King 1408 (~1957?) - Going rate?

[Chazzer69]

Wondering if anyone has seen a King 1480 from the '55-'60 era sell in the last year or so? Trying to determine what a reasonable sale price for one in pretty good shape is going for. I've seen one listed on FB Marketplace for (currently) $1295 but it's been sitting there a while. A '62 just came up on Reverb a few days ago for $2100. One on eBay from that ELBBLECH seller in Germany for $950 but that seller's prices are usually...weird. There have been a few sold here but those seem to have been 2+ years ago and I would assume prices would fluctuate a bit in that time frame.

Thanks!

[Matt K]

These don’t normally go for very much. I haven’t been following trends but anywhere from $800-2000 is probably reasonable. They are actually pretty decent but massively overshadowed by Conn and Bach contemporaries or obviously many other large bore horns at present.

[Burgerbob]

I recently bought an ok condition Silversonic for 1200. A brass should be much less.

[Chazzer69]

I recently bought an ok condition Silversonic for 1200. A brass should be much less.

Jeebus...how did you find anything 'Silversonic' for $1200?

[Burgerbob]

I recently bought an ok condition Silversonic for 1200. A brass should be much less.

Jeebus...how did you find anything 'Silversonic' for $1200?

well, of every silversonic King... the 1485 is probably the least desirable to the public! It's only me that wants one

[JohnL]

$1295 is probably a little steep. I'd be looking to pay $800-$900 for a nice one; maybe up to $1000, but I'd have to think about it first.

Luck and/or patience, along with having the money ready to go.

[Chazzer69]

$1295 is probably a little steep. I'd be looking to pay $800-$900 for a nice one; maybe up to $1000, but I'd have to think about it first.

Luck and/or patience, along with having the money ready to go.

That's probably what that one on FB has been sitting there for weeks. Plus, the post is kinda b1tchy...

[JohnL]

That's probably what that one on FB has been sitting there for weeks. Plus, the post is kinda b1tchy...

Well, that and the whole "cash only" thing. That drastically reduces the pool of potential buyers. It does look nice, though, doesn't it?

[Chazzer69]

That's probably why that one on FB has been sitting there for weeks. Plus, the post is kinda b1tchy...

Well, that and the whole "cash only" thing. That drastically reduces the pool of potential buyers. It does look nice, though, doesn't it?

Ha! Yup.

Yes, yes it does look nice. The one I acquired recently isn't quite as pretty and I haven't played around with it enough to know for sure if it's a keeper or seller. It's a model built without a slide lock, so that's a minus for me. There's just not many of these on the market and with prices all over the place it's hard to come up with something realistic without additional info. I prefer that info comes from experience and knowledge like I can (thankfully) find on this forum.

[hyperbolica]

I bought a nicely refinished lacquer 1480 a few months ago for about $1300 after some negotiating. You have to be careful with this model, because there are a lot of variations. Search for a couple of threads here with a lot of great info.

Great horns. They can be played either as a big tenor or something that sounds great down low, but you probably can't use it as a full-on bass.

[Chazzer69]

I bought a nicely refinished lacquer 1480 a few months ago for about $1300 after some negotiating. You have to be careful with this model, because there are a lot of variations. Search for a couple of threads here with a lot of great info.

Great horns. They can be played either as a big tenor or something that sounds great down low, but you probably can't use it as a full-on bass.

Thanks! I've been looking around at some of the info. This may be a dual bore based on what I've been able to discover without calipers. Considering the source of my purchase, it's in really good shape except for a kinda nasty bell ding that needs rubbing out. Original lacquer I'm sure. I'm going to put it up against my 5B for some comparison testing when I have some time.

[atopper333]

Jeebus...how did you find anything 'Silversonic' for $1200?

well, of every silversonic King... the 1485 is probably the least desirable to the public! It's only me that wants one

Yeah, I’ll bite…when I have the money I’m going to be looking for a 1485 too…

[Finetales]

I got my utility-grade '61 1480 on eBay last year for about $450.

Over a decade ago I got a slightly older utility-grade 1480 from DJ, also for about $450 (if I remember right).

[Dennis]

well, of every silversonic King... the 1485 is probably the least desirable to the public! It's only me that wants one

Nah...I want one, too.

I just have no earthly use for one. Nobody's going to call me to play L'Histoire du Soldat or La Creation du Monde any time soon, and while I'd love to organize another concert around the Stravinsky Octet for winds, when I show bassoon players the parts they pretty much instantly "NOPE" out. I'm kind of pressed to think of any other rep where it might be appropriate.

Not that that stops me from wanting one.

[Burgerbob]

well, of every silversonic King... the 1485 is probably the least desirable to the public! It's only me that wants one

Nah...I want one, too.

I just have no earthly use for one. Nobody's going to call me to play L'Histoire du Soldat or La Creation du Monde any time soon, and while I'd love to organize another concert around the Stravinsky Octet for winds, when I show bassoon players the parts they pretty much instantly "NOPE" out. I'm kind of pressed to think of any other rep where it might be appropriate.

Not that that stops me from wanting one.

Yup, I know the feeling! I have one now, and I have used it on 4th in some trombone quintets (where it shined) but otherwise it's useless. Oh well, still love it.

[Chazzer69]

Nah...I want one, too.

I just have no earthly use for one. Nobody's going to call me to play L'Histoire du Soldat or La Creation du Monde any time soon, and while I'd love to organize another concert around the Stravinsky Octet for winds, when I show bassoon players the parts they pretty much instantly "NOPE" out. I'm kind of pressed to think of any other rep where it might be appropriate.

Not that that stops me from wanting one.

Yup, I know the feeling! I have one now, and I have used it on 4th in some trombone quintets (where it shined) but otherwise it's useless. Oh well, still love it.

Same. I have a LOT of horns I have no real use for. Just wanted 'em and buying is very addictive. I suspect there will be some posted in the Classifieds section in the near future...

[Chazzer69]

BTW, thanks everyone for the responses. I have a good sense of where this horn might lie in a reasonable price range.

[dbwhitaker]

There's a pristine looking 5B from the 50's listed on Craigslist in SF for $1295. It's been listed for at least a couple of months so I guess no one considers it a bargain.

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/msg/d/ ... 53806.html

[Burgerbob]

There's a pristine looking 5B from the 50's listed on Craigslist in SF for $1295. It's been listed for at least a couple of months so I guess no one considers it a bargain.

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/msg/d/ ... 53806.html

That one has been up forever- maybe more than a year at this point.

[Chazzer69]

There's a pristine looking 5B from the 50's listed on Craigslist in SF for $1295. It's been listed for at least a couple of months so I guess no one considers it a bargain.

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/msg/d/ ... 53806.html

That one has been up forever- maybe more than a year at this point.

That's the same one on FB Marketplace.