Jazz Is All
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 853
- Locality
- Barcelona, Spain
Damned if being locked down in the house since March hasn't taken its toll on me. I am at risk for covid so I have had to stay in. Unfortunately that is where GAS has attacked me from online Mpc sellers, the nefarious sneaky buggers and it is hard to resist them because there are deals to be had.
Here I had managed to sell off 2 expensive pieces back in the spring and boost my bank balance when that extra cash sitting there plus the habit of shopping for everything online now...even toilet paper...did it's dirty work and reinfected me with the GAS virus.
First off I got a great deal on a Selmer Super Session E Alto piece to replace my long-owned D one so to have a bit more open tip. These were discontinued in 2012 so are not cheap whether new or used, so I went for it. I'm going to put the D up for sale soon. Then I started looking for a Selmer SS soprano because I don't like my Rousseau SJ6 much. I can sell that too I figure. Everyone raves about the i and J tips on forums, but sadly the prices are close to 200 bills here in Europe (VAT is a killer). Fast-forward to seeing an ad for a sale at Morgan where on their website they have a big discount on their Vintage large chamber pieces and seeing that everyone agrees that the Vintage Sop mpcs are great on a TT sop I bought one. Yes it's a Great mpc and I love it already.
Next up I found a Selmer SS tenor mpc in a J tip. These are hard to come by since they were discontinued in '97 but if you peruse all the European sales sites you can find people who have them in NOS shape or barely used. Some are quite pricey....one guy in Italy tacks on 55euros for shipping and handling regardless of where you live. I checked the price checker and it is 55€ to just about anywhere in the world. I live 3 hours by plane from him and the postage rate for a small package is 12 euros, so forget that. However I did find one in France for a fair price and I bought it. I want to see how the SS tenor compares to my two Brilharts and my other HR pieces.
Now I'm watching an auction for a Berg HR to see if I can snag it as a bargain. It's a closed one, but I love Brilharts and my Streamline Ebolin is an incredible mpc even though it is only .081. I have old HR pieces that are as closed as .070 and they play great paired with a hard reed. For playing jazz at home by myself one does really not need a .130 screamer, does one....or two.....or three......or a crowd?
Oh! I forgot to mention that I also bought a Super Session Alto F from a seller here in Spain really just to compare it to my new E and mostly because it was so cheap I couldn't buy it. I mean what's a person to do when some of this gear hits you over the head saying I'm half what I normally cost, buy me NOW. Who in their right mind can resist that? It's not GAS, it's common sense. It's like the way it used to be when the Euro first came out, and we'd go to the USA to someplace like Old Navy (or anywhere for that matter) and with the euro worth $1.55 we were forced to buy stuff. We actually had to pay for an extra bag because it was like being in a Turkish Bazaar there where you couldn't not buy stuff.