Buescher Varitone Amp and Controllers

One of the vintage sax players/owners/enthusiasts, who regularly stays in touch with me, sent me a link to an auction that I surely would have missed. That would have been a shame, because this minty Buescher Varitone amp and 2 control units (1 for tenor and another for alto), appear to be very fine indeed.

     Source: sax07865

This is how the seller describes the most interesting find:

Up for auction is a piece of history. Built in the 60’s by Selmer; an amp and interface for modifying the sound coming out of woodwinds and brass instruments. This set up was for the Buescher 400 series and includes kits for converting the standard sax by changing the necks and adding the Amp interface. There are two kits: an Alto and a Tenor kit with Buescher 400 necks, cables and control boxes that mounted on the key guards for both. These look new although I connected up the alto to see if the amp worked. I did not do any testing of the Tenor kit. The amp played through and I could vary the sound with the switches and knobs. The amp comes with what I think is a reverb box that plugs into the back of the amp. The Amp looks new but has been in storage since the 60’s. I can not verify the electronics operation since it is that old. But it seems to be fine. This system can also be used with other saxophones if you get a mouthpiece fitted with a mic. The amp is expected to arrive not DOA. I can not be sure it is working the same as new. Electronics this old often need the caps to be upgraded to prevent Hum and other issues. Bid accordingly. You might see one of these only in a museum one day or add this one to your own.

If I had a Buescher 400 tenor, or was interested in maybe buying one, I’d be snapping up this unit myself. However, my G.A.S. is under control… At least temporarily. 😉

  Source: sax07865

Check out what these pieces would have cost you new in 1967:

     Source: sax07865

All totaled, these pieces would have cost $665 in 1967. That’s $4,575.66 in today’s dollars, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Inflation Calculator.  😯

Notice that there is a $200 price difference between the Auditorium and Club Units. The difference isn’t described in the provided materials, but I presume that the difference is wattage.

Note too that this particular unit for sale on eBay is for the less expensive, Club Unit.

I’ve never seen this instruction sheet before. It is most interesting from a historical perspective…

     Source: sax07865

If you’ve been looking for a Varitone unit for your Buescher 400, or are just interested in maybe adding an interesting piece of vintage saxophone electronica to your personal museum, you only have  a couple of days to get your bids in. The auction for this Buescher Varitone amp and 2 control units ends on June 24. At the time of writing there were 8 bids already, with the high one being $407.00.