Silver Plate

Showing all 14 results

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  Borgani Joe Lovano Pearl Silver Tenor Saxophone Excellent Condition 19626 – Sounds like a Conn!

  $ 3,950

  Borgani Joe Lovano model in Pearl Silver with 24k gold plated keywork. This has not been played much since it was bought new last year by the original owner. It plays like a vintage Conn but with modern keywork, which is pretty cool. More like a New Wonder II than like a 10M. The tone is big, dark, wide, and pretty spread. You can find videos of Joe Lovano playing this model, if you search on Youtube. If you love the sound of a Conn, but you don’t want to play a horn with vintage keywork, this is really your only option among modern saxophones.

  This horn has no dents, no dings, no past repairs at all. It has been well cared for and feels quite good under the fingers. It just got the pads checked out, and it is playing very easily. It comes in the beautiful original case which is also in great shape.

  Only one available!
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  Buescher True Tone Alto Saxophone 200008 Original Silver Plate Good Condition

  $ 600
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  Buescher True Tone Alto Saxophone 83005 Original Silver Plate

  $ 300
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  Conn 6m Transitional Art Deco Alto Saxophone 249081 Gorgeous Silver Plate 1931

  $ 1,950

  The Conn 6M transitional takes many forms, and this particular original silver plated example is from 1932.  It features art deco engraving (a style which only appears for a few years), left hand bell keys, 6M style keywork everywhere except the left hand pinky table, which is New Wonder II style.  This is the last iteration before the transitional becomes nearly identical to the 6M, and to my ears these have a bit more of the big tone of the New Wonder II than the transitionals just after it- and in fact around this serial range is my favorite of the transitionals, playing-wise.  

  This horn plays a bit on some very old pads, but it will need a repad.  Physically it is in extremely good condition, with no dents or dings or evidence of past repairs that I can see.  The neck is undamaged and shows no signs of past pulldown, and the microtuner is free and functional. The silver plate is thick and unworn, and will shine up unbelievably well, if my past experience is any guide (see Matt Stohrer’s guide on polishing silver saxophones to see what I mean).  It comes with its original case in good condition and its original warranty card. These are great altos, built by the finest American saxophone craftsmen in their heyday, and a super clean one like this is a great place to start if you are looking for a fantastic vintage horn that will last you a lifetime for less of an overall investment than most any new horn of even middling quality that you can buy today.
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  Conn New Wonder 1 Tenor Exceptionally Fine Player Tunes Great Fresh Overhaul BAM Case 67890

  $ 3,200

  Do you want the biggest, darkest, most spread and room-filling vintage Conn tone possible? Do you want a gorgeous vintage Conn with original silver plate that looks almost new? Do you want it with a freshly-done high end ($1k+) overhaul, with high-end metal resonators? Do you want a premium $350 BAM tenor case included that fits the horn beautifully and will keep it in top adjustment?

  Well, look no further. That’s what this is. Any you should buy it. Right now. You won’t be sorry. I didn’t call it an exceptionally fine player for nothing.
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  King C Melody Saxophone Original Silver Plate Good Condition needs Overhaul 63607

  $ 300
• Sold Out

  King Saxello Soprano Saxophone – Near Mint!

  This is a beautiful, nearly mint condition King Saxello semi-curved soprano saxophone in original silver plate.
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  King Soprano Saxophone Original Silver Plate 81960 Great Deal!

  $ 1,100
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  King Zephyr Tenor Saxophone Original Silver Plate Excellent Condition 202108

  $ 1,950
• 

  Selmer Mark VI Soprano from 1971 Original Silver Plate + BAM Case 189125

  $ 4,200
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  Selmer SBA Tenor Saxophone 47xxx Original Silver Great Player Super Balanced Action

  $ 12,000

  Here is a gorgeous Selmer Super Balanced Action tenor, built in 1952.  It has its original silver plated finish, and it is in very good condition.  The Selmer Super Balanced Action tenor is among the most desirable tenor saxophones ever. And for good reason. It’s the horn Coltrane famously played for many years (up until around 1965), and the horn Branford Marsalis and many others play today. It has the classic Selmer tone that, whether you know it or not, is already in your ears from all those classic Blue Note era recordings. Hank Mobley on Soul Station is one for me among many others.  Point being, if you’ve heard a saxophone on a famous recording, you’ve likely heard one of these. And that is no accident- these saxophones are sublime.

  This saxophone has been overhauled at some point in the past few years and was recently given a tuneup, and it plays very well, with the broad and rich Selmer tone that these are so known for. The only damage is a scratch inside the bell flare, probably from a clip on microphone. The bell flare is just a little uneven in that spot when you look at the light reflecting on it. Super minor, but I’d rather you are pleasantly surprised by the horn’s beauty than disappointed at a flaw you didn’t notice.

  The keywork is comfortable and intuitive, owing to the underlying design started with the Balanced Action and honed with the Super Balanced Action that was so inspired it remains the basic template for all saxophones made to this day.  The intonation is excellent (this is one of the later long bell tenors- the early short bell tenors are known for needing a bit of extra attention to low note intonation) and the response is quick and lively, and as the best Selmers do it lends itself easily to any style of music- which is one of the things that sets Selmers apart from the rest.  It is an ability that is in my experience rare among saxophones, and nobody does it better than Selmer.
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  SML Rev D (=Gold Medal 1) Alto Saxophone Original Silver Plate Old Pads Beautiful 11584

  $ 1,750

  SML, short for Strasser-Marigaux-LeMaire, is probably the best known small French maker of saxophones.  They produced high quality instruments with a unique blend of features that ended up in what I like to think of as a perfect blend of Selmer and Conn- a very French tone, but big like a Conn.  

  The SML “Revision D”, which was not an official name but rather one given by collectors to the model run with this particular set of features, is a professional handcrafted French saxophone whose features include rolled toneholes, a switchable automatic G#/C#, double sprung octave mechanism (which is an excellent feature preventing slow octave changes and should be standard on all saxophones), a 4 slot neck tenon receiver (again, an excellent feature that should be made standard, this time one that applies pressure more evenly around the neck tenon for a more secure fit less likely to develop leaks), and adjustment screws on the upper and lower stacks.  In fact, the Revision D is very much like the model that came after called the Gold Medal, and shares the same bore. The only features that the Gold Medal has that this horn doesn’t are the rocking octave thumbrest (which isn’t actually so great and is often times disabled at the request of the player) and the adjustable felt bumpers for the low notes, which while nice is not a game changer in any way.

  This particular horn is in very good aesthetic shape, and currently wears old pads and will need an overhaul although it does play a little bit as-is.  The original silver plating is in very good condition and seems to be almost unworn, and the neck shows no sign of past damage or repair work. There is some evidence of past dentwork around the lower stack F# and G# toneholes, which were both unfortunately filed a bit for levelness at the time the dentwork was done, I am guessing.  However the filing does not go through the roll, and should not impact playability or repairability, and the dentwork is not noticeable until you get close. If it weren’t for that, this would be a nearly pristine SML, and this flaw serves mostly to bring down the price without having much of a real-world effect on ownership.

  These SMLs have a fantastic sound, unique in their blend of refined yet powerful, and possess excellent craftsmanship.  Not very many were made- about 15,000 total of all sizes of the horns considered to be their best- and they hold up very well over time.  
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  Yamaha YAS-875S Alto Saxophone Original Silver Plate M1 and G1 Necks Excellent

  $ 2,950
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  Yamaha YSS-82ZRS Soprano Saxophone One Piece Bent Neck Silver Plate!

  $ 4,751

  The Yamaha YSS-62R and 62RS are the most desirable vintage sopranos pretty much. Yamaha made an upgraded reissue of this soprano, with improved keywork but the same bore. It’s simply the best.