Saxophones Selmer Signature

[saxyjt]

Cost of labour in France is high. Then I expect the Selmer employees to be generally well paid as they are skilled professionals in a rare trade. Who else manufactures musical instruments by hand these days in France ?

When you add the reputation and marketing hype, not to mention the greed of the fairly recent owners who need to get a significant return on their investment... you can only have a stellar price.

Is it worth it? I'm not qualified to say if I had a chance to play test them.

 

[jonf]

Cost of labour in France is high. Then I expect the Selmer employees to be generally well paid as they are skilled professionals in a rare trade. Who else manufactures musical instruments by hand these days in France ?

When you add the reputation and marketing hype, not to mention the greed of the fairly recent owners who need to get a significant return on their investment... you can only have a stellar price.

Is it worth it? I'm not qualified to say if I had a chance to play test them.

The cost of labour in Japan and Germany is also high, and in these countries skilled craftsmen and women are also well paid. The reputation of Keilwerth, Yamaha and Yanagisawa is also high. In real terms, adjusted for inflation, Selmer prices are increasing far more than their competitors.

 

[Pete Thomas]

Then I expect the Selmer employees to be generally well paid as they are skilled professionals

I would hope that they employ an appropriate combination of skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled.

 

[saxyjt]

In real terms, adjusted for inflation, Selmer prices are increasing far more than their competitors.

Then, it must be that they see themselves as a luxury brand.

The rest are just volume brands... Or worse!

 

[Pete Effamy]

I would hope that they employ an appropriate combination of skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled.

Yes, the unskilled ones work on a Friday afternoon

 

[Pete Thomas]

Yes, the unskilled ones work on a Friday afternoon

Ah, you mean the temporarily unskilled ones.

 

[SaxBoss]

Thinking laterally though, look at the price of other types of instruments for example premium flutes. They go for incredibly high prices. Comparing the size, the complexity, the amount of materials, the time to bend and shape the material in manufacturing.

Also, these are 100% mechanical instruments. You can't build electronics into them, like say a car.

Are they really asking a price too high? If we want cheaper, buy their AXOS?

What do you guys reckon?

 

[Pete Effamy]

Ah, you mean the temporarily unskilled ones.

No, the Friday afternoon-era’s who make those questionable Friday afternoon instruments

 

[Pete Effamy]

Thinking laterally though, look at the price of other types of instruments for example premium flutes. They go for incredibly high prices. Comparing the size, the complexity, the amount of materials, the time to bend and shape the material in manufacturing.

Also, these are 100% mechanical instruments. You can't build electronics into them, like say a car.

Are they really asking a price too high? If we want cheaper, buy their AXOS?

What do you guys reckon?

Premium flutes were always expensive. I remember All Flutes Plus in London having a Haynes or a Powell for £15k and another for £36k in about 1987

 

[SaxBoss]

Premium flutes were always expensive. I remember All Flutes Plus in London having a Haynes or a Powell for £15k and another for £36k in about 1987

Well, why flues, not saxophones?

 

[Pete Effamy]

Well, why flues, not saxophones?

Yeah. Bizarre.

 

[Colin the Bear]

Well, why flues, not saxophones?

Chin chimeneey chin chimeney...

 

[Alphorn]

The cost of labour in Japan and Germany is also high, and in these countries skilled craftsmen and women are also well paid.

I don‘t know what the production costs are in Japan but I learnt a few surprising facts about Japan labour costs from an article in one of our most respected German newspapers. The hourly minimum wage is defined for each region. In 2023 across Japan it is 6,96 € and in Tokyo 7,60 €. 40 % of the male work force have a low wage job, with women it is even 50 %. Production costs in France might not be directly comparable to Japan.

Diese Firma erhöht die Gehälter um 40 Prozent – wegen der Inflation

 

[saxyjt]

As a very basic comparison, the minimum hourly wage in France is 9.12€ net, that is after social taxes. But the employer pays roughly twice that amount including social contributions like health care, unemployment, retirement...