Buescher True Tone Aristocrat 346xxx

Description

If you’re looking for the best possible vintage tenor saxophone on a budget, then this is probably it. At this price, it is crazy that this horn hasn’t sold yet. The early Buescher Aristocrat tenors like this are fantastic. The 156 is the most popular model, and the ones with a “Big B” engraved on the bell sell for double the price of this one, even though this horn is exactly identical to the Big B, except for the engraving. So it’s a high-end, fully professional tenor, but for not much money, and it sounds a lot better than almost any modern tenor if you are going for a big, complex, vintage-leaning tone.

In terms of cosmetics, you can see that there is some spotty lacquer wear, but mostly from age, rather than use. This horn has not been played much, and there is very little lacquer wear at all. It looks really beautiful (and in person the lacquer is a bit deeper and darker than it appears here). The only issues are some small, shallow dents on the bow area, and the neck that has been pulled down and then re-angled back to the correct angle. This horn has the original snap in pads and spuds intact (Buescher’s unique pad system). The pads are original, and should be replaced at this point. It is mechanically very clean, so it should be an easy job.

People love these horns for a couple of reasons – they have superb intonation, and they have a big, powerful tone that is medium dark and complex. Some people love these for Rock and R&B, and others for mainstream Jazz (many famous tenor players played one of these at some point). This horn should be a good buy for somebody looking for a nice pro tenor that does it all, and is priced very well, this is for you!