I wish folks would realize that you should never buy a sax from anyone but a reputable dealer without expecting to have a lot of work done to it before it will play right for you. There’s a reason some saxophones are cheap on eBay: They aren’t worth any more! Dealers and other regulars zero in on anything of real value on eBay these days. So if you are left to buy what you believe is a ‘bargain’ it’s cuz the pros know better than to chase this junk you’re looking at.

Not having seen your sax I cannot advise you what to do with it. All I can do is sell you a sax that we guarantee to arrive in top playing condition…at a fair price. Remember, a bargain is measured by the all-in cost you experience. Your initial purchase price is only the starting point.

You have purchased a Conn straight neck C-Melody saxophone – NOT a tenor. That ‘C’ above the serial number should have alerted you to what you were bidding on -- though the straight neck should be enough, absent a peek at the serial number area. I knew you were in trouble when you mentioned you had purchased a Conn tenor with a neck tuner: Conn did not make tenors so equipped, I’m afraid.

I hope you didn’t over pay for this instrument, my friend. Perhaps if it isn’t shipped yet (Damien lives in Australia) you can get out of the deal. In the future, the time to write to me is BEFORE you buy a saxophone on eBay. The heartbreaking stories such as yours come to me all too frequently. It is no longer possible for an individual to find a real bargain in the eBay saxophone listings. The dealers & eBay regulars assure that desirable saxophones sell at fair (if not inflated) prices, and the idiots & crooks who write listings that mis-describe & mislead are all too plentiful.

I share your love for the work of the great Chu Berry. If he had lived a full life he would be a name we think of along with Bird, Trane, Hawk & The Prez. :-)

I looked at the saxes on your site and drooled. You guys do amazing work. I would love to be involved with your company in some way but I don't think you need guys in Australia that buy C-melody saxes thinking they're Chu Berry tenors. If there is anything I can do for you over here let me know.

Oh, and if you have time, how old do you think a Conn Alto, serial # N151173, might be? This could be another really bad purchase I have just made. The listing on eBay said vintage Conn, but after today i'm not so sure of anything. Thanks for everything, Bear. God Bless, Damien...

http://www.cybersax.com/QA/Q&A_Conn_Saxophone_Markings.html

Let’s hope your bad saxual karma is at its end. :-)

All the best,
Bear

The real answer lies in finding a good used vintage saxophone from a reliable dealer. For all the good eBay does, it is NOT the place to find a used saxophone for your beginner. Many of the sellers on eBay are merely ‘pickers’, meaning they go about to yard & estate sales buying up anything they think is worth a quick profit on the ‘flip’ (a quick, as-is sale to a buyer higher up in the food chain). These pickers perform a very useful service, but the instruments they sell cannot be relied upon to play well – if at all.

Many dealers (such as CS) buy instruments on eBay that we then refurbish and sell as reliable saxophones that your beginner can be sure will play properly when they do their job -- of learning diligently & correctly. The problem with a poor playing instrument is that even if your beginner does things the right way they won’t get the proper results. The ensuing frustration causes many beginners to give up music, when with a better (in terms of playing condition) instrument, they might have excelled.

In addition to the pickers on eBay, many other sellers are either pawnshops (or individuals) who deal in a variety of musical instruments. Neither of these groups have a sufficient knowledge of saxophones to provide a sax for your beginner that you can trust to be trouble-free when it arrives. There are also music stores, both on eBay and online, that do minimal repairs so that instruments will play -- at least temporarily -- when they arrive. These instruments from such sources are NOT the bargains they may seem because you will have unforeseen costs ahead of you to perform the needed repairs in a lasting way.

So we’re back to the reputable sax dealer that guarantees the needed repairs have been made so your beginner has a fair chance of success – and that you can count on what you pay up front to be your all-in investment on the instrument. Note that I selected the term ‘investment’ in that last sentence. The reason is because there IS a secondary market for good vintage saxophones where you legitimately can expect to find a buyer for a used saxophone that you keep in good condition. If you buy the right vintage horn you can even expect to make money -- over time -- by holding and maintaining the instrument in top playing condition.

The right sax for your beginner probably won’t be the very cheapest horn you can find in terms of front-end cost. In the long run, though, it will be cheapest horn you can buy in terms of all-in cost -- and in terms of allowing your child a fair chance to learn to play saxophone. Fortunately, you have come to the right place to make your successful saxual acquisition happen. What we need to know now is which type sax your beginner will be needing to start. For most beginners these days that is an alto sax, but older or larger kids can also start successfully on tenor. Tenors are not any harder to play, but their added size makes them difficult for smaller kids to handle. The decision on which sax your beginner will start with needs to be made in conjunction with a music teacher and/or the school band director. The great thing about saxophones is that once you can play one type you can play ‘em all – physical considerations excepted. Your questions are always welcome, Rosa. We would love to have your business.