United States · since 1894
Buescher serial numbers
True Tone, Aristocrat and 400 — Elkhart's other great saxophone works.
Buescher of Elkhart built the True Tone line from 1904 and the Aristocrat and 400 models that collectors seek today. The company was absorbed into Selmer USA in 1963, and the serial sequence continued under the Bundy name.
The numbering
- Buescher single sequence 1905-1983 (records approximate)
Saxophone — 52 ranges
One sequence for every Buescher model. The 1903 fire in the Elkhart plant destroyed all earlier records, so numbers 1-5000 are given only as the block 1888-1904. 1942-1947 wartime production is not separable. From 1962 (Selmer purchase) the same Elkhart list is used for Bundy horns, so a number in the 400,000-875,000 range can belong to either badge.
Codes, eras and engraving
Engraving text and stamp markings by series — about 1905-1950s
Buescher changes both the engraved text on the bell and what is stamped on the G# key. The True Tone era carries the script 'True Tone' bell engraving; the earliest Aristocrats are engraved 'The New Aristocrat', then 'The Buescher Aristocrat'; the 'Big B' period has a large letter B surrounded by filigree; the 400 line appears with the elaborate hand-cut 'Top Hat and Cane' pattern and later as the plainer 'Super 400'. Where the art-deco pattern of the 1930s appears on a soprano, that soprano is badged 'Aristocrat'. The G# key is stamped 'Buescher' (or nothing at all in the earliest Aristocrat runs), and the model number itself was not stamped on the horn until after about s/n 306xxx.
The engraving text is the model-era marker, not a date: the Big B and the Series III Aristocrat are the same horn with different engraving (saxpics compared them point by point), and Buescher built special-order sopranos, sopraninos and basses from old True Tone tooling with new engraving years later.
| script 'True Tone' on the bell | The principal Buescher saxophone model of the era; later True Tones continued to be made to order after the Aristocrat arrived. | |
| 'The New Aristocrat' engraving | Aristocrat Series I / Ia; model number not stamped, G# key with nothing stamped, split bell keys on the baritone. | |
| 'The Buescher Aristocrat' engraving | ||
| 'Big B' engraving (large B in filigree) | Aristocrat Series III, model 140/156/129; identical to the following Series IV apart from engraving and the G# trill. | |
| 'Buescher Aristocrat' engraving, right-side bell keys | Aristocrat Series IV, model 141/157/S80 with the bell keys moved behind the bell. | |
| 'Top Hat and Cane' hand-cut engraving | The 400 line: the Top Hat and Cane, the plainer 'post Top Hat' 400 and the two-tone Super 400 were on the market at the same time, so the engraving picks the price point rather than the year. | |
| model number not stamped on the instrument | Model numbers appear on the horn only after about s/n 306xxx; before that the series must be read from engraving and features. |
Models in the archive
6 models catalogued, 6 with a basis-labeled price — Full catalogue assembled in chat-4 (chat-3 minimal rows preserved). Existing chat-3 rows keep their original confidence type; chat-4 rows use high/medium/low. Prices live in prices.json of the same brand.
Questions
Can this archive date Buescher instruments from the serial number?
Yes — the archive covers 1 numbering sequence(s) and 52 dating ranges from 1905 to 1983, compiled from published maker records and reference charts. Every answer states its source and confidence.
Where is the serial number on a Buescher instrument?
For Saxophones the common location is on the lower body tube near the neck receiver, or at the bell bow — lightly engraved, sometimes two numbers on one horn.
What if my Buescher serial number is not found?
Recheck the characters exactly as marked, including any letters. Letter prefixes often belong to student or stencil lines. Some periods may not be covered yet — every refusal here says why.