Sax on the Web

Sax on the Web Forum Archive / Baritone Saxophone / Mark VI value help needed !

Next 20 Messages

Carter
User ID: 2205324 Jan 10th 10:28 AM
Stopped by the local used horn shop yesterday, hadn't been in for a few months. They have had the same old beat-up school baris in there for a couple of years, and overpriced to boot. I asked if they had any new baris, and oh yes they did.

I was shown an immacuate 152xxx Low A Mark VI bari. At first I wasn't sure it was a VI because the bow looked literally brand new, didn't have a mark, ding, scratch, nothing. All original pads, in perfect shape. No visible dings or dents. A few scratches around the strap ring, some very minor spots/sratches etc. on the body and bell. I would say the lacquer and finish are 95%. The only thing that concerned was that a padded stand collar was still attached to the bell. I did not have time to remove and look under the collar, or to play the horn. (I'm going back asap!) But on visual inspection this one was clean with a capital C.

I was told the bari belonged to a guy who had been a retired local pro who recently passed away. The shop is selling a couple of his horns, and showed me his main axe, a 1942 10M. The Conn was in very good shape for a horn which had been played a lot, and was obviously well taken care of. Apparently, the bari was rarely played.

The shop wants $5,500 for the VI. What think ye?

BrianA
User ID: 1564944 Jan 10th 2:00 PM
I have seen them sell for both the same, less and more but as unfair as it seems, if you feel you really must play a Mark VI then $5500.00 is fair. personally I would sooner buy a new Yanigasawa 992 or a Keilwerth for the same or less money..

Cashsax
User ID: 0833354 Jan 10th 2:14 PM
That is the STEAL of the century.

Carter
User ID: 2205324 Jan 10th 2:20 PM
The sad thing is that, this horn is so clean and straight, I would be AFRAID to play it on my usual gig, which is with the classic rock/r&b band. Bar stages are tiny, and populated with lummoxes for guitar players. My 50% lacquer 10M shrugs off the dings and doinks inherent in this type playing. If I had this bari, I would be Mr. Anxiety thinking that the B-3 guy or guitar guy would accidentally brush against it. Once I had a new Series III, and babied it. Even so, after a year and a half of gigging, I was surprised at the amount of stage wear it had.

I suppose this would be more of an investment. For a player, I have been looking around for a vintage 12M, Martin, or Buescher. Heck I could probably buy all three for the same jack.

John T.
User ID: 0247944 Jan 10th 2:28 PM
I'd consider a Brand New Selmer SII Bari from Europe for around $4000.00 + Shipping and customs.

Go in and offer $4500.00 then negotiate from there.

RS
User ID: 2540134 Jan 10th 2:31 PM
$5,500 is a little pricey but for a mint low A VI it's in the ballpark. Especially if it's a real player. If I had the bread I'd take a good look at it.

Nitetimer
User ID: 2393954 Jan 10th 8:18 PM
Take a look under that stand collar. I bought a YBS-61 that had one on it and when I removed it I had an awful time removing the foam cushing without damaging the laquer. It took several hours of carefull scraping and you can still see where it was. Try to find a LaVoz stand if you can.

super20dan
User ID: 7705853 Jan 10th 8:30 PM
yes please let us know if any one has a lavoz stand for sale!

GaryL
User ID: 6138163 Jan 14th 11:33 PM
IMO there are better playing low A baris than the Mark VI. I think the price is way high, but then I don't sell saxes for a living.

Carter
User ID: 2205324 Jan 15th 3:24 PM
Aaaaargh! It's gone! I went back to the shop and the VI is gone. And the 10 M.

rats.

Cashsax
User ID: 9014973 Jan 16th 3:46 AM
$5500. was a steal..

Adam
User ID: 9572103 Jan 16th 12:39 PM
Yeah, $5500 is a bargain for a "mint", kickin' low "A" VI. About a year ago, a found a guy that had a mint (perfect - with original pads and resonators) SBA low "A" bari that was a perfect match to the horn I have now (the SN's were ten apart!). He wanted $7500 for it! I offered him six, but he was able to sell it for the full $7500 in under a month. I believe $5500 is about the going rate for a low "A" VI in New York now (in any condition).

Christian W
User ID: 1188554 Feb 1st 5:33 AM
I have a Low A MkVI bari #140***.

Lacquer aint 100% but who cares anyhow. It is a smoker...I didn't even consider the lacquer when I bought it. The sound and shape it is in is great.

anyone interested send me your email cause I was thinking of selling it. Not 100% though, but the thought is still there at times.

cwatsonsax@optushome.com.au

jazzredcat
User ID: 7810373 Mar 27th 8:03 AM
Well, I've just got to tell ya'll a sob story:
I bought a new MKVI low A bari for $640 in 1963.
You guys can't imagine the quality of this horn; it was supreme.
To make a long story short and not go into detail,
I "lost" it in a pawn shop in 1968 in San Francisco for $150.
Does that disgust ya'll as much as it does me?
BTW: I bought another one circa 1975, and the workmanship was halfassed compared to the earlier one. The corks were ragged, the keys rattled and
were loose, the action was not good.
BTW: I had Joe Goodman(rip)up in Boston lower the action on that first bari, and the intonation
improved tremendously.

RS
User ID: 1592424 Mar 27th 11:23 AM
A sad story. But don't even get me started on all the great horns I've let slip through my fingers.

Bari Martin
User ID: 9579203 Mar 27th 11:46 AM

Me, either. We've all done it, and it hurts forever.

Bootman
User ID: 9495963 Mar 27th 1:45 PM
Sad news on that mk vi Bari. I recently picked up a mk vi Bari that is a real player, in other words it is loud in the miod range as well as balanced across the range. It doesn't beat my Chu Baritone but it is still the best example of a mk vi Bari I have ever played. It is 85K too.

JP
User ID: 9133663 Mar 27th 8:40 PM
My '34 12M ain't ever leaving the family. I got it, then rebuilt it, for $1400 total. I consider THAT a steal. God knows I don't want to suffer the heartbreak some members of this board have :)

jazzredcat
User ID: 7810373 Mar 27th 9:00 PM
I heard those old Conn baris[circa 1930?]were fine; more than one player has told me this.

JP
User ID: 9133663 Mar 27th 10:53 PM
Conn baris from that era (late 20's-30's) are supposed to be the best bari out there. I love mine, it's exceptional.

Next 20 Messages

Carter User ID: 2205324	Jan 10th 10:28 AM Stopped by the local used horn shop yesterday, hadn't been in for a few months. They have had the same old beat-up school baris in there for a couple of years, and overpriced to boot. I asked if they had any new baris, and oh yes they did. I was shown an immacuate 152xxx Low A Mark VI bari. At first I wasn't sure it was a VI because the bow looked literally brand new, didn't have a mark, ding, scratch, nothing. All original pads, in perfect shape. No visible dings or dents. A few scratches around the strap ring, some very minor spots/sratches etc. on the body and bell. I would say the lacquer and finish are 95%. The only thing that concerned was that a padded stand collar was still attached to the bell. I did not have time to remove and look under the collar, or to play the horn. (I'm going back asap!) But on visual inspection this one was clean with a capital C. I was told the bari belonged to a guy who had been a retired local pro who recently passed away. The shop is selling a couple of his horns, and showed me his main axe, a 1942 10M. The Conn was in very good shape for a horn which had been played a lot, and was obviously well taken care of. Apparently, the bari was rarely played. The shop wants $5,500 for the VI. What think ye?
BrianA User ID: 1564944	Jan 10th 2:00 PM I have seen them sell for both the same, less and more but as unfair as it seems, if you feel you really must play a Mark VI then $5500.00 is fair. personally I would sooner buy a new Yanigasawa 992 or a Keilwerth for the same or less money..
Cashsax User ID: 0833354	Jan 10th 2:14 PM That is the STEAL of the century.
Carter User ID: 2205324	Jan 10th 2:20 PM The sad thing is that, this horn is so clean and straight, I would be AFRAID to play it on my usual gig, which is with the classic rock/r&b band. Bar stages are tiny, and populated with lummoxes for guitar players. My 50% lacquer 10M shrugs off the dings and doinks inherent in this type playing. If I had this bari, I would be Mr. Anxiety thinking that the B-3 guy or guitar guy would accidentally brush against it. Once I had a new Series III, and babied it. Even so, after a year and a half of gigging, I was surprised at the amount of stage wear it had. I suppose this would be more of an investment. For a player, I have been looking around for a vintage 12M, Martin, or Buescher. Heck I could probably buy all three for the same jack.
John T. User ID: 0247944	Jan 10th 2:28 PM I'd consider a Brand New Selmer SII Bari from Europe for around $4000.00 + Shipping and customs. Go in and offer $4500.00 then negotiate from there.
RS User ID: 2540134	Jan 10th 2:31 PM $5,500 is a little pricey but for a mint low A VI it's in the ballpark. Especially if it's a real player. If I had the bread I'd take a good look at it.
Nitetimer User ID: 2393954	Jan 10th 8:18 PM Take a look under that stand collar. I bought a YBS-61 that had one on it and when I removed it I had an awful time removing the foam cushing without damaging the laquer. It took several hours of carefull scraping and you can still see where it was. Try to find a LaVoz stand if you can.
super20dan User ID: 7705853	Jan 10th 8:30 PM yes please let us know if any one has a lavoz stand for sale!
GaryL User ID: 6138163	Jan 14th 11:33 PM IMO there are better playing low A baris than the Mark VI. I think the price is way high, but then I don't sell saxes for a living.
Carter User ID: 2205324	Jan 15th 3:24 PM Aaaaargh! It's gone! I went back to the shop and the VI is gone. And the 10 M. rats.
Cashsax User ID: 9014973	Jan 16th 3:46 AM $5500. was a steal..
Adam User ID: 9572103	Jan 16th 12:39 PM Yeah, $5500 is a bargain for a "mint", kickin' low "A" VI. About a year ago, a found a guy that had a mint (perfect - with original pads and resonators) SBA low "A" bari that was a perfect match to the horn I have now (the SN's were ten apart!). He wanted $7500 for it! I offered him six, but he was able to sell it for the full $7500 in under a month. I believe $5500 is about the going rate for a low "A" VI in New York now (in any condition).
Christian W User ID: 1188554	Feb 1st 5:33 AM I have a Low A MkVI bari #140***. Lacquer aint 100% but who cares anyhow. It is a smoker...I didn't even consider the lacquer when I bought it. The sound and shape it is in is great. anyone interested send me your email cause I was thinking of selling it. Not 100% though, but the thought is still there at times. cwatsonsax@optushome.com.au
jazzredcat User ID: 7810373	Mar 27th 8:03 AM Well, I've just got to tell ya'll a sob story: I bought a new MKVI low A bari for $640 in 1963. You guys can't imagine the quality of this horn; it was supreme. To make a long story short and not go into detail, I "lost" it in a pawn shop in 1968 in San Francisco for $150. Does that disgust ya'll as much as it does me? BTW: I bought another one circa 1975, and the workmanship was halfassed compared to the earlier one. The corks were ragged, the keys rattled and were loose, the action was not good. BTW: I had Joe Goodman(rip)up in Boston lower the action on that first bari, and the intonation improved tremendously.
RS User ID: 1592424	Mar 27th 11:23 AM A sad story. But don't even get me started on all the great horns I've let slip through my fingers.
Bari Martin User ID: 9579203	Mar 27th 11:46 AM Me, either. We've all done it, and it hurts forever.
Bootman User ID: 9495963	Mar 27th 1:45 PM Sad news on that mk vi Bari. I recently picked up a mk vi Bari that is a real player, in other words it is loud in the miod range as well as balanced across the range. It doesn't beat my Chu Baritone but it is still the best example of a mk vi Bari I have ever played. It is 85K too.
JP User ID: 9133663	Mar 27th 8:40 PM My '34 12M ain't ever leaving the family. I got it, then rebuilt it, for $1400 total. I consider THAT a steal. God knows I don't want to suffer the heartbreak some members of this board have :)
jazzredcat User ID: 7810373	Mar 27th 9:00 PM I heard those old Conn baris[circa 1930?]were fine; more than one player has told me this.
JP User ID: 9133663	Mar 27th 10:53 PM Conn baris from that era (late 20's-30's) are supposed to be the best bari out there. I love mine, it's exceptional.