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Re: Selmer 1430LP Bass?

Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-06-20 17:34

I've got an older Leblanc low Eb bass with nickel plated keys to work on and despite the pinned top joint and what I suspect is a Bundy bell, it's in excellent shape. The joints have been locked together with a long metal plate screwed to them at the middle joint (and a screw going through the middle into the socket ring) that's also nickel plated, so maybe it was either made like this or someone had it plated to look better than unplated brass or nickel silver.

I did read on Facebook that as school instruments in the US are largely funded by the tax payers, there are many that are considered beyond repair and just lying in warehouses, but no-one can touch them to either restore or scavenge them for parts due to them effectively being public property. If that's the case, then why can't they be sold on through public auctions to raise revenue? That's what happens to most military band instruments when they're considered 'uneconomical to repair' or 'have depreciated in value and are now worthless' even though they're often '50s era MkVI saxes.

But pawn shops often have some surprises in older pro level instruments that are in desperate need of repair, something a full overhaul would usually sort out, so if you know what to look for and have the funds to both buy and have something fully restored, you'll end up with something good and very likely at a fraction of the cost of a new plastic bass clarinet.

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.

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