23,xxx Selmer Balanced Action Alto Saxophone, Fresh Overhaul, Video
1937 Selmer Balanced Action alto saxophone, s/n 23162. This is a one-owner horn, passed on to me from the family of the original owner, who was a professional player in Louisiana. The sax arrived with very old pads and not having been played for years. Eric Beach just overhauled the sax and it's playing arguably better than the day it left the factory. Eric's overhauls are top notch, and he outfitted this sax with Pisoni Pro pads and metal domed rivetless resonators, similar in form to what the sax originally came with. Eric's key fitting is excellent, so everything feels tight and efficient. The sax comes in its original Chesterfield case. One zipper lead is missing, but the other operates flawlessly. The neck is original to the horn and has never been pulled down. We suspect that the lacquer is not original, but the patina is gorgeous and the engraving is deep and present.
This is a very fun horn to play. The action is quite light, so it feels like your fingers can float over the keys through scales and arpeggios. Balanced Action saxes of this era have excellent lyricism and sweetness to the tone. The sax plays effortlessly from top to bottom, as you'd expect with a top notch overhaul.
