you think.