It’s about time I started fixing C-Mels again, arthritis is (touch wood) not too fierce at the moment, and an enquiry about this  Buescher C Melody (click here for more pics)  made me think that maybe this old lady deserves better than languishing unloved in a case for years to come.  This was a bit of an impulse buy, driven I suspect by the rose-gold (well, copper, but more of that later…) bell.

Paid rather more for her than I usually do (back when the pound-dollar conversion rate was more favourable) and the sax is in not-as-good a condition as I expected.  Not that I was misled in any way by the seller – such is eBay, some I’ve won, some I’ve lost, and this is definitely leaning towards the losing side as she is at the moment.  But the sax has great potential.

The sales enquiry about her seems to have fallen thro’ – but I did come across a genuine Ferrees ‘snap-in’ pad set recently when I was having one of my infrequent tidy-ups, so I’ll have a go at the sax over the next few months.  A couple of the rods seem a little reluctant to play ball, and all of the rollers likewise seem settled in for the duration (reluctant to turn…) plus the octave ‘pin’ is bent from less than perfect packing for it’s last transatlantic adventure – but, apart from that, it’s relatively dent free, and with that lovely rose gold bell wash.

As Cybersax rightly comments, “…it’s a ‘rose gold’ effect, used primarily by Buescher on its silver plated saxes made after about 1925. ‘Rose gold’ is gorgeous, but really not gold at all. The ‘rose gold’ effect is achieved by laying on a copper wash (thin layer of copper plating) instead of a 24K gold wash…” 

I’ve a few other C-Melody saxophones I need to tweak and say ‘farewell ‘ to this year (and clarinets, and alto’s and mouthpieces etc. :( ) – but this Buescher will be a full overhaul.  I’ll keep the comments coming as it proceeds, but someone will have a lovely horn at the end of the day.  The pictures really don’t do the bell-wash justice, it is a glorious bonus !

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