Selmer Balanced Action Alto Original Lacquer Recent Overhaul Beautiful 24710

This is a gorgeous, original lacquer Selmer Balanced Action alto saxophone with a recent (a few years ago, very lightly played) overhaul by Boston Sax Shop with Pisoni Italian leather pads and Selmer style (correct) slightly domed resonators. It feels nice and snappy under the fingers and plays effortlessly. I play Balanced Action myself on alto, because it has a warm, sweet, spread, medium dark tone. It brightens up beautifully with a GS New York or keep it cool and darker with the GS Hyperion or Brilhart or MC Gregory (for the Desmond vibe). Selmer Balanced Action altos are some of the best sounding altos ever made, and they don’t sound like any saxophone made today. It’s also one of the most beautiful, with the honey colored original nitrocellulose lacquer intact, and the extensive hand engraving with the little sailboat scene that everybody loves. Can’t beat it. The only past repair I see is a resoldered upper foot of the Eb guard. This always pops off on Selmers because it’s soldered onto an uneven surface. There are no dents or dings, the neck has not been pulled down, and everything is straight and beautiful. Just some normal lacquer wear from use.

Reasons NOT to get a BA compared to other altos include: 1. no tilting low Bb. If you need Bb to tilt away from your finger, then this doesn’t have it. That starts with Mark VI. 2. In line stacks – compared to a modern alto, your right hand keys are going to be rotated 15 degrees counterclockwise from what the SBA and all Selmers after it had. This is partly compensated for by the light, comfortable key action and the pearl placement, but if you’re particularly fussy about ergnonomics, or if you have carpal tunnel or something, then just get an SBA or later. If that’s not you, then the BA gets you a warmer, more lush tone than later Selmers without sacrificing much else. Plus the altos are still amazingly affordable. Tenors have gone up a lot, but the altos can still be had for the around same price range as a new pro Yamaha, which to me is completely nuts.

Only one available!