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What kind of Basses do you guys play?

Hey there guys and gals. I was generally wondering how many of you have bass saxes and if so what kind did you play and whats the story behind it. Like how did you get it? How much did you pay? all that good stuff.
 
I bought a Buescher bass sax some years ago and tweaked the heck out of it. Spent way too much money fixing it up with a special mouthpiece, fixed pads, and some tweaking. I sold it within a day of listing it and I think the fellow still has it.

It was okay but I used some money I inherited to get an Eppelsheim bass sax keyed to high F# and low A. It plays so well and I pull it out occasionally to play with my sax xtet and with the community band I'm in as a featured soloist with a 60 piece band behind it. Good times. It takes a *lot* of air and time to get the attacks right, you actually hafta play in front to the beat to be on time.

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I bought a Buescher bass sax some years ago and tweaked the heck out of it. Spent way too much money fixing it up with a special mouthpiece, fixed pads, and some tweaking. I sold it within a day of listing it and I think the fellow still has it.

It was okay but I used some money I inherited to get an Eppelsheim bass sax keyed to high F# and low A. It plays so well and I pull it out occasionally to play with my sax xtet and with the community band I'm in as a featured soloist with a 60 piece band behind it. Good times. It takes a *lot* of air and time to get the attacks right, you actually hafta play in front to the beat to be on time.

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Wow a eppelsheim bass eh? I've heard they're superb instruments. Also what a monster of a bass. Thanks for sharing
 
I have an Eppelsheim too, but without the low A key. I've played almost all of the bass saxes, new and old except the new Chinese copies. The Eppelsheim is by far the best. New Selmers are good but lack the depth of Eppelsheim and old Conn/Buescher basses. Older Selmers, including Mark VI era basses, are horrible. I bought my Eppelsheim direct from the factory. I don't know the current cost of one.
 
I have an Eppelsheim too, but without the low A key. I've played almost all of the bass saxes, new and old except the new Chinese copies. The Eppelsheim is by far the best. New Selmers are good but lack the depth of Eppelsheim and old Conn/Buescher basses. Older Selmers, including Mark VI era basses, are horrible. I bought my Eppelsheim direct from the factory. I don't know the current cost of one.
Ah I was waiting till you were gonna speak about your low a less eppelsheim bass and your two other basses which I have forgotten. Interesting how eppelsheim is making such a impact on the low sax world. Thanks for sharing!
 
Old Conns and Bueschers are generally the best for the money. Bueschers have better intonation in the palm keys. Conns are more bomb-proof due to the double X braces. The earliest Conns have a smaller diameter neck that makes it easier to use a baritone mouthpiece, but many early Conns have soldered-on tonehole flanges which often leak at the joint. Conns & Bueschers both have notoriously bad C naturals, especially above the staff, necessitating using side C almost exclusively. Conns, except for the rare few with high E & F keys, are VERY sharp on D & Eb above the staff. I suspect those palm keys were alternate fingerings for D & Eb in the staff because many players have a problem with middle D "cracking" and producing a high A. Despite their faults, old Conn & Buescher bass saxes have a fantasic tone. My other basses were both Conn stencils, marked "Wurlitzer American" (first lacquer), and "Pan American" (satin silver.) They are identical except for the finishes. I sold the Wurlitzer but I'm keeping the Pan American. It's lighter than my Eppelsheim and harder to damage.
 
Old Conns and Bueschers are generally the best for the money. Bueschers have better intonation in the palm keys. Conns are more bomb-proof due to the double X braces. The earliest Conns have a smaller diameter neck that makes it easier to use a baritone mouthpiece, but many early Conns have soldered-on tonehole flanges which often leak at the joint. Conns & Bueschers both have notoriously bad C naturals, especially above the staff, necessitating using side C almost exclusively. Conns, except for the rare few with high E & F keys, are VERY sharp on D & Eb above the staff. I suspect those palm keys were alternate fingerings for D & Eb in the staff because many players have a problem with middle D "cracking" and producing a high A. Despite their faults, old Conn & Buescher bass saxes have a fantasic tone. My other basses were both Conn stencils, marked "Wurlitzer American" (first lacquer), and "Pan American" (satin silver.) They are identical except for the finishes. I sold the Wurlitzer but I'm keeping the Pan American. It's lighter than my Eppelsheim and harder to damage.
Holy crap man. Thanks for all the info. It's hard trying to get my hands on a bass though. Most that show up for sale have been overhauled and cost a lot of money. I'll keep waiting though. Also do you have any pictures of your pan american I'd love to see it
 
Holy crap man. Thanks for all the info. It's hard trying to get my hands on a bass though. Most that show up for sale have been overhauled and cost a lot of money. I'll keep waiting though. Also do you have any pictures of your pan american I'd love to see it
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