Saxophones What do you regret the most, either buying or not buying?

[jcn664]

I forget this, but yes, i try to buy one sopranino Adolphe Sax father (Antoine not charles) 1873 or 1875 for 3000€ but the seller say i would to keep it finally,

 

[PigSquealer]

Bad advice...got so many of those signs..what to do with them all??

Are they made of brass 🤔

 

[Jimmymack]

Someone told me that a friend of his, a used furniture dealer, had bought a wardrobe and found a saxophone in it. He wanted rid of it and knew nothing about saxophones and was I interested. I was, I suspected a mark VI but had no money so I let it go. I’ll never know but I still regret not trying.

 

[Saxodental]

Not buying a LA Presidential Sax in New York about 25 years ago….for $1000…they only made 250 or something I think..No1 was given to Bill Clinton,No2 is in The Smithsonian !!
Stars and Stripes Flag all over it .

 

[Saxodental]

 

[jcn664]

View attachment 32112

I don't like but it's Just perso al and totally subjective.

But why it's very rare, who have the story about this branding

 

[Saxodental]

Not buying a Mark VI for £900 in 1990 from a chap that preferred his Mark VII !!!
This was before the prices went crazy because of the Japanese desire for Blue Note Album Cover Saxes …even people faked them using a Mark VI crook on an SBA because they were even cheaper!!!

 

[Ghr9204]

I don't like but it's Just perso al and totally subjective. But why it's very rare, who have the story about this branding

This is the sax's story:

Not buying a LA Presidential Sax in New York about 25 years ago….for $1000…they only made 250 or something I think..No1 was given to Bill Clinton,No2 is in The Smithsonian !! Stars and Stripes Flag all over it.

I recall back in the day these were advertised in magazines like National Geographic. Then similar to my disinterest today, to buy the $7,000 US CONNfirmation alto sax, I was not interested in collector item saxophones, so I did not buy.

 

[jcn664]

This is the sax's story:


I recall back in the day these were advertised in magazines like National Geographic. Then similar to my disinterest today, to buy the $7,000 US CONNfirmation alto sax, I was not interested in collector item saxophones, so I did not buy.

But they're really true collector item, or just marketing because for me collector item is more like that conn f mezzo soprano, stritch by buescher, perfect curved lyons and healy, King saxello, than confirmation for exemple

And "collector" because it's just an limited edition like that conn firmation, selmer Black anniversary, and another
For me that is marketing collector

 

[Ghr9204]

And "collector" because it's just an limited edition like that conn firmation, selmer Black anniversary, and another. For me that is marketing collector

True. I like saxes that have reputation for playing, not for marketing only.

 

[jcn664]

True. I like saxes that have reputation for playing, not for marketing only.

Me, not having reputation necessary, but it could be offert one different thing
For exemple King saxello have not super reputation but i love it
I love my straight alto buescher or my mezzo, my c soprano Adolphe sax or my perfect curved or tipped bell but not have reputation too,
I love my couesnon alto low A and high G not reputation
But good horn and great collector item with True story after

I hate mark vi because i try plenty mark vi and it's good horn but i've no feeling. I feel nothing with mark vi, the sound is ok for me, it missed really one personnality in compareason with my couesnon, my Raymond dubois stencils, or buescher, conn, King and other.

If you are great budget and you want cool horn, Yes mark vi or sba could be cool and Nice horn but you can find many alternative and for me the best alternative KING SUPER 20 with silver sonic or not but King super 20 offert cool horn, very beautiful sound but it has great personnality, in opposite of mark vi.

 

[Ivan]

And "collector" because it's just an limited edition like that conn firmation, selmer Black anniversary, and another
For me that is marketing collector

You like antique horns

As time passes and newer horns become antique, will you like them more?

 

[Ghr9204]

If you are great budget and you want cool horn, Yes mark vi or sba could be cool and Nice horn but you can find many alternative and for me the best alternative KING SUPER 20 with silver sonic or not but King super 20 offert cool horn, very beautiful sound but it has great personnality, in opposite of mark vi.

There are others who feel like you do on the Selmer Mark VI's. It is a series that has earned a good reputation, has a good following of loyalists, a good number of pros still play it, but there are those who have a preference for others saxes as "besting" it. Some will have have no other sax.

Stephen Howard has a well balanced review of the 1959 Selmer Mark VI alto:

Selmer Mk.VI alto sax review

A workbench review of the Selmer Mk.VI alto saxophone

shwoodwind.co.uk

As he has repaired many VI's, his last statement sums it up quite nicely:

And so here is the bottom line.​

If you want a Selmer MkVI there is only one way to buy it - and that's to play it first. Forget the mystique and the hype, try to ignore the expectations and simply play the horn and listen good and hard. Bear in mind too that there's some truth in the modern-day saying "No-one sells a good Selmer". I mean, if you had one, would you??​

So like an old automobile that was faithful for a while, or, one did not run well from the start, a used one could be a way that the owner rid of one that didn't play as well as others?

​

 

[PigSquealer]

One great thing about doing repairs is having the opportunity to see many. See the minty and abused both.
This 20 was going to be serviced and sold. After a full overhaul he sold his Selmer and kept the 20. The King 20 and 662 tenors IMHO are the loudest most projecting horns I’ve worked on.

The 662 is great if you have big hands. My LH is too small to reach the pinky table comfortably. I wouldn’t regret selling it.

 

[jcn664]

There are others who feel like you do on the Selmer Mark VI's. It is a series that has earned a good reputation, has a good following of loyalists, a good number of pros still play it, but there are those who have a preference for others saxes as "besting" it. Some will have have no other sax.

Stephen Howard has a well balanced review of the 1959 Selmer Mark VI alto:

Selmer Mk.VI alto sax review

A workbench review of the Selmer Mk.VI alto saxophone

shwoodwind.co.uk

As he has repaired many VI's, his last statement sums it up quite nicely:

And so here is the bottom line.​

If you want a Selmer MkVI there is only one way to buy it - and that's to play it first. Forget the mystique and the hype, try to ignore the expectations and simply play the horn and listen good and hard. Bear in mind too that there's some truth in the modern-day saying "No-one sells a good Selmer". I mean, if you had one, would you??​

So like an old automobile that was faithful for a while, or, one did not run well from the start, a used one could be a way that the owner rid of one that didn't play as well as others?

​

I just say if i have budget and i will choose between old King super 20 and mark vi, definitively King super 20 has much better personnality in compareason with mark vi

Makr vi has great values, great reputation, Yes, great horn in majority, but i don't know why, maybe because i played old buescher and old conn of the 20's and 30's but mark vi for me no but thank if you propose that I try one, i will try one but no paid for this.

It missed one thing, i can't explain, but when i played conn 6m, or buescher true tone or big B, when i played couesnon monopole low A and high G, i feels that they're not limits. I try to translate a feeling in english, (in French it's hard to explain that)

I have one impression with mark vi Alto, it's the sound was retained and i don't like this feeling, King super 20 has better feeling than mark vi for me.

After, all mark vi are not good, all mark vi was not the same quality in making, and all are not in the same condition to play too but all are expensive too.

I tried many mark vi between 1963-1970,
I love much more balanced action, and Sba. They're best personnality on selmer Sax that We could find

 

[Ghr9204]

I have one impression with mark vi Alto, it's the sound was retained and i don't like this feeling, King super 20 has better feeling than mark vi for me.

This tech has a customer who felt similar to you, preferred his King Super 20 and sold his Mark VI:

This 20 was going to be serviced and sold. After a full overhaul he sold his Selmer and kept the 20. The King 20 and 662 tenors IMHO are the loudest most projecting horns I’ve worked on.

 

[jcn664]

This tech has a customer who felt similar to you, preferred his King Super 20 and sold his Mark VI:

Yep thank, for me it's totally right but worst thing about mark vi,

The price is over over mega overrated for many horn by many Shop.

Yess mark vi is cool, Yess is expensive okay i know, i understand that

But i see mark vi ALTO sold at 35 000$, 55 000$ seriously, for 5 conn F mezzo soprano for one selmer mark vi not gold plated, seriously.

That is the great problem for me.

I went on sax machine shop at paris, asking price for my couesnon alto low A and High G extremely rare, extremely good too,

And all it said me, that is cool but not good values : 3000€-4000€ maximum, and mark vi alto with low A 6000€-7000€, seriously it's largely less quality of my couesnon.

Yess sorry for that, but the selmer alto mark vi with low A isnt great horn, is cool horn but mitiged horn (it has many problem of intonation in low A, and in high F#)
My couesnon has largely better intonation than alto mark vi low A
(i speak only the alto mark vi low A not all mark vi)
I'm frustrated by mark vi, and this community, Probably because many mark vi fans and user's are despised or He looks down on you under the pretext of having a mythical sax, It's gone to their heads.

Not all mark vi community, but many member.
I can understand that you're happy or other, but not despised.
I don't talk all owner of mark vi, but many have this reaction or many paid plenty money for one horn, and after it is different after, the comportement change and it had this feeling to can despised because it had expensive horn, that is very annoying.

For exemple, you meet me with my conn f mezzo soprano, i will explain what is it, i explain this story, you could trying my horn, not worry for that.

I needed to tell my bad experience with mark vi owner's or expensive horns owner

Not for all People but many People.

 

[Ghr9204]

This 20 was going to be serviced and sold. After a full overhaul he sold his Selmer and kept the 20.

Appears that the King 20 has a silver plated bell and neck? Looks like over time in wiping it down, some of the plating got eroded around the bell socket joint. It sure is purdy. 😀

 

[PigSquealer]

Appears that the King 20 has a silver plated bell and neck? Looks like over time in wiping it down, some of the plating got eroded around the bell socket joint. It sure is purdy. 😀

The 20’s are well known for having a solid sterling silver crook & bell. This also has a gold washed bell. The sax was coated with some aerospace type clear. Powder coated ? It wouldn’t come off with anything. Not even heat.

 

[jcn664]

The 20’s are well known for having a solid sterling silver crook & bell. This also has a gold washed bell. The sax was coated with some aerospace type clear. Powder coated ? It wouldn’t come off with anything. Not even heat.

Silver Sonic but no full Pearl