Saxophones Selmer sax sound? (MkVI owners should not look!)

[DavidUK]

Fraser keeps telling me to buy a Selmer......

The TS700 gets some stick on t'internet, and I know it's a Chinese model, but does it sound that bad here?:

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tfi46qrLlII




What's the story with the modern Conn-Selmer saxes? Has anyone had one or played one?

Like I said, MkVI and proper Selmer owners should not bother with this, sorry!

 

[Chris]

Hi David, I can't answer your question. But! I would say the best thing you could do is get yourself off to 'Woodwind Exchange' Bradford, have a limit that you'll stick to and go and have a fun day out. Try as many horns as you can and find that 'one ' for you.
A cheap horn is just that a cheap horn, while a good player might sound OK a poor player will be poorer. You really aren't helping your sax playing by keep swapping and changing horns. Just my unsolicited advice..

Chris..

 

[dooce]

The guy in the video is playing it with a 500 quid mouthpiece - it should sound good, especially with a good player on the business end. Chris is absolutely right - you'll only know what's good for you by being locked into an underground cell with about £10000-worth of saxophony and blowing till you find the right one for you - then stick with it. Good luck.

 

[DavidUK]

Hi David, I can't answer your question. But! I would say the best thing you could do is get yourself off to 'Woodwind Exchange' Bradford, have a limit that you'll stick to and go and have a fun day out. Try as many horns as you can and find that 'one ' for you.
A cheap horn is just that a cheap horn, while a good player might sound OK a poor player will be poorer. You really aren't helping your sax playing by keep swapping and changing horns. Just my unsolicited advice..

Chris..

Hi Chris, yes you're quite correct in saying I should stick to one sax, but the "Tenor GAS" is just a bit of fun interest at the moment. I'm having lessons on my Buffet 400 Alto which I'm more than happy with for the foreseeable future.

Tenor-wise, the £30 Russian went today. The Carmichael at £70 including tech set-up is playing (to my ears/ability) as well as the BW and TJ Tenors I tried a few weeks ago at Windblowers. The Grassi is at the tech's at the moment.

I may have the most severe case of GAS ever to afflict a CafeSax member, but I like to research and try and this is just my own daft little way of doing that.

However, I did see a completely chrome plated 6 series BMW when last in Bradford a few years ago, so a return visit does have some attraction to me.

 

[MLoosemore]

Excuse my ignorance but what mouthpiece best suits a chrome plated BMW 6???

 

[DavidUK]

Excuse my ignorance but what mouthpiece best suits a chrome plated BMW 6???

I think you need more than one as this model has a minimum of twin tailpipes?

 

[ProfJames]

Crikey, if that is what a £500 mouthpiece can do for my playing...........................I'm saving up!

 

[DavidUK]

Crikey, if that is what a £500 mouthpiece can do for my playing...........................I'm saving up!

What is the MP? Is it a Windcraft??

:shocked:

 

[jazzdoh]

I may have the most severe case of GAS ever to afflict a CafeSax member.

Not even close,have you met Davey and Rhys yet.

 

[jonf]

Back to the original post. The French Selmer company and the US based Conn-Selmer one are completely unrelated. Nothing in common at all except a line back through their shared heritage some 80 years or so ago. Historically, French Selmer made good saxes, US Selmer made, erm, not such good saxes. Now the US company adds its brand to budget Chinese saxes. OK, nothing wrong with the saxes, as far as they go, but they are gaining the benefit of a brand built up by a completely different company. For the ancient history, have a read of The Sax and Brass Book.

 

[BigMartin]

Hi Chris, yes you're quite correct in saying I should stick to one sax, but the "Tenor GAS" is just a bit of fun interest at the moment.

But the chances are, it's holding you back. You'd be surpirised how much better a cheap sax sounds after you've spent a few hundred hours on it. Choose some thing that works, stick to it and make it sound good. The less variables coming from changing equipment, the better, at least at first..

 

[majordennis]

Crikey, if that is what a £500 mouthpiece can do for my playing...........................I'm saving up!

It's what's on the sharp end of the mouthpiece that makes the difference.

 

[dooce]

What is the MP? Is it a Windcraft??

:shocked:

According to the YouTube info, it's a Guardala.

 

[Fraser Jarvis]

Fraser keeps telling me to buy a Selmer......

Yes I did didn't I? but if you remember I also told you not to use that tech near Leicester, but you knew better then as well and got bitten for your trouble did you not?

 

[aldevis]

I seem to remember the advice was "look for a good Selmer", not just buy one online.
I also suggested the trip to Paris.

But taste changes, and now there are people around playing 10m Conns

 

[Fraser Jarvis]

But taste changes, and now there are people around playing 10m Conns

Haha, nice one!

 

[majordennis]

I seem to remember the advice was "look for a good Selmer", not just buy one online.
I also suggested the trip to Paris.

But taste changes, and now there are people around playing 10m Conns

Yup!

 

[DavidUK]

Yes I did didn't I? but if you remember I also told you not to use that tech near Leicester, but you knew better then as well and got bitten for your trouble did you not?

The problem was that the tech already had the sax when I mentioned it was with him on here and you then advised against him. Having taken it back again after my tutor (who recommended him you'll recall) noticed a leak and had this fixed FOC I then noticed a missing cork on the foot of one of the palm keys and a pad which wasn't sprung correctly. By then I'd bought the Haynes manual so was able to sort these myself. It turns out you were correct but I wouldn't say I "knew better". I was just taking the advice of my tutor which I ought to trust over someone I don't know on a forum (no disrespect intended Fraser, but we have never met), plus the sax was already being fettled, albeit badly. From now on I shall be fully attentive to your suggestions. By the way, I know full well you mean a proper Selmer not a quasi one. ;}

Three times is indeed too much so I took your advice and went to Paul Carrington with a YAS-275, the Carmichael Tenor, and now the Grassi Tenor. He seems very good, as you said. Thanks for the advice.

 

[aldevis]

On a more serious side, I would not recommend a Selmer.
I am the owner (even if I haven't played it since September) of one of the best playing MkVI I ever tried (and I tried a lot) but I would be skeptical on many Selmers, due to the current prices.
In my recent searches, I only found an alto Cigar Cutter that was good value for money. everything else is seriously overpriced.

If money is not an issue, and you have time to try many modern horns, or go to Paris, you might find the horn of your life. But it is not like buying a BMW 85GS.

If you want to satisfy your gas with a top of the range modern horn that could last a lot, Yamaha 82z, but it is hard to find used (and there is apparently a cue, on this forum).

My usual advice is: decide a price and find the best horn for that price.

 

[ProfJames]

How good is the Cigar Cutter? My tutor has one for sale. Beautiful sound.