Here’s a prime 1949 vintage Selmer SBA tenor that has a recent full overhaul and plays wonderfully! This is the most desirable (for most people) version of the SBA that Coltrane, Branford Marsalis, Joshua Redman, and many other top tenor players have chosen. It’s only 500 serials from Branford’s tenor, for example. This one is owned by my assistant, Roland, who grabbed it when it came in and got it overhauled. He would be keeping it and playing it, but he’s moving to a BA instead for the more spread tone. If you want classic ‘chef’s kiss’ SBA tone and feel, that’s what this is!
The overhaul was done really well with Pisoni Italian leather pads and domed brass reusable resonators, and it feels excellent under the fingers: dry, snappy, fast, and pads closing with a satisfying resonant pop that is soothing to the soul of the saxophone player. Condition wise, this had some minor dents removed from the bow area, and the Eb, C and chromatic F# keyguards are resoldered. It has some lacquer wear on the back of the body tube, and the lacquer is of course not original. The original neck with matching serial number had some moderate pull down corrected along with the full overhaul, and it’s at the ideal angle now.
If you want a great SBA tenor for a very fair price, and that has already been completely overhauled. It just got checked out immediately presale and comes sealing well and playing its best. It includes a BAM softpack tenor case that is form-fitted to Selmer shape and will be great for safe shipping and gigging. This serial of SBA tenor doesn’t come up for sale very often, let alone overhauled, so grab this one while it’s available!
