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Buescher Aristocrat Alto #285,xxx

Bare Metal Restoration

This Aristocrat alto came to us reportedly to be the best alto that a knowledgable musician had ever played. The overall condition was extremely poor because it had been through a bad flood many years ago, but it was otherwise in original condition.


It was decided that a bare metal restoration was in order, making sure to preserve the structural integrity of the instrument rather than going for physical cosmetic perfection. The instrument had dents removed, guards straightened and resoldered, and all keys prepared. The body and neck were were then prepared for plating. Gentle buffing was applied to smooth corroded areas, areas to be left bright were masked, glass bead plasting was used to create the satin finish. Finally, the saxophone was then sent to the plater for silver and gold plating. After returning to us, the remainder of the mechanical restoration was completed. The original springs were re-gold plated, new concave and convex pearls installed, and the instrument fitted with black Roo Pads.


The final result indeed revealed the most resonant alto of this series that I have played.

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