I don’t know a sax player out there who doesn’t at least inwardly cringe, if not outwardly complain, about the cost of new saxophones. Even certain high-end vintage saxes are too pricey in the eyes of many players.
Then the other day I happened to come across this little gem, billed as the The World’s Most Expensive Saxophone…
Source: designonestudio.blogspot.com
This little glass saxophone, is plated with 2.82 onces of gold, and has 10, 2 carat diamonds adorning its “keys”. Apparently it took 65 hours to create, and is estimated to be worth over $60,000.
Now I don’t know about you, but if I was going to spend 60K on a horn, I’d at least like to get one that you could actually play! I’d most likely get an Eppelsheim, and save the rest of the money.
I don’t want to be critical of zer0sIx’s blog entry, but I do feel the need to point out that it is not entirely accurate. The most expensive saxophone in the world, most likely really was the vintage Grafton played by Charlie Parker. The story goes like this…
While in Toronto, Charlie Parker and “the quintet” were scheduled to perform at Massey Hall, but Parker had pawned his saxophone – some sources say to buy heroin. A sales representative for Grafton (or the owner of the company, depending upon from whom one receives the story) asked Parker to use a Grafton for a Massey Hall gig in May of 1953.
Although Parker was under exclusive contract to use only one type of saxophone whilst gigging in the United States, outside the U.S.A. he was free to use any sax he wished, including this Grafton.
The recording of Parker (credited as Charlie Chan due to contract issues) can be heard on the CD “Jazz at Massey Hall – Bud Powell, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Max Roach.”
The Grafton saxophone that Parker used, was sold at the Christie’s auction house in London in September 1994 for £93,500 sterling. The buyer was the American Jazz Museum, located in Parker’s home town, Kansas City, Missouri.
In 1994, that £93,500 sterling paid for Parker’s Grafton, would have been approximately $144,000 US.
Source: www.thesax.info
In any event, I still think we as sax players have it pretty good. Despite having to pay $10,000 for a premium baritone (if you want a new Selmer Series III), or let’s say $7,500 for that Selmer Mark VI tenor that you’ve always wanted, it could be worse—we could be upright bass players. Have you priced out one of those babies recently? How about a premium bow for one? Or we could be cello or violin players…
Yeah, I still think we’ve got it pretty good.
Dang I though 22000 was expensive for a saxaphone but 60000-100000 is crazy. I used to have a cannonball saxaphone but it has been messed up and I can’t play it anymore sadly and it cost me 3000 for it but yeah it is what it is. But that is just a crazy amount for a horn. :wtf: :wtf:
Comparto imagenes.
Hello,
I love your website and have been enjoying it for a long time! I have some first hand knowledge about Bird’s plastic sax. I lived in Kansas City when their jazz museum opened, and an insider told me that they paid well over $178,000 US for that horn. I saw it in the display case as I had been reading about that horn since I was a 12 year old…..NO photos allowed of course!! I wanted to take a picture of it as we were leaving the area in 1998 not too long after the museum opened, now all I have is fond memories. I have even gone to visit Bird’s grave there (yes he is buried in KC) and have also read that the family still has at least one other horn of his that was custom made that he played much more often. Imagine what the price will be for that horn when it comes up on the market?! Keep up the good work……! CHESTER
Hi Chester. Welcome to my site. It’s always nice when I hear from someone who has been reading it for a while takes the time to say “hello”.
I think it would be fascinating to see Parker’s Grafton. I recently had the opportunity to play one, and must say I wasn’t impressed. I could have bought it if I had wanted it, but passed. Since it had never belonged to anyone famous, it would have cost nowhere near 178K. 😉
I assume you’re a Bird fan. I have great respect for him as a player, and enjoy listening to him from a technical perspective. I am in awe of what he could do. That said, I don’t enjoy listening to him if I’m just kicking back and having a drink. I’m not a bop fan per se. My listening tastes lean more towards the smooth and cool jazz styles—as different as they are. Bop is something more academic for me, and is something I study. (Naturally the Charlie Parker Omnibook is a part of musical library).
Thanks for the visit and kind words about my site. Chester. Oh, you didn’t mention if you’re a sax player, or just a hardcore saxophone fan….helen
I have heard that although it’s a “cheap Chinese” brand, Largo seems to be fairly popular in Australia. I’ve never seen one, I’m just passing on a tip for where you might start looking.
I want to buy a good sax for less than 200 dollars does anybody know where I can buy one in Adelaide south Australia.
:groan:
Hi mateus.
Well I must admit, I knew nothing about South Australian geography—or any Australian geography actually 😉 —since I’ve never been to your country, and know nothing about it. I pictured it to be in the middle of the Outback with some kangaroos and miles and miles or desert and other strange and wonderful animals and plant life that is totally foreign to us here in North America. I was very surprised to find out the Adelaide is the 5th largest city in Australia, and has a population of over 1 million people.
Given this information, I’m going to go on a limb here and assume that there are music stores in Adelaide. So, I think the problem that you are facing is not that you are in the middle of nowhere trying to find a sax for $200, but rather, you are facing the same problem anyone is facing when they try to find a good sax for $200.
Let me ask you something mateus: How long have you been playing? What kind of sax are you looking for? What kind of sax are you playing on now? What brand is it? Is it a tenor? An alto? Other?
If you answer those questions for me, I’ll try and help you narrow down your search for a decent horn. BTW, it will most likely be used.
Oh my god, lol. I wish I had a diamond encrusted ridiculous gold saxophone. If I win the lottery, thats the first thing on my list. Anyway with the prices these days I’ve decided just to make sure my Buescher Aristocrat model 140 is in good condition. I’ve had a lot of good memories with that horn and I think it plays well. I recently found out, in proper condition its easily worth a good grand or so. =)
Hi John. Welcome to my site!
Well if you ever win the lottery what you do is get your Buescher Aristocrat gold plated, and diamonds attached all over it. This way you’ll have the best of both worlds. 😉
Talk about bling… 😆
Nice to see you here John. I hope you drop by again.
Regards,
Helen
Matt Stoecker has a John Coltrane tenor saxophone for sale for $250,000.00
quinntheeskimo.
What??? No I don’t! Wish I did 🙂
Hi Matt. Welcome back.
Well, you might not have a Coltrane horn, but you’ve got other things that are über cool, rare, and oh so pretty. And a few of them are even for sale. :devil2:
Hi Serge. Welcome to my site!
I don’t know how realistic that $75,000 for the Conn-O-Sax is. (And that’s actually a price drop. Quinn had been asking $100,000 for well over a year now.)
A really nice example sold recently for about 1/2 that price on eBay. Realistically, they are in the $30,000 to $40,000 range it looks like.
I think the Grafton, and the new polymer saxophones made by Vibratosax, really show us how much of the saxophone’s sound is produced by the conical bore. I don’t pretend to know much about sound and engineering, so to me, it seems magical.
Thanks for stopping in Serge.
Regards,
Helen
Well, if I’m not wrong a perfect Conn-0-Sax should cost around 60.000$
souldn’t it ?
A beautifull one is on eBay for 75 000 …
Actually, my Mezzo-soprano sounds great too …
I recently played a (badly hurt) Grafton
I was very surprised by the sound, very “metallic” and the weight (more than a metal Sax …)
Strange …
s
I did get the alto clarinet, and the pads are completely shot (some are missing). Other than that it seems to be in good condition. It lacks a left hand Ab/Eb, which is no great surprise but could be a nuisance since both my Bb and bass have one.
The mouthpiece that came with it is too close a facing, but I think I’ll be able to work it into shape.
Absolutely true. Even bass clarinets (the good ones) cost way more than a good sax.
I think we sax players have it pretty damn good in the overall scheme of things.
BTW, did you get that alto clarinet yet? How’s that working out for you? Did it need much/any work?
Let’s face it, we have it easy compared to bassoonists. When is the last time you heard of someone picking up a bassoon at a pawn shop for $200, having it repadded, and ending up with a gig-worthy axe?
I had totally forgotten about this YouTube clip when I wrote this post, but just came across it again this AM: Here is Peter King playing Parker’s Grafton in Christies London, on September 5, 1994.