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C Melody Saxophone Forum / C-Tenor (C-Melody) Saxophones / Who actually OWNS a C-mel here?

Mal-2k8 User ID: 9335603	Apr 16th 1:28 AM I just joined the club myself, having won an eBay auction (as the only bidder... uh oh) for a Buescher True Tone. 300 bucks without a case. I will give it a test-fit in a tenor gig bag, but I'm not terribly optimistic. What cases (or preferably, padded gig bags) are out there?
soybean User ID: 0401124	Apr 16th 2:57 AM (2008) Welcome! Aquilasax makes new cases for C-melodys. I own 1 C-mel sax, down from 3 a year ago. Most of us here seem to own one.
jazzbug1 2008 User ID: 0735934	Apr 16th 6:44 AM I own one. Aquilasax makes a hard or soft case. For $300, your Buescher should be ready to play. Your horn is the smallest bore of the American makers, which gives it a very focused sound. With the Aquilasax metal mouthpiece, it should be quite good at the upper end, although yours probably does not have the front F, which makes altissimo notes a bit cumbersome. As discussed on other threads, a good tech. could make a front F key if you enjoy the screamers. Good luck, Mal.
Captain Beeflat 2008 User ID: 1738604	Apr 16th 7:53 AM I own a one, a matte silver TT, gold key work with rose gold bell interior; owned since 1993, with original case. Lovely horn. Alan Tucker has dozens. Best of luck/skill with yours.
alan (uk) '08 User ID: 1278884	Apr 16th 10:54 AM Well, I do have a few, but I've HAD loads more ! :-)) Mal, yes, either Aquilasax, DEG - or, you may find that the cheaper tenor gig-bags (which are often well padded, but a bit of a squeeze with a tenor) might work. Also some of the bigger alto (e.g. Selmer 'tri-pack') hard cases do work, but need the inside slightly modifying.
blue9girl9 User ID: 8910463	Apr 16th 11:22 AM i got my case here: http://degaccessories.com/cases.php?VAR_SearchType=saxophone
Jim B User ID: 0707654	Apr 16th 3:22 PM Any tenor sax gig bag will work---add just some foam rubber padding to take up the slack. Tenor sax case with padding also works. I also own a True-tone Buescher C melody---bought from an older musician who was selling off. Got for $325 years ago----pads play as is. Made in 1923. Must admit however I usually play my Conn C melody rather than Buescher. Buescher sounds more like a tenor; the Conn has a buzz to it---probably the alto type neck.
Mal-2k8 User ID: 9335603	Apr 17th 12:22 AM jb: You would be correct, it does not appear to have a Front F. I do however have the necessary pieces from a Yamaha tenor, and would definitely like to have it properly fitted (though I think I could do a mechanically adequate job myself, I'd rather have it permanent and look stock). http://mal-2.com/sax/cmel-1.jpg http://mal-2.com/sax/cmel-2.jpg http://mal-2.com/sax/cmel-3.jpg http://mal-2.com/sax/cmel-4.jpg And yes it's supposed to be recently repadded and set up for that $300. It certainly appears to be in excellent cosmetic condition. My cheap ($17) tenor gig bag is actually a bit loose, though well padded. My Yamaha tenor swims in it. I measured the alto version while I had it -- the body section is a bit too short, and the bell section is WAY too short. I do have the Tuxedo Bag I was using on tenor (the one that was leaking sand until I slit the bottom open and drained it all out), but it has practically no padding. Maybe I can make use of the extra space and give it some.
Mal-2k8 User ID: 9335603	Apr 23rd 1:49 AM It got here today! Woo hoo! I tried a bunch of different mouthpieces, but the one that really makes it roar is (not surprisingly) the same Otto Link STM 8* I play on tenor. With that mouthpiece, it sounds completely like a tenor, but has a response more like an alto (except for altissimo F# and G, which behave a whole lot like they do on my tenor - badly). Once I get all the glitches worked out, this will likely be replacing my tenor in my gigging arsenal. It sounds enough like it, and my ear is happier in concert pitch than in Bb. Now for the pictures... It's smaller than a tenor of course: http://mal-2.com/sax/cmel_vs_tenor.jpg But it also looks smaller than my alto! Obviously it's not, it's the curve of the neck that makes it look that way: http://mal-2.com/sax/cmel_vs_alto.jpg And four gratuitous pictures: http://mal-2.com/sax/cmel-engraving.jpg http://mal-2.com/sax/cmel-lflank.jpg http://mal-2.com/sax/cmel-rflank.jpg http://mal-2.com/sax/cmel-serial.jpg
Mal-2k8 User ID: 9335603	Apr 30th 11:18 PM More gratuitous pictures... I think I'm getting close to done on the tweaking (except the flat C2 that may have to become a soldered tone hole if I want it fixed bad enough). http://mal-2.com/sax/cmel-lside1.jpg http://mal-2.com/sax/cmel-rside1.jpg Anything look amiss? http://mal-2.com/sax/cmel-lside2.jpg Now? http://mal-2.com/sax/cmel-frontf2.jpg http://mal-2.com/sax/cmel-sidecorks.jpg I don't like the silver paint on the corks either. (I knew you were going to say something about that. You still might.) They'll either get aluminum tape, or black paint.
Martin User ID: 2435624	May 1st 12:41 PM I own one, a 1927 Buescher True Tone. I use a Runyon C Mel mouthpiece. I bought it on eBay in 2003. The horn was in great condition, with no dents, aux front F, and all the silver plate intact. I think it even has the original white pads, corks and felts. The case was in good shape but smelled horrible! I bought a new DEG case. It was snug at first but after a few weeks, the padding "broke in" at the bow and it fits very well now. Nice case for the money. When in the case I also keep it wrapped in a blue cloth I purchased from one of the German contributors to this forum. It seems to keep the tarnish down. Also own a 1921 Buescher C Soprano, again picked up from eBay. I love this horn, except for D2 being really sharp. I ususally just use the left palm keys for D2. It looks to have been repadded at some point but it too is in good shape with just a bit of plating wear in the lip of the bell from sitting on a stand. I still haven't found the right mouthpiece - the original Buescher is too closed, the plastic c sop Babbit I bought on eBay is much better, but I'd like it opened up a bit. It also has a "stop" (?) inside that lets you push the mouthpiece in only so far. (My sopranino mouthpiece has this too.) Anyone know why some pieces have this? I end up playing a bit flat. I've just started to use a plastic Lakey Bb soprano mouthpiece. Its very free blowing but I have to push the mouthpiece past the end of the cork - almost to the octave key. Any thoughts on a Bb metal Aquilasax mouthpiece for C sop?
Mal-2k8 User ID: 0339064	May 1st 1:35 PM I would imagine the "stop" is there to keep the chamber size down, not to keep you from putting the mouthpiece on further. If you were to remove cork from the end of the neck, would the metal part clear the "stop" or would it still make contact?
Martin User ID: 2435624	May 9th 1:54 PM Thanks Mal-2k8, the cork at the very end of the C Sop is actually worn down quite a bit so the "stop" inside of the mouthpiece does touch the metal at the end of the neck. Your suggestion makes a lot of sense regarding minimizing the size of the chamber, I hadn't considered that. I had thoughts of finding someone with some experience to "bore it out" so I could push the mouthpiece in further. But first I'm going to work on my embouchure - trying to reduce the size of the oral cavity. I think I read that can have a significant impact on intonation for the higher saxophones. Then I might try that metal Aquilasax Bb mouthpiece.
Mal-2k8 User ID: 9335603	May 26th 6:41 PM Welp... I went a-biddin' on another Buescher C-mel, because it had a case and it's only a couple hundred miles away (meaning the chances of surviving shipping are decent). I didn't expect to win, but I did. So it looks like I'll have a 1926-ish True Tone on my hands pretty soon too. Should I keep it around as a parts horn, or sell it off to someone who fancies restoring it? Since I know it is missing a few pads, I have to presume they are all in need of replacement, and the finish looks worn through in spots (this one is silver too). It also does not have a Front F. Supposedly it comes with the "original mouthpiece", though I can't see how the current owner would be able to know for sure. I would imagine the best that could be established is that it is of the appropriate vintage. If it became the parts horn, I could fit a matching Front F key to my 1919 horn by sacrificing one of the palm keys. I would rather not though, since the one I have works already, even if it doesn't quite match. I'm a little more concerned now about rehabilitating the case, as it will need latches (two of the three are broken or partially missing) and may need some reinforcing. Anything else I should be concerned about?
CvS User ID: 0130044	May 28th 2:30 PM I own two so far: A Buescher TT gold plated that it is on it's way to a repad, and a Conn "Chu". I've used the Runyon C mouthpiece on both, with good intonation. I am happier with a Rico B7 tenor mouthpiece on the Buescher. So far it has won the favorite spot here, but I am about to try some Alto pieces on the Conn, to see if I can find the sound I want from it. So far it has shown good intonation but limited color and dinamics.
Mal-2k8 User ID: 9335603	May 28th 11:05 PM I have found (although this may be specific to Bueschers) that large chambered mouthpieces tend to make the left hand notes sharp at the octave. It is slightly less of a problem with alto pieces, but even then, smaller is better. I am using a transitional (I think!) Link STM 8* tenor piece, which of course has a very large chamber, but I have applied two hacks to the horn to bring this under control: http://mal-2.com/sax/cmel-xtraneck.jpg I have applied some silicone tubing to the end of the neck, which is held in place by heat shrink tubing. The heat shrink serves two purposes -- hold on the tubing, and enlarge the cork so the tenor piece fits snugly. The tubing effectively reduces the chamber size of the mouthpiece, without doing anything permanent. The other mod is much more difficult: http://mal-2.com/sax/cmel-clyde.jpg I added levers to both the octave key and the LH1 back check, so that pressing the octave key lowers the pads over the C and C# holes about halfway. High B and Bb are still a little sharp, but the main offenders (C and C#) are fixed. The palm keys are actually FLAT -- I may need less tubing on the neck. I also added some bits to the keywork that are not for intonation purposes: http://mal-2.com/sax/cmel-frontf2.jpg I use Front F pretty frequently, and it was getting to be a real hassle to not have one, so I added one. It's not like I had to drill anything out. http://mal-2.com/sax/cmel-gsharp1.jpg I don't like tiny, pearl-button G# keys. I don't like the angle of the pinky table in general on this instrument, but I'm sort of getting used to it. I might do the tubing mod on the neck of the just-won horn, but I probably will not do any mechanical hacking on it -- not even palm key risers. It's destined to be either a parts horn or something spiffed up for resale, so I don't want to start making it fit me the way I have with the 1919 horn.