1950 Buescher 400 Top Hat and Cane Tenor. All Original Snaps. Pristine Original Lacquer.
Bueschers take more work, plain and simple, but they are worth the trouble. Why more work? Don't let anyone tell you working with original Buescher Snaps is easy "once you get used to it." You have to pay far more attention to geometry, and if you plan to use shellac - which I strongly suggest you do - then you have to be painfully precise with your application. And if you happen to misjudge the geometry, or the required pad profile, carefully removing the pad, making your adhesive adjustments, and reinstalling the pad without making a mess is like surgery. But once seated correctly, the stability of the seat is far superior to floating.
Also, when it comes to the Top Hat in particular, the bell key design requires far more labor time to get right than almost any other vintage horn. The Buescher patented L-Hooks do not work if the angles of the keys and levers are not 100% perfect. And the Low C# design requires the same geometrical precision even though it does not use any L-Hooks. Expect to spend 6 more hours on labor.
That being said, when these are set up correctly and the key fitting is perfect, they are simply unbeatable. They key work design is flawless under the fingers, the intonation is perfect, and the response is immediate. I love this horn.
Bueschers take more work, plain and simple, but they are worth the trouble. Why more work? Don't let anyone tell you working with original Buescher Snaps is easy "once you get used to it." You have to pay far more attention to geometry, and if you plan to use shellac - which I strongly suggest you do - then you have to be painfully precise with your application. And if you happen to misjudge the geometry, or the required pad profile, carefully removing the pad, making your adhesive adjustments, and reinstalling the pad without making a mess is like surgery. But once seated correctly, the stability of the seat is far superior to floating.
Also, when it comes to the Top Hat in particular, the bell key design requires far more labor time to get right than almost any other vintage horn. The Buescher patented L-Hooks do not work if the angles of the keys and levers are not 100% perfect. And the Low C# design requires the same geometrical precision even though it does not use any L-Hooks. Expect to spend 6 more hours on labor.
That being said, when these are set up correctly and the key fitting is perfect, they are simply unbeatable. They key work design is flawless under the fingers, the intonation is perfect, and the response is immediate. I love this horn.