Here is my little Buescher Soprano Saxophone. Out of curiosity, I bought the instrument at a thrift store a few years ago. It was heavily tarnished, but I could still see the gold wash in the bell. The mouthpiece and ligature was even there! Being a tuba player of sorts, up to that point, I had never seen a C melody soprano saxophone and was not sure what it was. I brought it home, cleaned it up and had some of the pads replaced and it seemed to work fine. I got a few REAL saxophone players to try it out for a while. Some complained of the slightly awkward key positions. They all said no one plays them anymore, but before the conversation would end, they would ask me to let then know first if I want to sell it if I decide to sell. Hmmm... The case is pretty ratty looking though, but it still protects the instrument. The C melody sure does come in handy because it's fun mindlessly reading through piano music without transposing.