Saxophones Buffet S1 Alto - "Better" than Superdynaction?

DavidUK

Well-Known Member
Café Supporter
:rolleyes:

Found a beautiful S1...

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£900, a little bit of a bargain, but reading reviews against the SDA some say its tone isn't as good as the SDA although the key work is more modern. Has anyone tried an S1, or even better, both horns?

This isn't what I'm really looking for, but at £900 imported, fees paid, it's tempting!
 
Nice horns with great ergonomics and pitch and a sweet sound. I have an S1 Prestige alto (the copper bodied model) and find its sound a bit "polite" - probably great for classical but it doesn't really roar.

But this looks like a good example and a bargain price if all is as it seems.

Rhys
 
David has a rude aggressive roarer (the YAS62) so maybe this may compliment it even better than the SDA ? . I can`t say I like Tame Altos personally but they have their uses .

I`m more tolerant towards tame-ness in tenors though mine have all had attitude (the silver 62 with the G1 neck was the tamest which isn`t saying much)
 
They are great horns with very sophisticated mechanics and beautiful sound.

The thumb rest and the arrangement for the C-Eb are very sophisticated indeed ( in most versions that is, there are also versions with simpler mechanics) perhaps even too sophisticated.

The rest of the horn was made to rival with Selmer and it should have had way more succes that it ever did.

The mechanics of the S1 are vastly superior to the early SDA but some SDA, are, in fact, S1! There are so called transitional models which are S1 in everything but have the ( I have always found it rather naive) engraving on the body saying Super dynaction.

Many say that Buffet, in general, has a classical sound, whatever that means. If this is, I agree, true of the Prestige it is certainly not the case for other S1.

But these are tough legends to fight and logic serves no purpose when you explain that the Selmer BA, SBA, Mark VI and VII were all developed by classical musicians for classical music.

Anyway, thanks to these kind of things, one can buy a jewel like that at a price not much higher than a new Yamaha 280!

Well done.
 
I think Rhys is doing a good summary of the S1 model. My friend plays a S1 alto. He use to travel around and play in churches with his wife on piano. The S1 sounds great!

Leo van Oostrom (saxophonist, teacher, jazz and classic) wrote about the S1 model when it reached the market in the late 70's:

  • New and good design for right and left pinky clusters
  • The detail work is fine (tonholes)
  • Good intonation.
  • Smooth keywork.
  • Even timbre over the whole register.
  • S1 models had thier own character compared to other manufactors.
But the price was high. And no compars to the SDA, just the "Evette" model.
bcs1 (300x283).jpg
 
No, I think it may be a "must" for a Buffet fan, but I had heard that the Prestige was too far toward classical for my liking, and that the intermediate S2 was an inferior horn to the S1, kind of like the press the MkVII gets in the Selmer camp against the MkVI. The S3 was regarded as a Pro horn once again.
Some info here: http://www.saxpics.com/?v=mod&modID=36

The Evette further scuppered Buffet's reputation in their "lost" years, and it's only more recently with the 400 and Senzo models that their reputation has recovered a little.

Of course there was also the Buffet/Keilwerth "Expression" as reviewed here: http://www.shwoodwind.co.uk/Reviews/Saxes/Alto/Buffet_Expression_alto.htm

Once again, quite a complicated history as with many a saxophone maker!

I'm being pulled in different directions by a few decent, if not absolute bargain, horns at the moment. The coffers are being stretched! Still waiting for another alto to come to fruition so I may well pass on the S1. 🙁

As it's a US horn, should I be checking its frequency is 442hz and not 440hz? I'll ask for the serial number which, according to saxpics, will tell me.
 
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A litle bit off topic.

If a piano is tuned A=443hz is it better to have a sax that is tuned A=440 hz or 442hz? Does it matter?
 
, and that the S2 was an inferior (intermediate) horn to the S1, kind of like the press the MkVII gets in the Selmer camp. .

Just to point out that there was nothing whatsoever "intermediate" about the MkVII , it was the horns' "weirdness" which caused its bad press (they chose the wrong guy as consultant) - I`ve never heard the MkVII described as "intermediate" before .

the SA80 actually does get tagged with the "Intermediate" label too by some, and that it completely wrong also - all the Henri-Selmer horns are 100% Full on Professional - they don`t do "Intermediate" (unless they did in the Modele-22 days or whatever) .

True Buffets seem to be a marmite thing - though rather than love or hate, more Love or total indifference (the latter is where I stand)
 
No, I think it may be a "must" for a Buffet fan, but I had heard that the Prestige was too far toward classical for my liking, and that the S2 was an inferior (intermediate) horn to the S1, kind of like the press the MkVII gets in the Selmer camp. The S3 was regarded as a Pro horn once again.
Some info here: http://www.saxpics.com/?v=mod&modID=36

The Evette further scuppered Buffet's reputation in their "lost" years, and it's only more recently with the 400 and Senzo models that their reputation has recovered a little.

Of course there was also the Buffet/Keilwerth "Expression" as reviewed here: http://www.shwoodwind.co.uk/Reviews/Saxes/Alto/Buffet_Expression_alto.htm

Once again, quite a complicated history as with many a saxophone maker!

I'm being pulled in different directions by a few decent, if not absolute bargain, horns at the moment. The coffers are being stretched! Still waiting for another alto to come to fruition so I may well pass on the S1. 🙁

As it's a US horn, should I be checking its frequency is 442hz and not 440hz? I'll ask for the serial number which, according to saxpics, will tell me.

I've got the S1 Prestige alto, an S1 Anniversary (silver-plated) soprano, a transitional SDA/S1 baritone, an S2 tenor and the Keilwerth (SX90) / Buffet alto (though not marked Expression). I did go through a phase of accumulating Buffet saxes !

The S2 is definitely NOT an intermediate horn - it is a great, professional horn aimed at the non-classical market, available at the same time as the S1 (not a replacement for it) and originally priced at the same level as top Selmer horns. My S2 tenor is as good as my MkVI. But it is possible that there were other, inferior horns badged as Buffet S2.

The S3 is (as far as I know) only available in copper and is the Prestige model that is basically another Keilwerth SX90 horn, targeted at the classical market where some people will only play Buffet horns.

Buffet Evette were available as student horns at the same time as S1, S2 - never played one myself.

Rhys
 
Ads ...it was the word "inferior" I was aiming at the MkVII, when compared to the MkVI among so-called Selmer aficionados. I've re-worded it now, hopefully to your liking?

You should try an SDA some day. You might be turned?
 
Ads ...it was the word "inferior" I was aiming at the MkVII, when compared to the MkVI among so-called Selmer aficionados.

MkVI fanatics see every selmer made after their hallowed horn as "Inferior" (they were the staunchest critics of the Ref54 also) . thankfully , Mainly due to extreme sample variation, MkVI extreme fanaticism has all but died out though reports on some examples still get blown out of proportion (sorry couldn`t resist) .

As for Buffet and the SDA, can`t be bothered really, if they went for buttons and one floated along at a silly price, I`d give it a go but they don`t and to be honest, the 62 Purp is all I need in an alto . if I was to try something different again , it`d be something more interesting like a 6M, a Buescher New-Aristo or a Martin hauled out of Prof's wheelie bin .
 
MkVI fanatics see every selmer made after their hallowed horn as "Inferior" (they were the staunchest critics of the Ref54 also) . thankfully , Mainly due to extreme sample variation, MkVI extreme fanaticism has all but died out though reports on some examples still get blown out of proportion (sorry couldn`t resist) .

As for Buffet and the SDA, can`t be bothered really, if they went for buttons and one floated along at a silly price, I`d give it a go but they don`t and to be honest, the 62 Purp is all I need in an alto . if I was to try something different again , it`d be something more interesting like a 6M, a Buescher New-Aristo or a Martin hauled out of Prof's wheelie bin .

...having a bad day? 😵
 

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