I was looking through eBay this morning when I happened to come across a beautifully photographed ad for an alto mouthpiece that I have: a blue Vandoren Java A95 for alto.
Source: eBay.ca
Now check out how the seller describes this item:
Rare Blue Java A95 Vandoren Alto Mouthpiece Mint In Box
Nice long rollover baffle. Very rich, complex and powerful sound. Tip opening is 0.104″ on my gauge, like Otto Link 9. Blue Java Vandoren for alto are ultra-rare in this tip opening. Mouthpiece is new old stock, never played (even for testing). It comes in the original box with its original Vandoren inverted lig and cap. All original facing…
Don’t miss the opportunity to buy this rare mouthpiece, very sought after on the vintage market! Be sure it will be quite impossible to find another like this one, in this excellent condition and at this bargain price!
Source: eBay.ca
Source: eBay.ca
Source: eBay.ca
Source: eBay.ca
Source: eBay.ca
Source: eBay.ca
Compared to many eBay ads, the photos are certainly quite clear. However, I have to ask: What makes this a vintage piece? I bought mine around 1999. BTW, a lig and cap did not come with mine, and certainly don’t fit in the box that I have.
My mouthpiece has a total of about 30 minutes of playing time on it, and still resides in the original box, with the original price tag on it. I won’t say what it cost, but I will tell you that it was quite a bit shy of $450 US.
I love the lines: …very sought after on the vintage market! Be sure it will be quite impossible to find another like this one, in this excellent condition and at this bargain price!
The seller is right, because now that I know that important piece of information, when I go to sell mine, I’ll be asking at least $4,000 for it. 😉 😆
So if you don’t want to have to pay $4,000 for mine, you can pick up this baby for the Buy It Now price of $450 US. The auction runs until September 20. Good luck all you alto players with chops of steel.
BTW, isn’t it the Jumbo Java that are the more sought after mouthpieces? Jeez, I wonder what they’re worth now?
Update: This Vandoren blue Java mouthpiece sold for $150. In the end there were no more than the 17 bids that were on it 3 hours before the auction’s end.
I guess this means I won’t be selling mine for $4,000 any day soon. :devil1:
Oh well, I’ll just hang onto it for now. Here’s hoping… 😛
I guess depending on what the person is willing to pay for the mouthpiece is what the market is. I wonder if they’ll ever come out with a clear acrylic bass saxophone mouthpiece….. mhmmm..
I’d be willing to pay $75 for one of those suckers. (Even with injection molding machines I know that they would charge more for their own profit.)
What does everyone else think? (Just trying to expand the topic a little)
It sounds like the frenzy over these blue mouthpieces has died down. Back in April or May several of the blue Vandoren mouthpieces sold for between $600 and $900 before this blog fell through the rabbit hole last week I had posted some links to some threads discussing the fantastic prices on Ebay. I would love to have a good playing blue mouthpiece (blue is my favorite color)but pay extra just because its blue not likely.
Update: Well this Vandoren didn’t sell at the $450 Buy It Now price, so the seller put it up for auction again. This time however, he is selling it more realistically. With only 3 hours left in the auction, there are already 17 bids on the piece, and the high bid is $150.00. There is no reserve on this Vandoren mouthpiece.
Hi there Chris. Good to see you back. Sorry I lost your previous comments during the “hiccup” over the weekend.
I agree a bargain would be a roth for $175, but I wouldn’t sell it… Which is why I’m buried under a whole heap of horns now a days! 😮
Hi Helen,
Sorry I’ve been away for so0o0o0o0o long. A bargain for me would’ve been winning the rothophone off of eBay.com for $175.00 and then sell it for a couple grand. Did you mean bargains off of people that don’t know what they have or people that do know what they have and are just giving it away?