Selmer Paris Bb clarinet

Here's a nice old Henri Selmer Bb clarinet.
Probably made in the 1920s, the serial # is worn away!
What makes this instrument special is the addition of the 7th ring!  Don't see too many 7 ring models around.  Of course these are nicely made, lovely sounding French instruments here.  Every old Selmer I've had through I've fallen for,  just a classic sound!

Conn New Wonder II alto sax

Another fantastic old Conn here!  This is a New Wonder II alto, original and with nice clean lacquer.  They didn't offer lacquer as an option at this point, so this instrument was a bare brass horn that received its first lacquer later on in life.  Its well done!   The engraving style is the "neat" type, no picture just "CG Conn LTD".  
I overhauled the micro tuner neck and made some adjustments but this horn didn't need much to be quite the singer!  These are such lovely horns.  

Leblanc Classic Bb clarinet

Here's a darn fine Bb clarinet by Leblance, the "Classic" model. 
This was a top line instrument when it came out in the 1960's.  Apparently Jimmy Hamilton of the Duke Ellington band played one!  That's cool.  For some reason old Leblanc's are undervalued,  I'm not sure why.  This instrument played & sounded as well as any Bb clarinet I've had.

Henri Bouchet alto sax (German)

Here's a nice German made alto sax, perhaps from the 1960's?  Doing a little digging I found that this was made by a small firm called Dorfler & Jorka.
The build quality is good, very solid.
Rolled tone holes!
The neck socket screw was very unique, its a small knob on the back of the horn's body.  Neat!
All in all I was quite please with this horn,  it had a wonderful sound & looked pretty cool too!  I'm not a huge fan of the lacquer color but oh well.

Kohlert Winnenden Bb clarinet

I've bought & sold quite a few old Kohlert clarinets,  they are consistently available for cheap and once restored make fine players.  Up until now I've only worked on the instruments from Kraslice/Graslitz,  except for a Winnenden bass I posted about earlier. 
This is the 1st Winnenden Bb clarinet I've had.   I've been curious because the consensus online seems to be that the Winnenden era Bb clarinets are so so.....
And what did I find?  At first glance things seem similar, not quite identical to the earlier instruments but I can still see a resemblance.  This one in particular was very clean & original.....and ended up playing just "ok".   I'm not sure what it is,  I can't put my finger on it,  but they really aren't as good as the earlier Kraslice/Graslitz instruments.  Certainly not bad by any means, but I won't be going out of my way to pick any more of these up.

Bundy tenor sax

These are just awesome horns for the money!  This Bundy was an early one,  just post Selmer buyout.  What you have is identical for the most part to a late run Buescher Aristocrat.  In other words, a solid, well made, good sounding saxophone that once set up will blow many newer horns out of the water!  Seriously,  these old Bundy I horns can be had for so cheap and make excellent student or backup horns.

LaCroix bass clarinet

Here's a really neat old French bass clarinet made by LaCroix.

I'm really not sure if LaCroix is a stencil instrument or not,  this one was very similar to the "LaBar" bass clarinet I posted about some time back.
A few interesting things about this instrument:  the body is 2 piece but also made of ebonite,  this is the 1st 2 piece ebonite bass I've seen.  Also it featured a double register vent which is typically only found on professional instruments.
The neck was fitted with a circular key just like you would see on a saxophone,  wow!
I really liked the sound of this instrument,  the double register setup was certainly on the finicky side but all in all a good clarinet!

Evette & Schaeffer baritione sax

Here's one of the 1st early Buffet Evette & Schaeffer horns I've had my hands on.  I see a lot of the later French (Malerne) & Italian E&S horns,  but this one is from the 1920s.
This horn had a great sound!  I got it playing on the old pads,  it had a rough neck socket that will need replacing in the future but all in all it was a player.  The tone was superb and the build quality was good,  well made for sure. 
One interesting thing about the key work,  there was no way to play F# with your right hand middle finger like you can on most any other sax,  but there was a neat way to play an Eb trill with a special key setup.  This is not to be confused with the American version of Eb trill,  this is a totally unique approach to this.  Not sure if they did this on other horns or not,  but I'm assuming they did.

Martin Handcraft Mater aka Typewriter alto saxophone

Here's a rare treat, a Martin Typewriter!  These were never called that by Martin but they are nicknamed that since the pearls look like typewriter keys.  These horns have a pearl on EVERY key, not a roller to be found!  It does take some getting used to but these can be totally playable once you get used to it.  This horn in particular needed major cleaning and polishing but the pads turned out to be mostly usable!  The build quality and sound are just like any other Martin sax, outstanding.  

Cousenon Albert system Bb clarinet

Here's a lovely old Cousenon Bb clarinet with Albert system fingering.
Cousenon made great stuff, and this was a nice playing instrument.  As I usually do, this clarinet was re padded with high quality Pisoni leather pads and restored to playing condition.   The barrel had a tight crack that needed filled but when it was done it was barely visible.  This was a fun instrument to play, fantastic & flexible tone.

Buescher True Tone series III alto saxophone

Here's another smashing old Buesher True Tone, a series III variety.
This horn came to me without a case, missing some things, but all in all straight and clean.  I tracked down the missing octave mech bit and restored this horn last winter,  it turned out great!  So great in fact that my partner decided to keep this horn as her main axe, which it was until a Series IV TT came along that she liked even better.
These horns are just fantastic sounding, pretty comfortable, lots of harmonic spread in the tone.   Lovely.  The differences in the various Series' have to do with the evolution of the horns by Buescher.  This one is a Series III, the only differences between this and a series IV are a different engraving and a nice little roller arm on the for the G#.  They both have the more modern pinky table (pearl G# touch piece as opposed to a button in the earlier TT's) and better intonated #1 neck. 
Probably my favorite horns here!

Conn New Wonder I alto saxophone

What a lovely horn here, a mid 20's Conn New Wonder series I alto sax in silver plate.  This horn needed just about everything but it was well worth it, when everything was done I was left with a great playing and sounding horn.   These old NW's are very powerful!  You can really fill a room with the right mouthpiece.  And I love the microtuner neck, this one was overhauled and worked perfectly.   Love these!

1930's Buescher Aristocrat I alto saxophone

Ok so admittedly over here at Abracadabra's headquarters Buescher horns typically are the favorite, they always win shootouts!  And here's another lovely old Buescher that came through,  an Aristocrat series I.  These were the horns made after the True Tone series and offer an evolution of the previous models.  Besides having the bell keys on one side instead of split, there are some other differences which are subtle but with the neck upgrade these horns do play a little better in tune than the True Tones.  However,  in an intensive side by side playing comparison with a series IV True Tone we at Abracadabra's still prefer the tone of the the old True Tones!  Its a slight difference but its there, the older horns have slightly more character.

Pan American soprano saxophone

Here's a nice old Conn made "Pan American" Bb soprano sax in silver plate.
I bought this fully expecting it to need an overhaul...I was wrong!  This horn played right out of the box with minor tweeks!  I just love these old sopranos and Conn really made a nice one here.  In fact I kept this horn around for quite awhile before I decided to part with it, I really dug it.   These are very similar to what a Conn New Wonder II would be,  but with slightly different key work. 

1920s Martin Handcraft

Ah, Martin saxophones, so lovely!  Here's very nice example of a mid 1920's Martin Handcraft alto.  This one was likely bare brass out of the factory and lacquered later in its life, what is known as a "first lacquer" (not to be confused with a re-lacquer). 
The horn was very clean!  Hardly a ding to be found, very nice lacquer condition, straight as an arrow.  The old pads were still supple and usable for the most part, I replaced a few that were too hard/too far gone.  This instrument was given a basic servicing,  tear down and clean/de grease, reassembly with new materials as needed, full adjustment, new neck cork.   Didn't need a heck of a lot!
The register mechanism on these old Martins is something else...its really a Rune Goldberg sort of affair, many moving parts and pieces!  Luckily this one was basically functioning before I got it so I just had to make some minor tweeks.
The sound is of course lush and lovely, everything you'd expect from an old Martin.  And did I mention these horns are heavy? They didn't skimp on materials here, that's for sure!

Kohler 55 Tenor saxophone

This old Kohlert tenor was basically a closet horn,  no dings, very little wear overall.  The aging of the lacquer looks so cool!  The build quality on these is pretty darn good,  I love the key guards too.   The key work is pretty comfortable and more towards the modern end compared to the 20s/30s vintage saxophones.   The tone of this horn is more modern too in comparison to the darker horns of the previous eras.  There is a small following for the old Kohlert horns,  and there's good reason for that.  They can be had for reasonable prices although they are hard to some by.   This is only one of a few I've seen in the last year,  even on Ebay, they're rare.  Especially one this clean.  Unbelievably, this horn was shipped all the way from Georgia to my home in Olympia Wa in just a box around the original case...no packing materials whatsoever!!! I was surprised to open up the package and find no damage, sometimes you get lucky.

Conn Concertone C Melody saxophone

This was a fun horn to restore.  It's a classic Conn made stencil C Melody, marked "Concertone". 

The horn had a full tear down, clean up, re pad, you name it.  It came to me with the original white pads, this horn hadn't been played much and the mechanism was not all worn out and sloppy, as many 20's horns are.
The end result was lovely.  A nearly blemish free, good playing, classic American C Melody.  It played well with a medium chamber mouthpiece and its original C mouthpiece.  I really get a kick out of these old C melodies,  they have such a unique and lovely voice.

Jean Cartier "Professional" Bb clarinet

Here's another fine French made Bb clarinet.  This one has the old Jean Cartier name, its unclear as to whether this was a trade name or not.  All I know is that all the Cartier's I've seen through here have been fine instruments!
This is the first "Professional" instrument I've seen by Cartier.  I'm not sure if it would stand up to this name in these modern times but honestly it was a DARN good instrument!  The quality of the wood was top notch, the key work was comfy and the clarinet just sang and sang!  The key work did have some very dull plating.
I repadded this clarinet and was very very happy with the results.  I'm sure the new owner is very happy with this, I know I would be.

GM Bundy Paris 7 ring Bb clarinet

These old GM Bundy Paris clarinets are some of my favorites!  Somewhere in the archives here you can find me writing about another one which had standard Boehm keywork.   This clarinet pictured has 7 rings and an extra vent on the upper joint.
As I mentioned before these were actually made in the Selmer Paris factory in the 20s/30s,  and they are fantastic!  This one in particular was a splendid player, such a wonderful tone.  The barrel was badly cracked when I got it and needed quite a bit of work to be sealed up, but it turned out great!  This was an instrument I could see myself falling in love with...unfortunately it sold before that had a chance of happening!

Pruefer clarinet

I'm not sure how old this Pruefer was or what model it is.  It seems to me this is pre 50's instrument but maybe not pre WWII.  The body sections are wood but the bell and barrel are ebonite, and they all bear the Pruefer name.   My guess based is this was intended to be an intermediate instrument and after a repad it was a decent player.   The key work was perhaps a but heavy, maybe not clunky but not finished very elegantly.   It did have a nice sound!   Someone made a very sloppy re-solder to a trill key which I left as is, it was functional.   Pruefer made good stuff, I tend to like the older stuff a little better though.

Oliver Ditson curved soprano sax

This was a lovely little horn, a 1920's Buescher made "Oliver Ditson" curved soprano sax.
This horn needed everything but it was well worth it.  Turned out to be a nice player, which is not surprising given that Buescher didn't make stinkers.  I'm always knocked out by how cute these old curved soprano's are. 

Otto Link Master Link mouthpiece

Here's a 1930s Otto Link NY "Master Link" alto saxophone mouthpiece. 
This came in the case with a Selmer Mark VII I bought.   These are the earliest of Otto Link's mouthpieces and feature an open chamber design.  They sound pretty big and dark!  This one unfortunately had been badly refaced by someone, the table was so off that it was barely playable.  I sent it out to my friend Peter Deley in Portland who is a mouthpiece person, he was able to get the table and facing back to where it should be more or less (it was a hard job!).  In the end it was a lovely sounding mouthpiece that now has a new happy home in NY.

Conn 440N alto clarinet

Here's a really neat old alto clarinet by Conn.  This 440N dates to the 1930's and features a double register mechanism that is manually operated (two different thumb keys).  It takes some getting used to figuring out when to switch from one to the other but the two vent system makes huge difference in the tone and clarity of the clarion register.  This is the first alto I've played with the double vent and I love it.  This clarinet also had a crack running from the upper end of the top joint about 6 inches down.  These days one doesn't have resort to pins or bands to fix cracks as folks did in the past.  In this case very thin CA glue and grenadilla dust as filler sealed things up perfectly.  After finishing work was done the crack was almost invisible unless you looked close!
Also to note, Conn clarinets don't always have the best rep, but I've found that most of their clarinets pre WWII are pretty darn decent. 

Buescher C melody

This was one cool horn.  The serial number on this Buescher True Tone C melody puts it way at the end of the True Tone and C melody run...it must have been one of the last C's made in 1930! 
So what you get with such a late C mel is a more modern pinky table with rollers, aux Front F key, and a better intonated neck.
This one was a real beauty too, great silver plate, pretty clean and straight.  It had older pads with some life left so I did a basic servicing to get it playing.   It also had the original mouthpiece which does have a certain charm to it.  It's pretty subdued with that mouthpiece, you can see how the horn could be played in the parlor with the piano and not overpower anything.  But if you play this horn with a medium chamber tenor mouthpiece, wow, it REALLY opens up!   It doesn't sound like a tenor in this way, because it isn't, but honestly I think in most cases the right tenor mouthpiece really makes the difference with old C melodies.  

Penzel Mueller/Pruefer clarinet

So I have had Penzel Mueller clarinets and Pruefer clarinets through the shop but this was a first,  a clarinet with both makers names!  Apparently they were one company for a bit in the 1920's.   No surprise here that we have a top notch, hand made, high quality instrument.  Excellent grenadilla wood was used, well made key work,  sweet sounding instrument.  This is one of those clarinets I'd be happy to own myself,  lots of character!

Buescher Aristocrat tenor sax

Here's an old warhorse, a 70's Buescher Aristocrat tenor saxophone.   This horn was made way after Selmer bought out Buescher and was basically the same design that was used in the last Aristocrats (and also the same design used for the original Selmer Bundy horns).  Its a good, solid design.  This horn had been around the block and needed a full repad but when I was done I had a comfortable, sturdy, well playing tenor that would be perfect for a student or even as a pro backup.  They have a good sound for what they are, great values.  

La Bar Bass clarinet

I couldn't find any info on this French maker, certainly a stencil name.   It was in need of a full servicing but the pads were all still usable.   This one had an interesting register mechanism setup which was the single vent variety, but instead of venting on the body it vented on the neck.  I can't think of many other single vent bass clarinets that do this,  typically with a single vent its always vented on the body....its not until you reach the double vent instruments that you see a vent on the neck as well.
After much research the only instruments that seem similar are M. Lacroix, which look pretty darn similar.
Anyway back to this instrument.......after servicing it was a lovely player!  I liked this instrument so much that I kept it around for quite awhile before parting with it.  This happens sometimes!

Buescher Aristocrat Trombone

Here's a new one for me, a Buescher Aristocrat trombone.  I've had many trombones but mostly old Conn's, Kings, etc.  This instrument was Buescher's top of the line instrument in the 1930's.   They were never know for their trombones but this horn was top notch!  Very well built, great sound.  Note the angled bell braces!  Also a great engraving.  The slide was a dual bore, I can't remember exactly but something like .485"/.500",  it had a great sound.   I don't know if I'd say it was better than an old Conn but honestly it was just as good!  Hope to see one of these again someday.

Selmer Mark VII alto sax

Here's an early model Selmer Mark VII alto,  right after they stopped the VI's. 
These of course have a varied reputation.  Folks love the VI's so much that anything is crap in comparison.   Truth be told these Mark VII horns were different, but still very well made professional instruments.  I personally don't like the left hand pinky table or the right hand pinky keys....they don't feel good to my hands.  But the sound is still fantastic.  I'm sure I'd get used to the pinky keys if I played the instrument more.   This horn didn't stick around long,  I got it for a decent price, sold it to someone in Korea.

Buffet Evette & Schaeffer Bb clarinet

This one was quite a score! I found this at one of my favorite pawn shops for a measly $35.  Apparently they didn't make much of it!  Little did they know that these K series serial number Evette & Schaeffer clarinets were made by Buffet in their factory and are really very, very nice!
The clarinet needed a repad, the pads were way shot.  I used my standard Italian leather pads and the work was a breeze, the instrument had little wear, the tone holes were all sharp,  and when it was all said and done I ended up with a fantastic sounding French clarinet! 

Holton baritone sax

This was a fun beast to work on!  Here's an old 1920's Holton that needed just about everything.   Working on bari's can be quite challenging.   In essence everything is exactly the same as on any other sax,  things are just bigger and of course moving the horn around in the workshop is a bear!   I really dig old Holtons.   They don't have the greatest rep for some reason.   So far I can say every one I've had through here has ended up being a fine player.  One thing I noticed is in this era they tended to make their key rods too long...so there's always some thread sticking out of the bottom of the post!  This has happened with a few 20's Holtons,  this was something they did for some reason.  No big deal, just odd!
This baby is keyed to high F and has the Aux front F key...great axe!

Bonade Bb clarinet mouthpiece

Bonade was a famous clarinetist and teacher who apparently required his students to play mouthpieces with his name on them.....not just for the name but for the sound!  These are excellent blanks attributed to Chedeville.   I've had a few of these old Chedeville mouthpieces through here, some have needed some work on the facing but most of them are quite fine players.  

HN White C soprano saxophone

This one was a real treat to work on.   I've had a few of these through and I'm always impressed with the key work and tone.......the old HN White King stuff was really cool!  As well I think the King C sopranos have the sweetest tone.   The instrument here needed everything, a full shebang, but it was totally worth it in the end.  The horn played excellent top to bottom and was in great physical shape too.  Not bad for a horn that pre dates the 1920's! 

Noblet Laureate clarinet

I haven't worked on this instrument as it just came in to the shop, but check out that cool engraving on the bell!  It seems these are really identical to the Noblet model 45 but have the extra fancy bell.  Pretty cool!

Kohlert Graslitz Bb clarinet

Once again I'm very impressed with the workmanship on the old Kohlert Graslitz instruments.   These clarinets are way under the radar, you can get one needing work for very very cheap.  After servicing they are as good as any wood clarinet out there,  the wood in particular is of extremely fine quality, dense and tight grained.  A lot of people just don't know about these and how good they are,  they take longer to sell than other clarinets that don't have a known name but that's ok,  I love them and will continue to seek them out. 

Penzel Mueller Artist clarinet

This was very nice clarinet, wow.  The Penzel Mueller name is associated with the best of the old American made clarinets and up until around WWII the "Artist" model was their top of the line.    They really had something going on here,  very nice key work and plating, comfortable,  excellent wood, a fine fine player.  These can still be had for decent prices and are certainly of professional quality. 

Martin Freres "Classic" clarinet

Here's one I haven't seen before, a Martin Freres "Classic" clarinet.  Now Martin Freres instruments are very common to find but this model is not very common at all.   In looking at their website it seems this was an intermediate instrument when made, and I'd have to agree.   As I've seen before with other Freres instruments the key plating is not great, but all in all its decently made.   The wood is of good quality and after servicing this instrument played well and had a nice tone.  

Conn 324N ebonite clarinet

Here's a nice old Conn clarinet,  key of Bb, ebonite body.   The model number is 324N and the serial number dates it to 1930 or so.
I was quite pleased with this one!  The pads were in good shape so I didn't do anything other than a routine clean/oil/adjust servicing on it.   The actual pads were interesting....they weren't skin or leather,  but some sort of older synthetic material.  The first I've seen of these type of pads!

The clarinet was a great player.  I've found these older Conns with the "eagle" trademark are usually pretty good instruments.   This one had a nice tone and was pretty comfy to boot.   Not bad at all!  The instrument ended up going to New Orleans,  I hope the new owner is having fun with it.

Auguste Buffet Bb Albert system clarinet

Here's a fantastic instrument.  I picked this up locally from someone who's father played it a lot.  It was in pretty good shape, well looked after, but did have a repaired crack through the barrel and a bell crack as well.
I did a clean/oil/adjust service on the instrument,  replacing a few pads along the way.  The repaired barrel crack was still leaking slightly so I had to fill that in too.
I was excited to give this a play, and WOW!  I'd have to say this was one of the nicest old Bb Albert's I've every played!  And that is saying a alot as I've worked on/played many many old Albert clarinets.

Apparently Frank Holton contracted with Auguste Buffet to make clarinets for them, see the bell.
Auguste Buffet was a relative of the "other", more famous Buffet of the Buffet Crampon firm.
These aren't as well known, and the only other one I've had was a later Boehm system clarinet that was just "so-so". 
This clarinet was very well made and is just a joy to play.  It stacks up to ANY old Albert, including those from Buffet Crampon and Selmer...........so keep your eyes peeled for these,  they're gems.

Selmer Bundy baritone sax!

I wish I had a better pic of this horn,  I took one quick shot in the basement studio to send to a friend who'd been looking for a baritone,  he ended up buying it quickly so now its gone!

This is a 60's, maybe 70's, Selmer Bundy baritone.   To do a quick recap of what was going on with the post Selmer buyout of the Buescher company....Selmer bought out Buescher in the early 60's and used the tooling/design of the last Buescher Aristocrats for their "Bundy" student line.   By the time Buescher folded the Aristocrat was no longer a pro model,  but really a bit nicer than something you'd call a student model too.  
So this horn is pretty much identical to the later run Buescher Aristocrat.   Its a well designed horn,  sturdy enough to hold up to the torture of student usage, but plays and sounds great.

This horn in particular came to me VERY much beat.  Dents everywhere, the bottom bow in particular was dented at least 1/3 of the way in.  Luckily it was fairly straight otherwise.   I refurbished the horn completely, dent work (what I could reach....without un-soldering the neck I couldn't reach all the dents),  clean/oil/adjust,  literally half the pads were replaced along with pretty much all the adjustment material.
Also this horn came without a case and I had to track one down....luckily a nice chap on a sax forum gave me a great deal on a solid case.
I was very excited to play test this horn and was not let down....the HUGE bell makes for a monster low end and it really plays well through the entire range.   I think with the right mouthpiece (I don't have many to choose from) this horn could be all you would need until you decide to plunk down serious $$ on an old 12M or Selmer or whatever else you decide is "the one".

I've written about the older Bundy's before, I've had them all through here.  Once again, these are solid, well designed horns!  

Evette & Schaeffer tenor sax, French

A few posts back I highlighted the alto version of this horn, here's a tenor, and its a good one.
These were made for Buffet by the workshop of Robert Malerne, likely in the 60's, and they are very nice sounding instruments.  This one in particular is very clean, most of the lacquer is present,  really no dings.
I'm impressed by these,  the build quality is very solid, they look good, the key work is pretty comfy (like any horn you just have to get used to the ergos), but the sound really takes the cake........these horns sound fantastic!
This instrument was fairly picky about mouthpiece, the only ones it like were old French mouthpieces!  For sure it did not like modern mouthpieces.  I'm thinking it mostly has to do with chamber size, it probably likes a fairly open chamber. 
I liked this horn so much I picked up an other one!

Italian soprano sax

Here's a neat old soprano marked Caravelle Brittany but probably made by Borgani in Italy.

The modern Borgani company makes very nice professional instruments, but "back in the day" they made mostly student/intermediate instruments.  This soprano is well made and probably not in the "pro" category but honestly way too nice to be a student horn.
This sax came to me in pretty good shape.  It needed a basic tear down/clean/reassemble/adjust procedure done, I think I replaced one pad, made some minor adjustments. 
It plays well and really has a nice, singing tone.  I have another one of these, identical,  that I'll be restoring soon.  I'm impressed,  these can be had pretty cheap and are WAY better than anything else in the sub $500 range. 

Evette & Schaeffer by Malerne alto

So I've posted previously about some other Evette & Schaeffer horns,  an alto and tenor both made for Buffet by Santoni in Italy.
Here's a different example, still made for Buffet, but by Malerne of France.  These were made earlier than the Italian made horns, probably 1960's if I had to guess.

I love this horn!  The patina to the body,  the key guard design,  the sound.  Its a fantastic horn.  In this case the horn didn't need any new pads, which is a miracle really.  I almost always have to replace a few pads in the refurbishment process.   The pads are older plain riveted style but somehow have mostly remained soft and in tact over the years.
After a full tear down and setup I was pleased as punch to find this horn plays and sounds as good as it looks.  I am admittedly a Francophile, so maybe I'm biased, but I like these Malerne made horns a tiny bit more than the Italian ones (which are totally solid).

Particularly this horn just sings in the upper register.

Also the original case looks very cool.  Too bad the horn just flops around inside it! (very common for older cases).

Selmer Bundy tenor sax

Here's an interesting example of the 1970's era Selmer Bundy tenor sax.
Notice the finish,  its not lacquered but painted!  This was done at the factory,  an attempt to make a durable finish for student usage.  It has held up pretty well, looks "different" but it kinda grows on you.
At this point in the Selmer Bundy sax line, still very much pre-Bundy II,  the horns were basically identical to the late Buescher Aristocrat line.  Selmer bought out Buescher in the early 60's and used the same stuff to build the Bundy's.  That's why the old Bundy's are such decent horns,  they're basically Buescher's.
This horn came to me fairly well beat, it already had its share of past abuse and sloppy repairs,  and I had to do some dent work, soldering, cleaning, basic servicing. 
It came out well,  the horn, although worn, plays well top to bottom and will live on as someone elses instrument for years to come.

Conn "transitional" alto sax

Here's a gem of a horn, an early run Conn "transitional" alto.
The "transitional" horns are named so because they represent a change, over the course of several years, from the previous "New Wonder" model horns to the 6M horns.  At some point Conn started instituting changes in the older models, adding a feature or two at a time.   Slowly the New Wonders became updated,  eventually to become the 6M model in the 1930's.

This particular alto is very early in this transition period.  In fact,  the only real distinguishing characteristic besides serial number that would tell me its a tranny is the raised/sculpted side E touch piece.  The New Wonder's didn't have this feature and it was the 1st design change instituted. 
So basically, for all intents an purposes, this is a late New Wonder II model.

Its a fantastic horn!  It has the plainest engraving, simply CG Conn with no picture, and likely was bare brass out of the factory.  At some point,  a long long time ago,  someone had it lacquered.  It was done well and has aged very nicely!
The body and neck are really ding free and straight and after restoration the horn plays just wonderfully!
My favorite part of this job was overhauling the microtuner neck, which is  one of my favorite things to do.  This one had little wear but was very slow to move.  After overhaul it works like a dream!

Henri Farny C clarinet

A few posts back I wrote about a C clarinet with Albert system fingering.  What do you know, here's another one!  I answered an ad online about someone selling some trombones,  when I went to see them the seller also mentioned having some other things...........and this clarinet was one them.  What a treat!  This one is marked Henri Farny Paris.  Not sure if he was a real maker or not, but my research did turn up an old Farny clarinet in a museum that Barney Bigard played while with Duke Ellington!  That's a good sign, I love Bigard's playing.
I fully refurbished this instrument,  it had some minor cosmetic issues but otherwise turned out really well.  Fun to play for sure, good quality, a real gem.

Carl Fischer Bb clarinet

Here's another one of those "under the radar" instruments.

Carl Fischer was a large musical instrument distributor and shop in NY for many years.  They never manufactured their own instruments but contracted out to other companies to make them,  then the put the Fischer name on.   They had a good reputation and tended to have mostly quality instruments (at least as far as woodwinds are concerned.)
I know for sure as far as clarinets go they contracted with Buffet, Couesnon, and Pruefer.

This particular instrument is marked Carl Fischer but otherwise I don't have any clues as to who made the horn.  I looked all over for the small "france" or other markings I often find on stencil instruments. 
A few things can be noted that will date the instrument.  The left and pinky keys are on one post, the body under the right hand pinky's is carved out,  and it has an old style thumb rest.   I would say this instrument is pre 1930.  
Its all wood, no cracks,  and plays well!  The pads are interesting,  at first I thought they were cork or leather but upon inspection they seem to be some sort of man-made material?  They are still working, that's all I know!
I'm sure I'll be seeing some more of these over the years,  they turn up fairly frequently on Ebay and other places.