Low G Buescher Bass Saxophone

When Jim and I went to see Matt (AKA quinntheeskimo) a few days ago, I went there specifically to try the Buescher bass sax that had been extended to low G. Matt generously allowed us to take it with us for a few days, so that I could play-test it properly.

Unlike my friend Jim here who has 2 bass saxes (the ’21 Buescher and a new low A Eppelsheim), I was thinking that if I really liked the low G horn, I would be willing to part with my low Bb Buescher in exchange for the extended low G one.

This low G extended Buescher is an interesting beastie. It is very impressive looking. The high gloss, nickle plating really adds to the overall “wow” effect of the horn.

The first time I tried it, I used my standard bass setup: a Runyon 88 baritone mouthpiece that has been modified for bass sax (and works perfectly on my low Bb Buescher), and a Fibracell Reed. However this low G horn would not work at all with this setup.

When Jim had played this horn a few months ago, he had had no problems when he played it with a pickle barrel type bass sax mouthpiece. Luckily I had also brought my Geo Bundy bass piece along, and when I used it along with a Fibracell, the horn worked well.

It did take a lot of air to get to low G, and I was not as stable on the low A, Ab, & G as Jim was, but I know that I would get them with a bit of work, and if the horn was tweaked properly.

The photo below is what the left pinky cluster now looks like after it had to be modified when the low G extension was added. (It still is the standard G#, C#, B, & Bb.)

In case you are wondering what it looked like before, it would have looked like this…

The photo above is of Jim’s 1921 Buescher True Tone bass sax.

In the photo below you can see where the neck fits into the socket. On this horn the neck has been modified (shortened) considerably from the original. The socket on the horn does not have a screw for tightening, which means that you have to twist the neck in.

The horn comes with 2 necks. The one I played when these photos were taken has a brace and fits into the socket quite loosely. The 2nd neck, that I used the first time I played the horn, has no brace, and was a very tight fit. The danger of it suffering a pull or push down would be quite great.

If I bought the horn, I would have my tech modify this in some way to make sure that it could be tightened like a conventional saxophone neck would be. It would save on grief all the way around.

The photo above shows the keys that your left thumb now have to operate. The one directly below the white thumb rest is the low A key, and the one below that, the low Ab key.

In order to play your lower notes, you have to finger all the notes above it. So…in order to play low A, you need to play low Bb, and add your low A. In order to play low Ab, you need to play low A (including Bb), and add the Ab key.

In order to play low G, you have to use your right thumb. So to play it, you need to finger low Bb, add your low A & Ab keys, and then add the low G with your right thumb.

The thumb hook has been replaced with the button shown above. The thumb hook has been preserved, and moved down (just at the bottom edge of the picture). Presumably it is intended to help lift the horn around.

What hasn’t been preserved is a neck strap ring. This horn cannot be hung from your neck, but then take my word for it: You wouldn’t want to have this horn’s weight hanging off of your neck ❗ The horn does have a floor peg though. Unfortunately I couldn’t use it because the threads are stripped, so that will require a tech’s attention.

The horn does need some tweaking, Matt did say that upfront, and it will be going to the shop before the buyer gets the horn. Since it is a vintage horn, one has to expect that there are going to be some things that need attention, especially after it’s been sitting around for a while like this horn has been.

The original bell has been preserved and moved up top. Here are a couple nice pictures of the engraving.

We asked Matt if he knew who did the extension on the horn. He didn’t know for sure, but he thought it might have been the J’Élle Stainer company from Brazil. I am not aware of another company that does these type of saxophone modifications, but I’m going to do some checking into it to see if I can find out.

So I left Seattle without the low G Buescher bass. I’m going to think about it a bit more. I’ll give Matt a call on Tuesday once I’ve made a firm decision, but my gut is saying “no” at this time, and I always buy horns with my gut.

It’s a beautiful instrument, and if I could have 2 basses, I would not hesitate. But since I only have room for 1, and since that 1 is not pulling its weight work-wise, getting a 2nd is not in the cards for me right now.

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