Saxophones Thomann Baritone vs Martin baritone

[thomsax]

Modern vs old, low A vs low Bb .... What do you think.?

View: https://youtu.be/noRUxQRuPB4

 

[kevgermany]

Not a fair comparison. Different mouthpieces, different players. They're local to me and I've seen them a few times, but only on tenor.

 

[Nick Wyver]

Not a fair comparison. Different mouthpieces, different players.

Indeed.
However.
It's interesting (to me, at least) that the difference in the 2 sounds is rather similar to the difference in the sounds of my Yanag 900 and Conn Crossbar.
So - I prefer the modern.

 

[Ivan]

Only heard via phone speaker... the oldy is more sonorous

 

[Colin the Bear]

Nice together 🙂 The oldie , saxophone that is, seems to have more grunt. Could be microphone position, could be playing style. Having a Low A gives a player so many more options imo. It would have to be a very special horn at a very special price for me to go for a Bb Bari.

 

[kevgermany]

Correction. On listening again, they're on the same mouthpiece, but different reeds. The same sound difference comes out on tenor, so I think quite a bit is the players.

 

[spike]

Lets face it it would have been more enlightening as a comparison if they'd swopped horns half way through.
Like Kev says above it's not a fair comparison. To my mind no comparison at all.

 

[kevgermany]

On a different note, they're well worth seeing, if they're touring in your area. Usually accompanied by his son on drums and a crazy, good bassist who's name escapes me.

 

[farina_man]

It's obviously a matter of opinion but for me the Martin has much the best sound. It seems to me that the intonation of the modern one is markedly inferior to that of the Martin, although that could be down to the player, of course, and the tone is much thinner.

 

[turf3]

Meh.

It's clear to me that the indivdual players are driving their respective sounds. Consider also that they're both playing on Runyon Quantum #19 (??!!??!!) mouthpieces, so a lot of energy will go into managing those extreme setups.

Frankly I think both would benefit from a more moderate less buzzy setup - something like a Link or Meyer.

Once again I call your attention to the video linked below - Joe Temperley on a Selmer baritone with a Selmer Soloist, compared to a younger player with a Selmer baritone and Metalite buzzmaster - and Joe's sound is far richer and more projecting - why? because he knows how to use his 80 year old's airstream better than the young guy knows how to use his 40 year old's airstream. Listen to Joe's discussion of how saxophone players should be taking their cues from the bel canto school of singing.

I'll be honest, I rarely hear a baritone player whose tone lives up to my standards - a rich, flexible sound that is the sound of a large saxophone, not a strangled bass clarinet or a low pitched kazoo.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtiEJF0Y1Tk

 

[skeller047]

I'll be honest, I rarely hear a baritone player whose tone lives up to my standards - a rich, flexible sound that is the sound of a large saxophone, not a strangled bass clarinet or a low pitched kazoo.

Joe Temperly is an extremely high bar to reach for. What an amazing player he was, and an amazing man to boot.

 

[Colin the Bear]

I wonder how the sound has developed in 9 years. 🤔