Saxophones P Mauriat saxello

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I am considering purchasing a P Mauriat saxello. Any opinions on build and tone quality? I assume it is in B flat when it is being marketed as a "soprano" rather than in F? This would be my first soprano sax and I am considering this rather than a straight sop first and foremost to achieve a playing position for my arms approximating an alto / tenor, and for better sound projection.

I have read the one thread on the forum about saxellos, but was hoping for more info. Thanks.
 
The Mauriat is in Bb (there hasn't been a sax in F since the Conn o sax in the 1920s). It won't give you a tenor/alto arm position, though. For that you need a curved sop.

In my experience build quality of Mauriat's has been pretty good, let down a bit by low grade finishing (particularly the crude engraving).
 
probably you were mistakenly thinking as Jonf says, to the Conn-o-sax ( a commercially unsuccessful straight saxophone tuned in F with a weird “ ball” rather then “ bell extending from low A to high G).

Conn-o-sax2022M.jpg


The semicurved soprano sold by P.Mauriat is one of many saxophones improperly referred to as “ saxello” ( the best of which is, I believe the Rampone &Cazzani) since, the only proper saxello is an instrument made and patented by King in 1926.



saxello.jpg


there is another curious semicurved instrument called Mezzosoprano in G built in a very small series by Peter Jensen

 
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I thought about the curved sops as well, but the videos I have seen where they are played give the impression of a T-Rex grip position 🙂

Give one a try. Modern ones, with larger keys, feel fine. I'm 183cm tall, with long arms and big hands, but I still find a curved soprano comfortable.
 
same length as Jonf and 120Kg with large hands and I play a curved Bahuas Walstein A I bronze

I think I will give one a try. Interesting that except for your Bauhaus, a couple of Yanis and Rampones, most curved sops seem to have a vintage positioning of the lower tone holes.
 
that is only because the older but modern curved sopranos all more or less copied the older Yanagisawa with keywork generally inspired to the STRAIGHT Selmer Mark VI keywork ( which made it necessary for the lower keys to be placed on the left), the first Yanagisawa curved even had the awkward left palm keys array of the Selmer Mark Vi which I never found possible to use.

Find all the pics in hi-res here

http://www.doctorsax.biz/Yani_curved_sop_00104xxx.htm



Then Rampone made a curved soprano with a “ balanced action” keywork

-in-stock-rampone-cazzani-r1-jazz-curved-soprano-ss-solid-silver-6008549-0-1406108531000.jpg





Which made it necessary for Yanagiswa to go that direction too

sax.jpg
 
I prefer a curved sop for the arm position. Also the weight is on the sling and not the right thumb like clarinet. My right thumb complains and swells with too much clarinet and only a little straight sop. You do get a few wise cracks and funny looks in some clubs.
 
oh man! I get that ALL the time!

I mostly play tenor and when I show up with the soprano the favorite wise crack is that “ IT “ shrunk.

The old George Costanza shrinkage thing.

 
Hey mister if you rub it will a genie come out? No it turns into a Bb Bass.

Hey it's Charlie Cairoli.

I left the tenor and alto close together in the music room and when I went back in, they'd produced this.
 
same length as Jonf and 120Kg with large hands and I play a curved Bahuas Walstein A I bronze

bauhaus_css_p_front1.jpg

Aha! That's what I play as well. I also have a rather lovely vintage Buescher True Tone straight sop, which i play about a tenth as much as I play the curvy
 
Aha! That's what I play as well. I also have a rather lovely vintage Buescher True Tone straight sop, which i play about a tenth as much as I play the curvy
Would you and milandro recommend the Bauhaus Walstein curved sop? Is it the
Bauhaus CSS-YD Deluxe Curved Soprano Saxophone?
 
Conn did build a mezzo-soprano sax pitched in the key of F in the 1920s the same time as the Conn-O-Sax.

Paul Cohen did a series of articles about these horns in "Saxophone Journal" magazine about 15 or 20 years ago.

The mezzo soprano wasn't a big seller, apparently the ones that didn't sell were used for teaching Conn technicians how to repair saxophones after the repair tutor beat the 'living daylights' out of the horns.

http://www.stohrermusic.com/2012/09/the-beauty-of-saxophones-1928-conn-f-mezzo-soprano/

Greg S.
 
Would you and milandro recommend the Bauhaus Walstein curved sop? Is it the
Bauhaus CSS-YD Deluxe Curved Soprano Saxophone?

Mine's the slightly older spec CSS P version, currently £650. I would cautiously recommend it. It's a good sax, although I don't think it's quite as brilliant as some would say. When they were being initially marketed there were some reviewers saying they're as good as a Yanagisawa. I own two Yanagisawa's, an alto and a tenor, and to say the BW is as good is just nonsense, based on my actual experience, not on something I've read on the internet. When I bought my sop it was £350 new, and at that price a bargain. At nearly double that, less so. Things to watch out for are corks badly glued down, and bendy keys. I managed to bend one on my sax with a single finger pressure. The supplied mouthpiece is awful. Having said all that, mine, with a decent mouthpiece, is a great player, and I like playing it (in fact, I'm going to play it in a few minutes). As with any sax, I'd suggest you play the actual example you're interested in before parting with any cash. I don't know if that's possible in Denmark.
 
As with any sax, I'd suggest you play the actual example you're interested in before parting with any cash. I don't know if that's possible in Denmark.
The only curved sop that seems to be sold from a bricks and mortar shop is something called an Anfree.
 
Another 195cm 108kg BW CSS-PD user here.
I use it for gigging because it's easier to stick a clip-on mic on a curved sop.
It's fine, but at home or on acoustic gigs I usually play a Yanag 991.
 

Similar threads... or are they? Maybe not but they could be worth reading anyway 😀

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