Narrowing it down finally! Selmer Balanced Action, Conn Chu Berry, Buescher Aristocrat

This came into my life the other day. Something I've always wanted since I tried one at Roberto's in 2005....

1939 Selmer Balanced Action tenor. It's a re-lacquered one of course and needs work but plays up and down great as-is. Good enough to use on a gig. I'll be getting it overhauled soon. May have the lacquer stripped, may leave it as is.

It's a wonderful tenor, everything I could have hoped for.

So I have 3 tenors, really 4 but 2 are the same make and model. I'm narrowing it down to 2 I intend to keep.

Please forgive the lack of photos in this post. I've "upgraded" my Macbook Pro and now nothing works as it once did. I have no idea how to access my photos right now on this. Another, well, I don't swear here but.... @^*(# you Apple! You SUCK!!!!

I'll just do my best to make up for the lack of pictures with better writing.


Ok, back to tenors.

I started on a Holton and quickly switched to Martin but always wanted a Conn so..... that's where I wound up and stayed for about 15 years. I owned several, 10M, 30M, settled on a 1928 Chu Berry for 9 years. That was a love / hate relationship for years. The fellow who owns it sounds great on it and loves the thing. It's replaced his (Yamaha? Yanagisawa?) as his main horn.

That horn taught me a lot. I learned about plating (I had the neck nickel plated 5x for more focus, the result, I had a silver neck.......looked prettier!) I tried different necks, had the strap hook moved (Mexi Conn neck plus lower strap hook was my favorite combo, felt way better, more modern if you will) but the main thing I learned was it's much easier to destroy my own ideas by the relentless pursuit of equipment than by practicing and putting myself out there. Seriously, if you need to try every different neck, mouthpiece, strap hook, gizmo, gadget, you may have a commitment problem, not a horn problem.

The horn itself, I've heard a recording of myself with the original neck and a Morgan Excalibur piece I bought at Junkdude and it sounded terrific. I needed no other combo, just needed to sit still and create!

But then I tried a Balanced Action and said "Oh I get it. This thing is just that good." Trouble is, those are expensive, any Selmer is expensive if it's made in France!

So about 5 years later I bought a Buescher Aristocrat from my friend Peter. Over the next few years I eventually switched entirely and sold my trusty Chu. Why did I do that? A friend told me the Aristocrat would take me to the next place. Challenge me in the right ways. The Chu may be limiting me. Eventually I found this to be true (for me!). The Aristocrat just had more I could do with it. Such a complex, beautiful, at times nasty sound. It can be an angel or a filthy devil.

It felt like a logical step evolution wise. I sold that one but regretted it and got another which I still have. Actually I have 2, a mint 1935 model and my trusty ugly 1937 model.

So I'm in a similar place. The Balanced Action feels simply like the next logical step in the evolution of my equipment.....

So what do I like and not like about these 3 horns? I do have a Conn Transitional Chu from 1930 that I'm selling.

The Conn first.....



The Conn has the most interesting tone I feel. It's the biggest. I don't think the high end suffers one bit like some folks find. It's got a big sound from bottom to top. It's the darkest but certainly cuts well. What don't I like about it? The obvious.... the key work. And not to mention while playing it on it's own I'm in love with that sound, I quickly realized that after not playing on a Conn for the last 5 years I'd need to get in the corner and do my long tones for a year just to get used to it. I'd need to do some key mods to get used to that again too. It's a commitment thing. Right now, I just want to take it easy and not work so hard! Oh, I could get used to the keys but I just don't want to.

So it should go to someone who will enjoy it.

The Buescher Aristocrat:

My main axe now for a while. When I started playing these I didn't really like them. I just noticed though, even though the sound doesn't "feel" as big as the Conn when you play it, they have a way of putting out sound that cuts and fills a room. I spent an afternoon at Peters house trying his Mk6 from 1957, my 10M, his Chu, my Chu, a couple SML horns and his Grassi (great horn!). Other than the Mk6 and the Grassi, the Buescher kinda buried the rest. It's weird cause you look at it and it's un-impressive with that skinny little bell flare. I liked the tone quality better than all that was mentioned here too. Rich, complex, good cut. I started recording with it and that's where it hit home. It just recorded better for me than my Chu. My intonation on the Chu was good, the Bueshcer is just dead on. It's better in that department than the Conn or Selmer.

The key work I like as well. It feels natural. But the first one I sold cause I needed the dough and I was more used to the more impressive Chu.

The series one Buescher Aristocrat may be one of the best kept secrets of the horn world. No, it's not 'laser beam focused' or 'compact' or 'better for classical'. The tone is wide in the right way and disgusting when pushed. I had a King for a minute and was huge sounding but the Buescher beat that horn to death in the end. And the Buescher has a lovely flexibility that is tough to beat.

Tone wise? Oh I know I just said the Conn is probably the best, but that's subjective. I actually think the Buescher has the most interesting voice. Fine spot between the Conn and a Selmer just like they say. And as soon as I started playing it live, other horn players started asking me what it was and telling me I never sounded better. It's funny cause the 2 most sought after horns are Selmer and Conn. I ain't gonna lie here as I'm just as susceptible to pack mentality as anyone sometimes. I didn't want to give up the Conn partly cause who plays a Buescher??? Plenty of famous Conn and Selmer players, with good reason, but jazz players on a Buescher? Ike Quebec, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter when he played that Bundy with Miles Davis. Oh, Maxwell Davis playing R&B too! That's all I got!

The Buescher doesn't feel limiting. Conns for me do. So do Kings, and some other horns. Psychological? Maybe. It's my brain, my choice yo!


So about my Selmer.

I've been trying out a bunch. I played a Super Balanced Action that got my attention but the price was $8750! Other than the best key work ever made, ultimately I felt the tone was not unlike my Buescher, it just cut differently. Not a difficult jump to make. And I love that low Bb on a Selmer. It's bigger on the American horns, and bigger on say a Buffet or SML, but there is this soft quality to that low Bb that kills me on a Selmer. Hard to describe in words, I just haven't gotten it like that on any other horn.

My Balanced has that. It got me right away. I can't say I like the tone more than the Buescher, but what I do like better is the immediacy of the response. There is this punchiness that gets me right away. It has a more modern sound to it than my Buescher, but not so modern like a modern horn. Still has this bit of spread I really dig. It's a big sound but not so big that I don't feel weird in an intimate setting. I can get that on my Conn too. But this horn just is easier.

It's the most 'compact' of the 3. When pushed it holds together nicely. And it's LOUD.

I was worried about the intonation after reading again and again "the bell keys were sharp" from other players better than I. Not the case with this at all. They are dead on. I struggled for about an hour with the top end going sharp but found the sweet tuning spot and now it plays in tune as well as any good horn for me.

It's easy to make the jump as the tone on my Aristocrat isn't so far away from this Selmer. Both are very warm, I'd say the Selmer is friendlier though. And certainly, the key work is tops. My favorite feel. I think in the name of progress they messed that up. I have not met a Mk6 that I dig the feel on. The Balanced Action and Super Balanced just feel more fun to me. Not machine like.

In other word the Selmer doesn't feel limiting either, like I can play anything I want. It's just easier than any other horn I've played.


So those are my 3 favorite horns. I'll be keeping my Aristocrat and the Selmer. They compliment each other in a good way and neither confuses me like the Conn does now. The Selmer feels simply like the next logical step. Something to grow with.  And, I've always wanted one. I'm not getting any younger! Gotta enjoy the rest of my stay here as best as I can!

-J

Tatay #2! Cheap classical guitars.

Just got this one in the mail, another Tatay no. 13.

Outside of the cosmetics it is nothing at all like my #1. Completely different sound. A remarkably nice sound for sure, lots of bass. I set it up with LaBella hard tension strings. My other one ha medium hard. I think those suit these guitars a bit better.

I read one Tatay fan say the tone color is "Orange". That's the color that comes to mind on this one.

My other one, I have no idea of the era it was built in. I believe it to be much older. This one has a slimmer more comfortable neck whereas my #1 us bigger and I'd say while it's comfortable it's more 'crude'. But that being said, everything about the construction of this guitar is more 'crude'!

My #1 sports some nice rosewood back and sides (I don't know if it's Brazilian, it's definitely rosewood) whereas this one is Mahogany.

This is now my throw it in the gig bag and schlep it to lessons guitar. I like it. Still more inspiring to me than any guitar made now in a similar price bracket. My Favilla is going to a friend, glad to send it to him.

There is little information about this brand, would love to know more. Supposedly the earlier ones were luthier built. My #1 feels and appears to have a lot more attention dedicated to making it. This one seems not too different than other factory made Spanish guitars I've played. Better than many of them but definitely not a "serious" guitar.

Still, worth every penny I paid for it. It does sound quite nice and projects the way I like it to!

-J

One of my favorite things....Tatay Classical Guitar. And a story.

When I was a teenager I studied with an interesting teacher named Bruce. He was largely a classical player, made his living performing and giving lessons. Around my house my mom always had a couple nylon string guitars. A battered Silvertone that was wrecked by some renters who put steel strings on it (I found it neglected in the basement 4 years ago and glued it back together, hence starting my new path). and she had a beautiful Giannini made in Brazil that we bought at Music and Arts Center in Catonsville. She played a few folk songs and a wrote some as well, taught me my basic chords. I think she and my dad knew something about the importance of learning classical, maybe it was intuition or just their generation.

I just wanted to rock. I wanted electric. I wanted a Stratocaster. I wanted to skip all that.

My mom taught me my first chords. My dad showed me how to change the strings. In a panic I started the day before high school as I sucked at everything else. How was I going to fit in? I liked Jimi. Rock stars were cool.

So I advanced quickly. My dad bought my first Stratocaster, an awful late 70's model, at Bills Music house in Catonsville. His words: "I'll do this, but you need to show me results or you gotta pay me back in a year." I didn't need prompting, but I'll say this. That was probably the best thing he ever did for me. A great lesson in accountability. So grateful for that moment. I worked my ass off. And $389 in 1983 was way more than a 15 year old can afford cutting grass!

I loved Jimi, Keith, Clapton, but I always had a thing for nylon strings. We had a couple Carlos Montoya records on the shelf, along with Getz/Gilberto. And I had a deep secret admiration for the kids in the school orchestra program. I was always a bit envious of them. Secretly envious. So I was glad to have studied with Bruce.

But there was a couple things off about it. He started me on Bach's Bouree and Gavotte. I can certainly play those now but at the time, these were over my head. In hindsight I was one who could have benefitted from a method book. Just exercises and scales and patterns and easier songs. I wasn't the type to rise to the challenge partly cause other things came so easily to me. So I gave up. Bruce worked with me on improvisation, Indian classical scales and other things. Understand, this was a teacher who sent people to Juliard. I simply felt I wasn't 'good enough' even though I enjoyed so much else he had to share. I am grateful to him, he was a great fellow and very cool teacher. I had my youthful impatience and arrogance to contend with as well. I may not have accepted the direction a stricter classical regimen would have offered anyway. But, I now see the importance of it. That foundational stuff.

On top of that, I knew a good instrument when I played one. 6 months after getting my '79 Stratocaster I tried a '66 and immediately knew that for another $165 I would have a far superior instrument. That thing sang, mine coughed!! Price $550 (custom color Lake Placid Blue!!). I paid $389. Ugh. Dad wasn't interested in a brat who needed an upgrade! And I wasn't really a brat so I didn't whine about it. Best to love what you got and I did just that!

Bruce had a house full of classical and Flamenco guitars. I played a few. Prices started around $2k! I had a Yamaha that I bought from him for $75. It was decent... but, next to a Ramirez of Dauphin, pure sadness.

Nice classical for $2k+ or real Stratocaster for around $500. I went that direction.

Yup, my choice. Not pointing fingers here. And it was a good choice. I made a lot of people happy with all that sound.

So fast forward too many years and I recover my mothers beat ass Silvertone, glue it back together and record some tracks with it. Cheap, plywood, nylon string guitar. Really crappy. And I fell in love again. My electrics sit on the wall and I'd pick that thing up daily.

Last year a friend was visiting and we went into Main Drag music in Williamsburg and I upgraded to a 40's made Favilla. Again, not a great guitar but better than that Yamaha. I went to Sam Ash and bought the Carcassi Method For Guitar book and have been practicing daily out of it. I have no agenda, I don't aspire to be a concert guitarist at the age of 50 here, I just enjoy playing it so much and it's showing up in my own music in ways I didn't think would happen. My days off I'm up to 4+ hours.

So I needed to get something better. I've been working hard and wanted to treat myself. I played an incredible Ramirez from about 1903. Over $10K!!!! If cost were no object I'd own that guitar. It's stunning and has such a beautiful sound. But my rule is if I'm making a big purchase from my fun money account, I need to have double that in there. I don't have that and would rather work towards a house!

I'm good at finding interesting guitars that make me happy. I wanted something old, made in Spain, had to have Brazilian rosewood back and sides, and a nice sound and playability. I came across this Vincente Tatay........

It was hard to find any information on these about price. Lots of forum confusion. I did find a later New York produced one for $2k on a website that only has high end classical guitars (that one is beautiful!) and Retrofret had one listed for $3200 that sold for an unknown offer. I know that shop, great place and they usually get close to their asking price.

Neither guitar looked like this. And most Tatay guitars sell for considerably less. I mean, we're talking $100-$300!

Early ones are supposedly luthier produced, later they built a large factory and made a ton of instruments. This one was $1200. I didn't feel great about that price but decided to take a gamble. It fit what I was looking for: all solid wood including beautiful rosewood back and sides, ancient, the owner liked it quite a bit. Projection is good he says. The label we couldn't find....

So, I decided to go for it. Yes, I probably overpaid, I just found another similar one for a whopping $295! Bought that one as well.......Different label inside, probably later but same beautiful cosmetics.

Once I restrung it and set it up to my liking I found that I absolutely love this guitar. It's very warm, nice deep bass and clear highs. No, it's not as refined as that beautiful Ramirez but, I did get to play them side by side and found myself not feeling that wanting feeling on the Tatay. It's worth every penny of my hard earned $1200 to me. Plus it has that unusual "who made it" thing I like. Best part is, I do not want to put it down. When I need to go out on a date, go to earn a pile of money....I get bummed cause I just want to keep playing, keep improving, keep enjoying the sound. The only bug about this guitar was the intonation, but I fixed that and now I never want to put it down!

So if you are looking for a really good instrument that isn't worth it's weight in gold, do consider trying one of these out. It's important to have a guitar you love. It keeps the energy going forward.

Next step, find another instructor to help me get to the next level. I'm ready, more humble, more patient, and doing it for no other reason that the joy of playing. I like this chapter the best....


More photos:

Oh yes, Rosette is quite beautiful on this model. Has pearl and nice wood, much like the Ramirez I tried. I do like a beautiful instrument:

-JB

How did you get so good?

I love this question....how did you get so good?

I get asked this by my kid students all the time. "How do you do that? How did you get good at that?"

I do my best to let them know it's an exercise in persistence, appreciating the little bit you did learn already and all that good stuff.

I've been in a real woodshed period. Lots of hours practicing classical guitar, lots of hour practicing my saxophone. The fruits are starting to show and it feels good. I feel good. I don't yet know what it's for or why I do this, but have just surrendered to it and accepted the mystery. I'm having this weird temporary experience called life bookended by 2 great mysteries. I could haven been a soldier, fireman, wall street guy, engineer, father, but chose to make music and dedicate my time to this activity that brings me almost no money but a lot of joy.

So I was recently at a party with my parents. The host and his friend had a little jam session and they played some classics. I had my guitar in the car so I went and grabbed it to sit in. Some of the folks were astounded. One guy was near tears talking to me. I was moved by that. I didn't know it was possible.

He asked me how I got to this place......

It sounds bitter but it's not. I looked around and thought "well, other than my 5 year old niece and the 2 teenagers here, I'm the only person in this room who has probably never been married and who doesn't have a family...."

I didn't say this out loud, but the thought naturally popped into my head.

This has been a lonely existence. I'm quite sane but accept that I'm not easy to be around either. There is always melodies in my head, things I'm working out musically, solving this seemingly unending puzzle. 90% of my days I'm quite okay being alone. I'm defensive of my time. The minute I'm sharing too much of my time I lose the sanity part.

One friend said something about the 'sacrifice Jef made' or something like that. It's no sacrifice. It's just my life. It's that simple. When the music is good it's all worth it. Being this age and on my own, and it's quite possible I may remain alone, I've accepted this, I best make the most of this creation. Maybe this is my child? These sounds, the few records I've been a part of. I mean, why not?

So it's not to say that all artist are difficult and are just good at being lonely creatures. I'm open to any possibility to share this life. My feelings about the whole matter can change as soon as I click publish. And certainly it's worked out for others. And I still have a long way to go before I can call myself a good musician. And I'm digging this journey. Maybe I'll someday get that good.

JB

On faith, patience and progress.

This summer, Gospel of Mars hit the 5 year mark. Five years.... how did that happen? We have our first LP coming out soon, something I knew would happen but had little idea of when.

We could have done it sooner, but really, everything happens in it's own perfect time, in it's own perfect way. And there have been plenty of setbacks with this LP. For some reason I don't feel the leat bit frustrated. It's at the pressing plant and I have no control over anything. I don't know when it will be in our hands, I just know that it will be in our hands.

There was a point in my life not long ago where everything seemed to be in a rush. I would be playing in 4 different projects, my heart may have been in one of the 4, the rest were things that 'may become successful' or projects that I felt weirdly obligated to do. I was stretched thin and not particularly happy. Everything was urgent. Life was urgent. And whatever music I had my heart in I allowed to suffer. I had little faith in it.

Then I hit bottom.

I learned to say no. It forced me to be honest. The bottom sucks but if you let it, it's the greatest teacher.

If we forced ourselves to make a record 4 years ago, it wouldn't have been very good as we weren't very good. We have a tendency to create material that is too challenging for us to play well. It takes time and persistence.

Now there isn't a sense of urgency any longer. Which is Ironic. I have 30 less years of time ahead of me than I did 30 years ago when I played my first gig. Everything was urgent. Maybe cause I'm in no hurry to die? Or maybe cause I'm just enjoying the ride, getting better on my instruments, and enjoying the company of my friends and fellow bandmates and the honor it is to create with them. These things are more important to me now. The progress is the success.

My faith is stillness is unshakeable now. Sit still, show up and do the work. Simple formula. All the good things that have happened to us happened in ways that weren't expected. We didn't shop our record at all, we just got in front of the right folks to put it out. They have faith in us. That happened at the right time, we already had the recording in the can. We still struggle getting gigs outside of 2 spots that we love, and really, do we need more places? We've built a bit of community by playing at Troost 17 times now. When it's time for us to step it up, it will happen naturally in it's own way.

I think the old me was just ego.....always forcing it's will. That's the model in our society that we're given over and over again. The forceful egomaniac gets the success. Maybe that's true, and maybe it's true that it doesn't last and doesn't make anyone happy.

And what if you're a natural introvert like I am? I can't think of a more dishonest way of life than to try to fit in with the extrovert. There is no success in dishonesty. And most days I'm now happy. Glad to serve our music and audience. Grateful that the music we make is honest and not trying to 'make it'. Happy to let the music we make take us where we are needed to go. On it's own perfect time and it's own perfect way.

JB

A $1000 solution to a $5 problem. Change that neck cork!

This post is just to remind myself, who lives in a capitalist society and is addicted to buying stuff, to just chill out and find cheap solutions.

So lately I've been less than enamored with my beloved '36 Buescher Aristocrat tenor. It's been playing okay but sounding a bit harsh. It does need work and ultimately I will get it overhauled mainly to restore it's sloppy key action to be as tight as my minty low hours '35. When I bought the horn last year within a week the bell to body brace popped and one of the key guards fell off so I took it to KB Sax where he straightened it out. He told me the pads are good but challenging to work with, they aren't the best quality and if it's a keeper I should ultimately get it overhauled.

An art deco Buescher Aristocrat isn't worth all that much dough. And this one was de-snapped, there is no lacquer left, it's an ugly beauty. I can't think about getting 'my money back out of it' if I ever needed to sell it but....it's that good so I have no intention of selling it.

So anyway, I still had the neck cork on from when I purchased it. That was 18 months ago. And for the last 6 months I've been using that bad for the environment teflon tape. So last night I had myself a neck cork changing party. Did both of my Buescher tenors...

Didn't get a chance to play until tonight and I got the most satisfying 2 hour practice session I've had in a while in. Everything sounds better, plays better, I didn't want to stop but need to go to bed!

See, in my consumer mind the noise goes like this: You're not satisfied. Look on EBay, SOTW, Reverb at saxes. Maybe it's time for a Selmer Balanced Action? ($5k-$8k). Or maybe another vintage Otto Link like a Double Line one ($1k-$2k), or another neck (Chinese made $80 to USA or German or Dutch $1.2k) and on and on and on.

When your horn isn't tight it's harder to get inspired, harder to practice. Easy for me to fantasize. The last thing I wind up thinking is "maybe it's just a little leak up top, or maybe it's just the neck cork, or maybe I could spend the money on a lesson...."

I do know when it's my reed. It took me years to settle on the brand I use now, and that would trip me up. Buy a new horn when I really just needed to listen to that cat who years ago told me: "You're playing those blue box Vandoren reeds? You working to hard bro!"

I bought a stack of 10 neck corks on EBay for about $12 shipped. I followed instructions from Music Medic and also have watched the pros do it enough times to know, that is something I can handle myself. I bought 10 just in case I mess up. I did the first time, the second time I got it. And now like I said, I get to remember that I have a horn that I would envy if it were my brothers or sisters! Gone is the notion that I need anything else except more sleep, and more time on my horn. I got a good one! We'll keep making music together for years to come!

JB

Buffet Dynaction tenor saxophone. Why did Selmer come to dominate the French saxophone world?

I'm torn about selling this beauty.....

Why am I torn? It's easily the best sounding tenor I've owned. And it's terrifically in tune to boot. I also find the key work to be super easy.

You often hear the name Buffet being associated with 'classical' horns much like Buescher is. Well, I don't play classical but I guess I prefer 'classical' tenors. Buffet and Buescher are my personal favorites. I find them capable of doing anything. I never feel limited sonically like I do on other horns. I feel the same way about an old Selmer, flexible and capable of expressing you. Other brands I've felt like the horn had too much of it's ego stamp in the way. Kings, 10Ms, lovely horns but hard to get me into the horn and out to the room (for me, I'm open to others who experience differently!).

I just had this horn tuned up and KB Sax in Long Island City. When I went to pick it up I got to play it against a Selmer Balanced and Super Balanced Action tenor. I feel this held it's own with those and had a stronger low end which coming from American tenors, I like very much. I didn't find the key work difficult to switch on either of them with the Balanced being my personal favorite.

We talked about SML, Buffet and Selmer which were all made pretty close to one another, much like the 'big American 3' made in Elkhart Indiana.

How did Selmer come to dominate? They are all fabulous horns. I personally don't dig the feel of an SML though I have played some that had a great sound.

Sonically I found this horn to be rather close to the Selmers I tried that day. Dark center, nice bite though the Selmers won in the brightness department. They all projected similarly. When I tried some of Kim's necks my Buffet simply became a better horn than those 2. Even with the stock neck the intonation is superior though the tone leans towards quite dark.

Like I said I could get around on all of them with ease.

So, I think it may come down to something simple: weight. The Buffets and SML tenors I have played are stupid heavy! The Selmer felt like a toy (No Selmer fanatics, this is not an insult, it's a compliment! I'm a player. I need to have fun playing. I need it to be a balance between a tool and a toy dig????) I owned a Dolnet for a while too. Goddamn! That was a heavy beast! Powerful but I prefer the tone of the Buffet over all of the above.

 I may keep this tenor for studio work, it has a great tone color and I can sit down for that. Or maybe it's time to commit to a gym and lift more weights?! My Buescher and my Conn Transitional have good weight, about the same as the Selmer. I find new horns to be too heavy as well, except for Borgani maybe.

So I'm torn. It's for sale as of now but don't mind it sitting here either. This horn has a helluva sound and is easy to play. If you are looking for one keep that in mind. Yes they are a good Selmer competitor, no they are not a Selmer, they are a Buffet which is great in it's own right. But if you have neck or back issues, keep this in mind!

JB