{"id":2371,"date":"2008-10-17T11:46:28","date_gmt":"2008-10-17T19:46:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bassic-sax.info\/blog\/?p=2371"},"modified":"2025-08-09T11:42:41","modified_gmt":"2025-08-09T18:42:41","slug":"bass-sax-sale-at-wwbw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bassic-sax.info\/blog\/2008\/bass-sax-sale-at-wwbw\/","title":{"rendered":"Bass Sax Sale At WWBW"},"content":{"rendered":"

I was just sitting at my computer this AM, minding my own business, when suddenly I get an email from WWBW. Like a moth to flame, I stop what I’m doing, and look at their latest offerings. I can’t believe what I’m seeing! \"\"<\/a> A bass saxophone,\u00a0in a fall theme, with a sale price! \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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I think: What is going here? How did this happen? Bass saxophones are now so common-place that we’re selling them off at “bargain basement” prices?<\/p>\n

This is a very different musical world than where I started my bass sax adventures almost 8\u00a0years ago to the day, when I flew to New Orleans to\u00a0pick\u00a0up\u00a0my 1922 Buescher from Paul Coats\u00a0& Wayne Shell<\/a>.\u00a0Oh how things have changed…<\/p>\n

Jeez, I feel a bit like this\u00a0at at\u00a0moment…\"\"<\/a>…<\/p>\n

Anyways, back to earlier this morning…<\/p>\n

Of course I had to go to the WWBW site, and check out the International Woodwinds Model 601 bass saxophone<\/a>, that they currently have on sale for $1500 off. (Moth to a flame & all.) This is what WWBW tells me about the horn:<\/p>\n

Modeled after the great vintage bass saxophones of the mid-twentieth century, The International Woodwinds 601 Bass Saxophone features modernized key work and a range from low Bb up to high F. The IW 601 Bass Sax also has some innovative redesign in the key work, thicker rods on the keys and a beautiful engraving pattern. Complete with easy transport, gig-style case.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Source: Woodwind & Brasswind<\/h6>\n

Then under “Product Overview & Specifications”, it goes on to say:<\/p>\n

Standard Features
\n<\/strong>
\nBody \/ Bow \/ Neck<\/strong> Lacquered Brass
\nSpecial Keys<\/strong> High F#
\nEngraved<\/strong> Yes
\nRange<\/strong> Low Bb
\nIncludes<\/strong> Case, Mouthpiece, Ligature & Cap<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Now I’m\u00a0confused,\u00a0here it says\u00a0the\u00a0horn goes to\u00a0F#. Which is it: High F or High\u00a0F#?\u00a0I read on…<\/p>\n

A\u00a0“Customer Rating” by Graham Dorsey dated May 22, 2007 gives it 5 stars.\u00a0This man, with 40+ years of professional experience in jazz & Latin music, says:<\/p>\n

I was present as this horn was developed from the first horn to what is now a real find. The body is constructed from the old Buescher Bass Sax template. The key work is cutting edge modern. Its range has been extended to high F using the mechanism from a modern era horn. The neck, tone hole placement, thumb rest, and key work have been carefully engineered for the best ergonomics and intonation. They have a mouthpiece to go with the horn that brings out the best in the horn, top to bottom. These are great horns and are the best bang for your buck.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

OK, so now we’re back to high F. The high F# must have been incorrectly entered in the database. This all sounds interesting. It seems that this horn, at this current price point, is directly<\/em><\/strong> in competition with vintage bass saxophones\u00a0currently on the market. As a matter of fact, it is less expensive than some of the vintage bass saxes for sale today.<\/p>\n

It has been said for some time now\u00a0that the new American-designed,\u00a0Asian-made horns are competition for the quirky, vintage, bass saxophones of yesteryear. While some players are obviously choosing to play these new horns, (otherwise production of them would not continue) vintage bass saxophones continue to have a niche market. Bass saxophones are in themselves a niche market, so the market is just being carved up into smaller pieces.<\/p>\n

Now, I was\u00a0quite curious about the\u00a0International Woodwind brand. I’ve heard of them, but being a vintage horn\u00a0enthusiast and player, I’ve not really paid\u00a0them much attention.\u00a0I searched\u00a0International Woodwind\u00a0out on the\u00a0Internet, found their homepage<\/a>, and\u00a0started checking out their bass saxophones<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I see that they have 2 models of bass saxophones: the IW 661 (keyed to high F#) and the IW 602 (keyed to high F).\u00a0I assume that the\u00a0602 must be the replacement for the 601, since when you follow the links on the 602 page, it leads you to information on the 601.<\/p>\n

The retail price of the 661, is almost 1.5 times that of the 602 (15K vs 11K). Obviously there are more features than just a high F# key for $4,000 more, but the info provided (hard case with wheels, strong metal, great neck, & some design things like shorter wrap, smaller bore) don’t really explain the price difference. Although not expressly stated anywhere, one can only presume that this \u00a0instrument is of a higher quality to warrant the higher cost.<\/p>\n

As I look at these shiny new instruments, I am not swayed. Yes, they are nice & new. Sure, there is something to be said about having an instrument that no one else has spent hours blowing their hot air through. But, all these horns are lacking a certain something…An almost\u00a0intangible quality that is indescribable…But if you’re a vintage horn enthusiast, you know what I’m talking about. It’s why we will work around intonation issues, find alternate fingerings, & learn to\u00a0work around awkward ergonomics.<\/p>\n

If you\u00a0want to be reductionist in\u00a0your thinking, you could say that\u00a0there are 2 types of sax players: vintage and modern. I know what camp\u00a0I fall in to.\u00a0How about you?<\/p>\n

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…this is just my blog<\/em>. <\/span> My \u201creal\u201d <\/b> website is<\/span> www.bassic-sax.info.<\/a> If you\u2019re looking for <\/span> sax info<\/strong>,<\/span> you should check it out too.<\/span>There\u2019s lots<\/em> there! <\/span>\n<\/div>\n
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I was just sitting at my computer this AM, minding my own business, when suddenly I get an email from WWBW. Like a moth to …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[6],"tags":[828,209,619,627,633,644],"class_list":["post-2371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bass-saxophone","tag-asian-made-bass-saxes","tag-asian-made-saxophones","tag-bass-saxophone","tag-musical-friends","tag-musings","tag-photos"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t