C Melody and Alto Neck Tenon sizes very similar?!

[Jonathan Hurst]

Hey guys. In case you didn’t see my other topics, I have a buescher C Melody, yes, it’s not a buffet.

I’m trying find a neck for mine. People have said other forms that their c Mel plays fantastic with an alto neck. I am considering trying an alto neck, as I cannot find a c Mel neck in stock. The tenon sizes are very close 0.25-0.30mm apart. Any suggestions?

[Anonymous]

I know its not the answer you want to hear.
Any chance you could buy another C sax
complete with neck/mouthpiece and use
it for the parts?

[Jonathan Hurst]

I cannot. I am lucky to have found this one. I brought it to my music store, he said he can try and get an aftermarket neck. Also, I tried a Conn alto neck, and it fit on the c mel . should it?

[Dirk McCall]

I bought a great C-Melody at this little shop, she had another one that was in parts condition;
Aeolian Harp, 1248 S Main St, Angels Camp, CA 95222
(209) 736-0210

[john]

wow, you’re the 2nd person to pick up a C melody in the last couple weeks here.
If I ran across one I’d buy it too!

[Dirk McCall]

A great contact for players is a fella I met at the Monterrey Jazz Festival who also travels to Europe, a sax dealer with a car trunk full of special horns…a real deal character, Joe Talbert “The Saxophone Guy”. joseph_talbert@yahoo.com 831.649.5180 He knows how to pick the parts you might have a hard time finding. He is an old Army guy that rebuilds them. Here is part of a message he just sent me

” I do have 3 alto and a imported curved soprano. one of the alto is a 1923 silver plated conn, and 2 bueschers, one of which is a true/tone low pitch model and the other is the first series of the aristocrat model, Made before the company was sold to selmer, Its a pro horn and not a student type. so if you know any body in your neck of the woods in need of good players let me know.”

[john]

Looks like a great contact, thanks for sharing Dirk.

[Dirk McCall]

Not to keep going on about this guy Joe Talbert, but I got another email from him this morning that is full of info that should be available to anyone trying to rebuild an old horn. I have been in contact with him looking for an old white lacquered tenor (I don’t know why I want one, kind of like why does someone look for a vintage car?) His message was that cheap new Chinese horns are being retrofitted to play well:

Dirk: You might find a horn in Denmark, But it hard to find an American made vintage in Germany, Austria, Switzerland or Italy, I was there this year wondering around and couldn’t nothing for a fair price, But the guys there buying imports, I have a good friend in Santa Cruz, Ca that does repairs on most all horns and he can make the imports sound great, Even selmer’s are made in china now, and the French send theirs stuff there because labor is cheap. I had Bundy Bari that was made in Germany, and had a missing lower key guard, But I finly had one made so I could sell it. I had a 1920’s silver plated C.G Conn curved soprano that was missing the neck and I found a guy up near Seattle washing who made 2 necks for the little puppy, He also can make any part of a sax, and do mouth pieces from scratch from stainless steel rather than brass and make a ligature with it that will not allow the reed to slip. the guy is good buy not cheap. Keep on Honking. Joe Ps; The next time you’re out this way let me know, I will be 84 my next B’day, but plan on hanging out a bit longer because I like it here

[Dirk McCall]

The details continue…”watch out for turkeys!”

Dirk: My address is: 2815 Forest Lodge Road Pebble Beach, Ca 93953 My Cell # 831 277-1942. The Repair Tech I Mentioned, Is Steve Gray, His address is Santa Cruz is: 917 Columbia Street, Phone number 831 426-8449, if your horn need a minor tune, He can do it while you wait if you make an appointment in advance, He’s a player himself and play in a swing band, He Just sent me a picture of himself and Houston Person, that they made together over the week end. You can find him on line, just do a google search for Steve Greys Musical insturments. and if you wont a white horn he probely can come up with one. I Have a real good friend who use to live here in the Monterey area then Santa Cruz, Oakland at one time, Now he live Maimi, He among the best of the Tenor honkers that still above ground. His Name is Terry Hanck. he plays Blues Jazz and what ever to make the crowed get up and shake their tail feathers, some Louis Jordan, Eddy Cleanhead’ Vinson, Red Prysock, Junior Walker and a host of others and has some song of his own. I Just traded Steve and old silver plated C.G Conn Bari that needed a lot of work for a Buescher Tenor, Some guy that I didn’t know or called me up and told me to come and pick it up, That was a real shocker, I found out later that, another guy who teach young kids, suggested to him to pass the horn to me because, He know that I just look for old horns and pass then to young people, at low prices, It’s just a hobby for me, because I can’t play anymore, something I started back in 2005 and I have owned 1268 saxophone alone, every type except a slide sax, and zillion other insturments. Now days I try not deal with high end stuff, because people don’t have the green to lay out, so some time I will take trades and some cash, It’s a blast for me just to deal with different people. What out for turkeys, it getting close to thanks given and those big birds are packing guns now. Joe

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