The Buescher True Tone C melody Saxophone: A Detailed Overview
By: Raymond F. Kretz III
Buescher True Tone C mels: an Intro
This article provides an in-depth look at the Buescher True Tone C melody saxophone. It will examine design changes that occurred throughout most of its years in production, and included will be many side by side images comparing those designs.
This article you will allow you to identify many changes made to the key work, body, and other various parts of these fantastic vintage saxophones. To start things off, we’ll take a look at the timeline of serial numbers for these horns.
N.B. This article will be focusing on the date ranges from around 1920 to about 1930. Buescher C mels do exist that were produced both earlier and later than this range, but the bulk of them fit into these serial ranges.
Buescher True Tone C Melody Serial # Ranges
| Year | Starting | Ending | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | serial numbers: | 61255 | 78524 |
| 1921 | serial numbers: | 78525 | 99274 |
| 1922 | serial numbers: | 99275 | 125749 |
| 1923 | serial numbers: | 125750 | 150249 |
| 1924 | serial numbers: | 150250 | 175274 |
| 1925 | serial numbers: | 175275 | 202349 |
| 1926 | serial numbers: | 202350 | 222174 |
| 1927 | serial numbers: | 222175 | 235249 |
| 1928 | serial numbers: | 235250 | 245274 |
| 1929 | serial numbers: | 245275 | 255249 |
| 1930 | serial numbers: | 255250 | 260124 |
The Buescher C melody saxophone
Buescher True Tone saxophones are generally divided up into categories known as series. While these series designations were never used by Buescher themselves, they have been adopted by collectors and technicians over the years as an attempt to better categorize the various design types that these horns had throughout their production.
Please take these series categories lightly. The C melody has a fairly high rate of variance and inconsistency in design, compared to its alto and tenor counterparts.
This article will explore the series designations, evolutions, and variations found in horns from the 1920s.
Body tubes
Before delving into the series designations for the C mels, the two different types of body tubes need to be mentioned. For the sake of simplicity, I have broken them down into: Type A and Type B.
Type A body tubes
These make up the majority of C melody True Tones, and are most easily identified by having the tone hole for the chromatic F# placed just above the thumb rest on the rear of the horn. The chromatic F# keys for this style body tube have a shape that wraps around the horn from the right side around to the back.
Type B body tubes
These are found almost exclusively on the latter C melody True Tones, and are most easily identified by having the chromatic F# on the right side. The key has a shape much like a spoon. This is the style of chromatic F# commonly found on the alto and tenor throughout the True Tone era.
Series classifications for the Buescher C melody
Series II (~30xxx – ~190xxx) 1916 – 1925
The overwhelming majority of the Buescher C-melodies fit into this series. The series II horns generally have the following characteristics:
- Type A body tube.
- No Front F key.
- 2 Roller left pinky spatula with pearl button G#.
- Engraving reads: “THE BUESCHER ELKHART IND”, and most have the banner shape around the lettering. Horns toward the end of the series II era begin using the shield shape around the lettering.
- Teardrop-shaped octave button.
Series III (~190xxx – ~220xxx) 1925 – (late) 1926
This is the most difficult to understand time period for these horns. There are many varieties that exist, and a fair amount of horns exhibit some characteristic of multiple different series.
From my research it appears that most of these horns were made around the 190xxx serial range. I have found some horns in the 200xxx to 220xxx range, but they are not as common.
To make things simple, a series III C melody will have the following:
- Type A body tube.
- Front F key.
- 4 Roller left pinky spatula with the Roller G# and Bb.
- Engraving reads: “THE BUESCHER ELKHART IND”, and has the shield shape around the lettering. (There are exceptions with engravings).
- Pearl button octave button.
*Note: One thing that is interesting about this era, is that I have found C melodies that were for example, all in the 190xxx serial range, but yet varied greatly from each other.
- All of these 190xxx horns have the type A body tube from the series II era.
- Some have mostly all series II designs and key work, while some are completely like a series IV—other than the fact that it is still built on a series II, Type A body tube.
- I have seen examples of 190xxx horns that would be classified as a series II, as well as some 190xxx horns that would be classified as a series III.
With these horns the serial numbers and engraving styles vary so much that you really can’t go by those attributes to identify the series. Therefore, use the key work and body designs to determine the series more accurately.
EG: a horn with serial #187xxx that has no front F; a pearl button G#; a teardrop octave key; and an engraving that has the shield shape with USA at the bottom, would be considered as a series II. This horn would have been started as a 1925 series II body as well as the key work, but was not engraved and completed until later on, say around 1927, for example.
It is somewhat common to find horns that were started during a given year as indicated by the serial number, but were not completed until much later, sometimes even years later.
The easiest way I can describe a series III C Melody is as a series II body tube with series IV key work.
Series IV (~220xxx – ~260xxx) (late) 1926 – 1931
This is the final series of the Buescher True Tone C melody, and many would say the best and rarest variant of them all. Of course as with all C melody saxophones, the closer to 1930 that you go, the lower the number of horns were produced.
The series IV C Mels have the following characteristics:
- Type B body tube.
- Front F key.
- 4 Roller left pinky spatula with Roller G# and Bb.
- Engraving reads, “ -THE- BUESCHER – ELHART – IND U.S.A.”, and maintains the shield shape around the lettering.
- Pearl button octave button.
The Series IV horns have a completely redesigned upper and lower stack, palm keys, as well as many other changes that will be discussed later in the article.
Once again I can’t stress enough that all of these details describe a majority of these horns, but there certainly may be horns that fall outside of these characteristics. The factory may have brought in many of its design changes gradually over time—especially during the series III era. Therefore you might see a wide variety of features mixed up all in one horn.
Some final thoughts on design & key work
When it comes to the C melody True Tones, as noted above, the majority of the production falls into the Series II category. However, toward the end of the Series II run is when changes really begin to happen, and many small key work designs keep changing all the way until the start of the Series IV horns.
Overall the Series IV horns seem to have the most uniformity, and are really a completely different breed from all the others. With C mels I tend to view the Series III as somewhat of a transition phase between the Series II and Series IV horns.
Engraving
The following are examples of some of the different engraving styles found on True Tone C melodies, and what series of horns they are typically found on.
Series II and III
The top three engravings are of the banner variety, and are mostly found on series II C mels. You can find gold plated altos and tenors with this engraving type into the Series III era.
The lower three engravings are of the first version of shield style engravings. They are found on the end of run Series II, as well as on most of the Series III C melody True Tones. For the most part the shield type engravings start to appear on C mels around roughly the 185xxx range, so somewhere in 1925.
Keep in mind that all of these engravings read THE BUESCHER ELKHART IND, and there are certainly many, many more varieties of these basic designs that were used.
Series IV
The last type of engravings used for the Buescher C-Melodies are the shield type with “USA”, which are found on the entirety of the Series IV horns.
These engravings can still be divided up into two main groups: 1. The late 1926 through about 1928 pictured on the left, and 2. The 1929 through 1931 variety are on the right.
- The engravings from 1926 and 1927, have a “-” just before and after “THE”, and sometime around 1928, it seems those dashes are left out of the engravings.
- Both of those have ELKHART -IND- .U.S.A. on three separate lines.
- Sometime around 1929, they began writing ELKHART-IND on the same line.
- Also the earlier of the Series IV engravings seem to mostly have smooth double lines going around the shield.
- Sometime around 1928/9, they started using a wiggle cut pattern around the shield which appears to stay till the end of the true tones.
Full Size Engraving Images
1923 Gold Plated Series II 145xxx
1925 Series II Silver Plated 188xxx
1925 Silver Plated Series III 190xxx with series IV ~1928/9 engraving
This horn is one that fits the outlier category.
- The serial number is a 190xxx, which for C melodies puts it around the Series III range.
- The body tube was likely built as a Series II originally, and then left over at the factory for a few years until it was eventually ordered to be completed. Thus it ended up with a much later style engraving and key work.
- There appear to be many C Melodies made in the 190xxx range that vary from being completely Series II, to some like this example, appearing to have most of the key designs of a series IV.
- This just shows how mixed up these horns can be—especially during the period between around 1924 to 1926.
Silver Plated Series IV 232xxx
Images Series II vs. III vs. IV
The first horn at the top is a gold plated 1923, Series II, 145xxx.
The middle horn is a silver plated 1925, Series III, 190xxx.
The horn at the bottom is a silver plated, 1927 Series IV, 232xxx.
I will be using closeup images of various parts of these horns, to illustrate the differences introduced along the way throughout the different Series of these instruments.
- The Series II has no front F, and has a pearl button for G#.
- The Series III and IV do have a front F, as well as a Roller G#.
- Take notice of how the Gold Series II has the chromatic F# pad just above the thumb rest, this is a Type A body tube. The silver Series III (middle) also has that same feature and is also a Type A body tube. The Series IV (right) does not have this key guard above the thumb rest. This is the Type B.
Key Work
Chromatic F#
Here again you can see that the series II and III have the same type of chromatic F#, but the series IV is different.
Upper stack
In the above photos, take notice of how the pearl layout for the top stack on the Series III looks exactly like the Series II—with of course the addition of the front F.
When comparing the top stack pearl layout of the Series III to the Series IV, you can see that while both have a front F, the keys are completely different.
- The Series IV has a larger diameter Bis pearl, the A key arm has a soft curve; vs the hard 90 degree bend of the Series II and III horns.
- Also take note of how different the placement of the B pearl is from the Series III to the IV. There are many other changes, but I will let the above photos of the upper stack keys do the talking for that.
Lower stack
- For the bottom stack, you can see that the Series II is identical to the Series III. The series IV is where things were changed around.
- There is a completely new design to the Series IV’s D to E linkage, and the pearls are all moved into different locations.
Lower stack con’t
- In the photos above, you can see how the Series II and III have a small tab that extends from the side of the E pad cup. This mates with the underside of the D pearl which is directly attached to the face of the D pad cup.
- On the Series IV, there is now a separate key arm for D that is attached to the D hinge tube, and its pearl mates up with the face of the E pad cup.
F#, bis, G# adjustment linkage
- In this photo you can see that the linkage between the F#, bis, and G# is very similar between the Series II and Series III.
- However, for the Series IV, a swivel connection was added to increase the surface area of the adjustment material allowing for a longer lasting adjustment, less affected by material compression over time.
Left palm keys
Above you can see the palm key tone holes. Pay close attention to the size of the palm F tone hole. The Series II has a much smaller palm F tone hole than the Series III and IV.
Left palm key con’t
The palm keys on these True Tone C melodies vary in design over the years as well.
- There is a slight change in the palm keys going from the Series II to the Series III in my examples.
- The palm D key has the most noticeable change between those two horns, with the Series III palm D standing slightly higher off of the horn body then the Series II. This detail is more visible from a side perspective.
- The Series IV has a completely new design for all of its palm keys. The new design features: 1. A long teardrop shape for all the left palm keys, and 2. The palm F key arm is now built straight, which replaced the older style that had multiple clearance bends.
Octave lever
The octave key touch was changed from the older style teardrop key on the Series II, to the pearl button style touch on the Series III—which was kept through to the end of the C melody’s production. In this photo you can also see the difference between the palm D keys mentioned previously.
Octave lever side view
The left hand thumb rest pearl stands out from the horn a greater distance on the series III and IV to accommodate the newer pearl button octave key touches on those respective horns.
Octave mechanism
The octave mechanism featured on the three horns in the photos above all utilize the later style octave mechanism, which uses a very simple design that works really well and is a breeze to set up. This style mechanism is easily identified by a small block that slides between a guide key. This mechanism only uses one of its own springs, relying on the spring on the neck octave key as well as the G key to function.
The older style mechanism pictured above, uses a multi linkage, multi spring design that is somewhat similar to the design used by C.G.Conn at the time. The earlier style mechanism does not need the neck to be on the horn for it to operate, while the later style relies on the neck to function.
The design change on these horns appears to occur around 1923.
Rear side of sax
As you can see the Series II and III are very similar to each other, while the Series IV is quite different.
- One thing to take note of is that sometime between 1923 and 1924, the Buescher True Tone emblem and patent reversed their locations.
- On the gold horn 145XXX, series II, has LOW PITCH and the patent information located above the trademark.
- On the two silver horns (190XXX series III and 232XXX series IV) the LOW PITCH and patent information are located below the trademark.
- Another very small detail that changed is the center foot on the forked Eb key guard. The foot is oriented vertically on the series II, and horizontally on the series III and IV.
Lower side of sax
Note the shape and position of the right hand thumb rests in the above photo.
- The Series II and III have identical thumb rests.
- The Series IV has a larger thumb rest located higher up the body tube than the previous two.
On the Series IV C melodies, much of the lower end of the horn was moved upward on the body tube, including the low C/Eb spatula, the bottom stack pearls, thumb rest, as well as quite a few posts.
Left pinkie spatula keys
In the above photo you can see how the Series III and IV both share the later style left hand pinky spatula. This can make it confusing to determine whether you have a Series III or a Series IV, and for this it is important to remember to pay close attention to other features on the horns such as the chromatic F#.
The Series III is essentially a Series II body with Series IV style key work. The Series IV is a whole new design; and completely different from all previous versions of the Buescher C melody.
Left pinky spatula keys: an underside view
Above are some close up details of the rear side of the left pinky spatula keys.
- Note how the Series II has two dots which are replaced with 6 pointed, star-like shapes on the Series III and IV.
- On the underside of the low Bb key touch, the Series II has a “C” stamp, which switches to a single 6 pointed star in the later models.
- Some horns have no markings where the “C” is located. Remember there are possibly horns that will have odd combinations of these details, that’s just how it is.
Right pinky spatula keys
The right pinky key touches are slightly larger and about a half inch higher on the Series IV instruments.
Low Bb key guard
Thumb rest
Thumb rest side view
Spring hooks
The spring hooks used on these horns changed over the years as well.
- Above you can see that the Series II horns have a thin, flat piece soldered to the hinge tube to connect the spring.
- On the Series III and IV horns a rounded truss head-shaped piece is used to connect the spring.
Bar/bridge key ends
Above we can see how the bar / bridge keys appear differently on the Series II horns vs the Series III and IV horns. The later examples have a hemispherical nub at their ends.
Low B key guard
Low Bb tone hole angle
Series II and III have a steeper angle to the face of the low Bb tone hole than the series IV.
Side C linkage arm
There were a few changes in the key work and post positioning going from the series III to the series IV.
The series II and III have a side C linkage that has an upward curve while the series IV has a linkage that points straight out from the hinge of the key.
Side key linkage arm con’t
Side key linkage arm con’t
Note of how the Series IV has the respective post moved up the horn slightly and part of the post foot is cut flat.
Side key touches
The Side C key touch also has a change going from the Series II and III horns to the Series IV.
The series IV Side C is slightly more elongated and has a different shape to its casting. The next photo shows a very close up image.
Side key touches con’t
Side key touches con’t
In the above photo, you can see that the underside of the side keys have some changes as well. Aside from the slight changes in the sizes of the various key touches, some of the side E key touches have a “C” stamped in there underside. This “C” appears to mostly show up on the Series II horns, but I do have a 1929 Series IV in my collection that does in fact have a “C” stamp.
*NOTE: The side key touches on the Series IV instruments, which have the Type B body, are shifted upward about 3/8 of an inch—along with just about everything else that interacts with the right hand.
In the following photo, you can see that the side E keys are found in two different lengths, depending on which series horn they came from.
- From top to bottom, these keys are from a 145xxx Series II, 190xxx Series III, 232xxx Series IV and a 249xxx Series IV.
- Note the Series IV—Type B—side E is shorter (by about 3/8 of an inch) compared to the Series II and III—Type A.
- Also note of the “C” stamp that is found on the Series II, and one of the two Series IV horns. I am not sure why some horns have it and some don’t, but it is indicative of the size name of the horn, and not the specific key it is stamped onto. EG: you can find a “T” on some tenors, or an “A” on some altos.
Side C/E post location
In this photo you can see how the post that holds the side E key and the side C linkage key is moved upward on the horn to accommodate the new Series IV chromatic F# change.
Low C# key stop
- The above photo shows how the Series II and III have a small nipple soldered to the body of the sax for the low C# foot stop.
- For the Series IV, this nipple piece was not used. Rather a small round bumper cork was added to the low C# key arm.
Low Bb linkage
- The low Bb key linkage on the Series II and III have a pointed shaped connection point.
- Whereas the Series IV has a cylindrical shape to its connection point.
Buescher case emblem
The Buescher emblem on the lid exterior of the case changed during the switch to the Series IV era.
- I find it is easiest to look at the part of the “R” that underlines “Buescher” on the Series II and III, and extends all the way to the left of the badge.
- For the Series IV horns, this line stops about 3/16” from the left side.
- Also, the font changes significantly going from the Series II and III to the Series IV, changing from thinner lettering to a more bold font type.
Summary chart
Buescher TT C melodies at a glance
| Series | II | III | IV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Important notes to keep in mind | The most common TT Buescher C mel out there. | 1. A transitional horn of sorts. 2. These horns exhibited a great deal of variation over their production run. 3. Best way to ID them is by comparing their body and key work. Does it match? 4. A Series III C melody has a series II body tube with series IV key work. | Although variations may exist, overall the Series IV horns seem to the most uniform, and are really a completely different breed from all the others. |
| Approx. serial # range | 30xxx - 190xxx | 190xxx - 220xxx | 220xxx - 260xxx |
| Approx. years | 1916 -1925 | 1925 - (late 1926) | (late) 1926 - 1931 |
| Body tube type | A | A | B |
| Engraving | Banner shape around text | Shield shape around text | Shield shape around text |
| Engraved text | THE BUESCHER ELKHART IND | THE BUESCHER ELKHART IND | -THE- BUESCHER - ELHART - IND U.S.A. |
| Chromatic F# key | Long, horizontal key touch | Long, horizontal key touch | Spoon shape |
| Front F | No | Yes | Yes |
| Octave key | Teardrop-shaped | Pear button | Pearl button |
| Left pinkie cluster | 2 rollers with pearl G# | 4 rollers | 4 rollers |
| Left palm keys | All have different shapes. High F with clearance bends. | All have different shapes. High F with clearance bends. | All have same, teardrop shape. High F key arm now straight. |
Conclusion
It is my sincere hope that after going through all of the text and images provided, I have helped you to understand and appreciate the Buescher True Tone C melody a bit more. These horns are far from uniform, and are deserving of study just as much as other fine, vintage saxophones are.
Personally, I greatly enjoy studying the details of the design evolution of various vintage saxophones. The 1920s were an incredible period of design, development, and craftsmanship for these great instruments. Looking deeply into how designs were changed over time allows us to appreciate what the engineers working on these horns did, and how they thought back in that era.
I am currently working on a few articles about specific horns which have quite unusual features in comparison to most of the Buescher C melody saxophones. If you have anything you would like to share about this topic or any questions please feel free to leave a comment below. I am also available on Instagram at vintageray3, and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/raymond.kretz
Awesome research. Just pulled mine out of the closet after 30 years. Now I know it’s a1922 type A series II
Thank you for this article! I have a gold plated series IV c-mel to restore. What was the original colour of pads in 1930, white or brown? I’d like to install original looking pads on the instrument.
There are a very few series 4 C melodies engraved with the Aristocrat trade name and “deco” design. In the ’30s there was no real market for them. Today one comes up for sale every 3-5 years, and they’re purchased mostly as trophies by Rascher school musicians.
Sorry for my poor english speaking. I got a Wurlitzer in Low Pitch , n° 95 xxx. Because of your article, now i know than it’s a Buesher C melody stencil, of seriesII and who get 101 years old . Many thanks for this splendids pics.
Wow, thanks.
Did they ever make a straight neck? I found 194,xxx with a straight neck. mis-matched?
Thank you for publishing this article. I have a completely refurbished silver plated series II from 1921. I spent a ridiculous amount of money to have it fixed up like it just came off the assembly line, but it was a labor of love for certain. It was my grandfather’s horn when he was in the Tennessee High School band in Bristol, TN. I play it at least once a week as part of my practice rotation and, though it is certainly not as good as my other modern pro level saxophones, it brings me joy to play and is good for my chops. I had the neck strap ring moved up so the horn balances and can be held like a modern day tenor. I also got a Runyon c melody mouthpiece, so it sounds good enough to play at a gig. This article is printed and will stay in the case for this horn. When I’m dead and gone, the next player will know the history and importance of this instrument. There is something really special about musical instruments.
Thanks for this article. It is nice to know that Buescher C-mel had a transitional phase. From the pictures I could see that my 100 year old Buescher C-mel stencil (Harwood professional Jenkins Kansas City) only differs from type II by the neck brace. The moon silhouet is replaced by an aristocrat style neck brace.
Yes, Raymond did an amazing job. I would really be interested to see what he could turn up if he looked at stencils.
To paraphrase a line from The Wizard of Oz: I suspect they would be a horse of a different colour.
Buescher Aristocrat C Melody: https://www.woodwindforum.com/forum/index.php?threads/buescher-aristocrat-c-melody.20668. Serial is 2569xx or it’s mis-stamped and it’s really 2695xx.
There’s a New Aristocrat discussed in https://www.saxontheweb.net/threads/buescher-aristocrat-c-melody.87617, but the picture links are all gone.
Great article ! Thank you both Raymond and Helen for all the work that went into publishing this posting.
It was a pleasure to begin to bring the history of these often neglected instruments to light. I was really impressed by the research Ray did when I first read his article.
The work is all his. I am just the person who made it look “pretty” for the online world. 😉
Oh, I should mention, I think Ray is mad photo skills. Unless otherwise noted, those are all his pics, and his photo edits.