The Risks Of The Current Vintage Sax Market

Over the last few days I’ve been exchanging emails with a number of people who are vintage horn shopping. Some of these people live in North America, while some live abroad. Some are looking a sax for themselves, while others are shopping for a gift.

One thing that all these potential buyers have in common, is that they are potentially buying vintage saxophones during a time when prices are depressed. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it 100 times: this is great if you’re buying, but not so much if you’re selling.

Before fall of 2008, the world was a different place. Those who shopped for a vintage sax couldn’t find anything under $1000 that wasn’t a beater horn—unless they were extremely lucky. Oh what a recession will do. Now you can find lovely vintage horns, in nearly mint condition, for well under $1,000.

Although I have horns of American, French, German, and Italian origins, the vintage German saxophones are the ones that I have followed most closely over the past few years. This is in large part due to the fact that I’ve been researching and writing about these horns for my website.

During the course of my research I have watched the prices of vintage, German saxophones fall nearly through the floor. Horns that dealers would have had no problem selling a few years ago because of their rarity or condition, are going unsold because of their price.

People just don’t want to pay dealer prices when they can pick up a minty horn privately through a local sale, or online. (Online of course always carries lots of risks. Check out this article if you want to learn more about online sax shopping.)

If you are in the market for a new saxophone, now is a good time to shop. Since the economy has gone to hell in a handbasket, I have added about 7 vintage horns to my stable. Six of these have been mid-century German horns.

However, and this is a big HOWEVER, I bought these horns for the long-term. I plan to play each of these horns now, and keep playing and enjoying them for as long as I can. When there comes a time that I can no longer play them, and the economy is better—in other words I won’t lose money on them—only then will I sell them.

I understand that if I tried to sell the saxophones that I have bought over the past 3 years now, I might break even, or more likely lose on some of them. (The ones I’ve had overhauled would likely be money-losers.)

There are a number of players I know who buy and sell saxophones regularly. Not because they are trying to make a buck on them, but because they are wanting to play vintage horns. Not just any vintage horn however, they are looking for the one.

Maybe it’s the one that will give them the sound that they’re craving. Perhaps it’s the one that feels right under the fingers. Or maybe it’s simple the one that will give them a certain status among their peers.

Whatever the reason these players are searching for the one saxophone for them, every time they buy and sell a horn, they run the risk of losing money because of things like eBay and PayPal fees, shipping, taxes, etc. I’ve seen it first hand over and over again.

As long as players understand ahead of time the risks associated with buying a vintage horn, and parting with it for whatever reason, now can certainly be a good time to add a vintage horn to your stable.