Selmer Balanced Action Alto Saxophone s/n 28471

Selmer Balanced Action alto sax s/n 28471, made in France in 1939.

I purchased this horn from the original owner who bought it new in Detroit, Michigan. He played it for a few years in his youth, stored it for many years and then had a factory overhaul done in 1970. At that time, a standard overhaul included a fresh coat of lacquer, and as you can see from the photos it was expertly done - the finest engraving details are still there and the horn overall presents very nice. Please note that there are small areas of oxidation under the lacquer near the body to bell brace, the low Eb keyguard foot, the low C keyguard, the neck receiver/clamp, the player-side lip of the bell and the B-Bb keyguard foot. There is also an area of lacquer touch up on the neck, near the neck cork. These are all visible in the photos, but please message me if you would like additional images.

Sitting in the case for 50 years post-overhaul, the pads were no longer flexible (although the horn was still playable!). I had all pads, corks and felts replaced. Final adjustments were completed in January 2022 - I used it on a handful of gigs plus a recording session, but I mostly gig on soprano so it hasn't been played much at all since the work was done.

If you haven't played a Balanced Action, you'll find the keywork modern and comfortable. The design and layout is essentially the basis for modern saxophone keywork (including the Mark VI). This particular horn plays with a very strong and complex core sound which really holds together when pushed (rather than getting really spread and diffuse). It's a lovely sounding instrument. The Balanced Action has one of the finest alto sounds that you'll find from any era, ever.

Check the youtube link to hear this horn in action. The sax solo starts at 2:13.
The original mouthpiece, ligature and cap are included, along with a near-new Protec Max case (which fits the horn very well).