Mauriat

[mark_br]

The vid clip of Andy Brush playing a Mauriat Tenor Swing 55 on Sax.co.uk.
Does he make it sound so good because;
a, he's Andy Brush
b, it's a Mauriat
c, it's a metal mouthpiece
d, all of the above

Are Mauriats worth it?

 

[Pete Thomas]

Mark wrote:

Does he make it sound so good because;
a, he's Andy Brush

Probably, or rather, because he's a good player.

Are Mauriats worth it?

They are better value IMO than many other saxophones. I've tried a f lot and many are very good. But not the only good value horns out there. It all depends on what you are after.

 

[young_col]

Mark
No doubt partly because he's Andy Brush!
However, I have just moved up from a student Trevor james (nothing wrong with it for what it is) to a Mauriat XA67. I tried three PM Altos, including the Swing 55 and liked all of them. The 55 has a very nice sound. However the 67 just did it for me. Personal choice I guess. Still getting used to it, but I think it has a lovely tone for what I want. You can push it and get it sounding quite hard edged, but I like a full tone that's soft when needed and I think it will get me there. Not cheap, but I love it. I use a Selmer soloist C* mpc, Rovner lig and trying several Rico reeds- Royal, La Voz and Jazz Select, preferring at the moment Royal 2 1/2s.
Cheers
Colin

 

[mark_br]

When I saw that clip ( Have you seen it?) I thought that's what I want, start saving.
Then I realised I'm not Andy Brush. So I'm sure I will be gutted when I try it in the shop and sound like I've never played a note before.
🙁

 

[young_col]

Mark
I had a another look at the clip. While the testimonial is from Andy Brush, the demo is Jim Cheek at sax.co (which is where I got mine from). But it doesn't matter - it shows what it sounds like in pro hands. I don't know what the Yamaha student model is like, but for me I was beginning to find that I had progressed enough to realise that the Trevor James' keywork was just feeling a bit heavy and some notes that are a bit uneven - C# for example - were not all just me. So I felt it time to move up and various factors came together to allow it to happen (price, and Mrs Young Col buying me an early birthday presy!). If my experience is typical, you will know when it feels right to progress from a student model. Some people never do (that's why student models are relatively cheap - my son's Trevor James had been in a cupboard for 10 years after he left school) and others learn at different speeds.I'm lucky that as a semi-retiree I have quite a bit of time to practice, but you clearly may not. However, stick with it and you will find it worth it eventually, whatever you play!
Colin

 

[mark_br]

It's definately Andy Brush (Swing 55JX).

Can I make it sound that good?

 

[thehunt]

Hi Mark, just said hello on ring the doorbell. I recently upgraded from Sakkusu tenor sax to a Mauriat PMXT 66R. Wow, what a difference so easy to play, heavy mind you so you need strong neck muscles. Only quibble is the crook octave mechanism seems a bit wobbly, i'm sure it will break off at some point. I feel it is so good especially down low, i call it my smokey sax. I love it. I'll check out the clip.

 

[mark_br]

Are you an excellent player already though?
Is it an untreated model that goes brown over time?

 

[young_col]

Doh! Age showing. Hadn't realised that there was a Swing 55 tenor as well as an alto! Everything I said holds true though. TheHunt and others know more about the PM tenors than me (esp Nachoman who works at sax co). The 55 is in a yellow brass and looks gorgeous, so do the matt laquer 66s (and also 67 that I have got).

 

[mark_br]

Sorry I should of made it clear I'm only really interested in Tenors (I'll get an alto oneday).
Andy Brush blows that horn so well I just can't believe how bad I sound.

 

[thehunt]

I made the mistake of thinking i would try out a sax to see how i would get on. Wrong, i knew i wanted to play so should have bit the bullet and get the one i wanted. I now how have two tenors, the first of which i can't find any buyers for. The 66R is the unlacquered version and is quite amazing. There are some good deals out there, i got mine from Dawkes in Maidenhead. Yes it is expensive but i won't have to change it for years if at all.
I am not an excellent player but i have definitely improved, i can only suggest do not try to compare yourself with someone who has been playing for years, maybe aspire to have that sound. I also did what you did at the beginning and was frustrated that i could not get that sound. I think once you are comfortable with your reed mp setup, that takes those out of the equation and you can concentrate on getting a nice sound and tonality to your playing. It also depends on how much you practice. I don't have any sax quotes but once a commentator said to Jack Nicalaus " you were lucky today on the course " he replied, " you know the more i practice, the luckier i get " Rgds Phil