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Sax on the Web Forum Archive / Selmer saxes / Finally got my new sax...cant believe it

Next 20 Messages

MajinX
User ID: 9913923 Dec 30th 4:39 PM
well, i went to long/mcquade (sp) in downtown toronto today, just got back actually. tried a killer series 3 black lacquered, a regular series 3 (octave key vent was a bit sluggish so didnt pursue that), a mark 7, and a mark 6 (all altos). All except the regular series 3 were being played by me for the first time on a mouthpiece i had never played (meyer otto link i think, medium 6 if i remember) because i forgot my jj mp at home. And, much to my suprise, without even going in there thinking of getting a sax, my dad and I decided to just get it. And it was the mark 6. Good condition, not too many blemishes, looks nice cosmetically, totaly repadded around a week ago when they got it in. The meyer mouthpiece was thrown in with it too, and I am pretty exstatic, and i cant believe i actually got a horn. Sounds great in my opinion, blew away the series 3's.

Btw, can someone tell me when this was made specifically? I am pretty sure it was in the low 70's. Bottom line says M.195756

danm
User ID: 8548253 Dec 30th 5:04 PM
I would say about 1972 or 1973. Congrats on a nice horn.When I got mine I played it until I got a blister on my lip. You will sound great on that horn for sure.

CashSax
User ID: 9014973 Dec 30th 5:06 PM
You picked the right horn for sure CONGRATS, Cash

SelmerSaxMan
User ID: 9488873 Dec 31st 1:21 AM
you should have gotten a series III over that year, the series III will do things that the VI just wont on a m/p you are used to. thats is why I picked the III over the VI. There are certain years that just cant be beat: 63, 60, 59, 58, 57, 56, 55. but those late 60's, early 70's VI's just suck. not to diss your horn or anything, but if you had use the m/p you were used to, I am sure you would have bought the III.

CashSax
User ID: 9014973 Dec 31st 3:37 AM
SSman, you are obviously the man if you've had Jillions of selmers, I haven't.My flip comment was more from like get a good VI and everything else follows. So 2 questions. Why are late VI's so much worse than earlier ones, and what # is the cut-off for a good horn.(my VI silver tenor is a #1580xx) and why are the III's appreciably better than a VI..??

garyinla
User ID: 2017574 Dec 31st 3:52 AM
ssman, sanborn and kenny garrett are reported to play 14x,xxx. Isntthat about 1966 or 1967?
how do you reconcile that with what you say above?

soprano player
User ID: 0958254 Dec 31st 6:18 AM
"SelmerSaxMan", if I remember correctly, is a high school student or college junior who has recently purchased a series III, so his opinions could be a little biased or even dogmatic. Keep in mind that he is not Matthew, THE Selmersaxman on Ebay.

Personally I'd prefer the Keilwerth SX90 or a good MarkVI in any serial range over ANY series III. They just don't have that big and dark jazz sound that a lot of people are after. MarkVI players (a lot of them being pros) picked their horn for a reason.

soprano player
User ID: 0958254 Dec 31st 6:21 AM
Majinx, congratulations by the way. You picked out a good horn. Keep playing that MarkVI.

Helen
User ID: 1007814 Dec 31st 6:44 AM
Majinx, congrats on your horn! Don't let some of the clowns on this board second guess your choice. You played the horns, no one else here did.

There were many fine horns made during the lengthy Mark VI production run. Many of them were made in the later years. NO ONE can catagorically say that a 5 digit form XX year is better than that 6 digit from XX year. Different horns made in the same year played differently. This is as much true today for the new horns as it was then. Also, these horns are all over 30 years old, and have had a life. Some were better looked after than others.

I own a tenor (198XXX) from roughly the same era as yours. I've had mine for over 20 years and use it daily. I've played older VIs of the "more desirable" years. I could have traded mine. I haven't. Yes other VIs have played differently or sounded a bit different than mine. However they were not necessarily better...They were just different.

MajinX
User ID: 0234554 Dec 31st 8:08 AM
i have been somewhat aware of the tendency of the horn to get 'less great' in its later years, HOWEVER i used that mouthpiece for around 2 hours of trying other horns before i got on the series 3 and mark 6. I now own that mouthpiece and really like it, and its not that i didnt like the series 3. It was hard for me to decide. It was best decribed as the mark 6 having a much fuller, deep 3d sound, while the series 3 was a bit more monotonal, more brutish and loud (just in the feeling of it rather than the inability to control it). I did like the keywork a bit better on it cause it was a bit better for my hands, but the mark6 sounded so much better.

Once i came home i gave it a go with my usual mouthpiece. I have a couple hours on a series 3 at a clinic with pat labarbera around a month ago, and from what i could remember, i still like the mk6 more than I had liked the series 3.

who am I to say?
User ID: 0673084 Dec 31st 10:03 AM
MajinX, I just wanted to say congratulations, and go forth to the woodshed and fall in love!
She is your horn. Learn her, enjoy her, and learn to love her. Only you can make the right choice for you.
3 Mark VIs and a Mark VII live here; there are twenty seven or thirty seven or close to forty seven years of loving joyful song from the throats of these beauties to learn and love. No one can discover all her secrets in a play test at the store; when she has become a body part to you, then you can say truthfully "I play a Mark VI."
Happy New Year

smitch
User ID: 9308123 Jan 1st 9:24 PM
MajinX, Congratulations. You made the right choice!

LBAjazz
User ID: 9356783 Jan 1st 9:32 PM
Not only did you make the right choice, compare resale values in about 5 years.Then you will know you REALLY made the right choice.

Dr G
User ID: 8659853 Jan 2nd 11:00 AM
The measure of a great horn is not caring about its resale value - because you never want to even think about getting rid of it.

M Exner
User ID: 3013944 Jan 2nd 11:07 PM
G Man, I wish I said that. That's very prophetic.

SelmerSaxMan
User ID: 9488873 Jan 3rd 2:20 AM
I made a long reply, about 2 pages long, and I accidentally deleted it, I was so pissed I just left, and didn't want to appear that I was ignoring this thread.

Cash sax - I have not owned "jillions" of vI's, just played "jillions" of them. I dont know why the later VI's are so differant from the earlier ones, I assume, safety standards changed, and the VI had to be made a differant way. I don't play tenor, I don't know much about vintage tenors, except, that the VI tenor will beat pretty much any horn out there, if it is a good year. I don't know when the cut off for the tenors are, my teacher said something about the altos being good for longer or the tenors being good for longer, can't remember.

Garyinla - yes, they were 66's. kenny g is hardly a jazz musician in my point of view, his style is so new age. and sanborn, don't even get me started, his sound is not the only thing that I cannot stand.

SP - no, it is not bias or dogma, I played at least 20 mark VI's, none of them did what the III did, that Is why I chose the III over the VI, when I could have had the VI for only 50 dollars more, and a year sooner. (yes I waited a year to get it, it was silver.) I can get a darker sound than any VI I have ever played, including one 5 digit VI. I get the same projection, just with a little more effort. I also get a altissimo register about 6 notes bigger on my III.

Helen - I never said that there were no fine horns mad in the later years, the 65 was a pretty good year, it was later production. however I havent played any VI's after that that would ever make me consider going back in time if it was possible to get that horn. If any thing, a life will only degrade the horn, Imagine how good one of those never played VI's would be? the price would only be, about 800,000 dollars, last one I saw. When you get a horn and plat it for a while, you become attached, If I had a chance to get a Brand new Series III, in a trade for my current one, I would never give it up. even though it was identical, it just isn't the same horn, do you know what I mean? I wouldn't even give up my III for a low A, granted one would never find adeal like this, but if I did, I wouldn't do it.

Majinx - I am not dissing your horn or anything, All I am sayin is that, If you put eache horn up side by side, with the same m/p you may have chosen the III, I am not saying that would have, but just maybe. I am not accusing you of this, but did the fact that it was Mark VI influence your buy at all? I sure know that it almost did for me, actually when I ordered my III, I was planning on getting that 66, but realixed, that I was going for the name, not the sax.

Dr G - I am not admistering approval. DO NOT EVER try to interpret (sp) what I say, only read what I say, and go on that. let me tell you a story, once a shrink cam in to our social studies class when we were studying psycology, and I offered him to interpet (again sp, gotta look that up) me, what my personality is based on a few questions, what I am like, He failed, and my friends vouched for me on that. He also tried a few other people, he suceeded. (still think they're a buncha phonies.) and actually I do have experiance with all the years, except the 56, and 59.

- LBA, whe you buy a horn you should not be thinking about resale, like guardala did. If you do, you may end up buying something like that padless sax.

CashSax
User ID: 9014973 Jan 3rd 4:31 AM
To me the measure of a "great" horn for a player, is simply that it's a sax dream come true..whether it's a museum pc or a fixer.

MajinX, a good MKVI is a great place to start..

And Dr G, you're right!!it ain't about re-sale..(well not always anyhow)

MajinX
User ID: 0673084 Jan 3rd 9:33 AM
fair opinions there. remember, i am not going to rule out a series 3 as a future sax for me. I like my mark 6 and am having ample fun with it. Even though i can not pop as much altissimo on it yet (it will take some time for me to get used to it) and i can get a lot more altissimo (and a lot higher) on a series 3, i just happened to like the tone of the mark 6 more than the series 3 I tried. It was a bit darker, and deeper. I know, actually i am going to end up with more than one alto, and unless I find another mark 6 which is better than mine instead, I am sure i will end up with the mark 6 and probably a series 3 (in black lacquer too, really cool looking imo). Plus then i will hopefully eventually have the tenors and a sop or 2 and a bari...

at 17 this is merely a start of my true saxophone experiance. Plenty time and ways to go as of yet :)

Dr G
User ID: 7468553 Jan 3rd 9:50 AM
SSB: "DO NOT EVER try to interpret (sp) what I say, only read what I say, and go on that."

"I don't play tenor, I don't know much about vintage tenors"

"my teacher said something...can't remember."

That's good enough for me. No interpretation needed. Thanks for keeping it simple.

Mark
User ID: 9642053 Jan 3rd 9:58 AM
SelmerSaxMan....pardon me but your ignorance is showing, lighten up there are lots of great horns out there and it really comes down to the individual instrument itself. Just for the record concerning your reply to GaryinLa's comment on Kenney Garrett.....Kenney Garrett is NOT Kenny G and if you have ever listened to any of his recordings you would realize Kenney Garrett is entrenched deeply in the shed of jazz...considering he got his start with Miles Davis. Is he a contemporary musician, by all means but I highly doubt you will hear any of his music being played on the "Smooth Jazz", "New Age" type of format. Regardless of the era this particular MKVI was produced it is still the benchmark most other horn makers (Selmer included) reach for. Why else would so many try to persuade you to buy by stating...designed/plays like/has key action/ has tone like a MKVI? Okay enough....I want also to offer congrats to the player who acquired the MKVI that started this thread, wise choice going with the saxophone considered the industry standard and preferred by more pro players regardless of serial #

Next 20 Messages

MajinX User ID: 9913923	Dec 30th 4:39 PM well, i went to long/mcquade (sp) in downtown toronto today, just got back actually. tried a killer series 3 black lacquered, a regular series 3 (octave key vent was a bit sluggish so didnt pursue that), a mark 7, and a mark 6 (all altos). All except the regular series 3 were being played by me for the first time on a mouthpiece i had never played (meyer otto link i think, medium 6 if i remember) because i forgot my jj mp at home. And, much to my suprise, without even going in there thinking of getting a sax, my dad and I decided to just get it. And it was the mark 6. Good condition, not too many blemishes, looks nice cosmetically, totaly repadded around a week ago when they got it in. The meyer mouthpiece was thrown in with it too, and I am pretty exstatic, and i cant believe i actually got a horn. Sounds great in my opinion, blew away the series 3's. Btw, can someone tell me when this was made specifically? I am pretty sure it was in the low 70's. Bottom line says M.195756
danm User ID: 8548253	Dec 30th 5:04 PM I would say about 1972 or 1973. Congrats on a nice horn.When I got mine I played it until I got a blister on my lip. You will sound great on that horn for sure.
CashSax User ID: 9014973	Dec 30th 5:06 PM You picked the right horn for sure CONGRATS, Cash
SelmerSaxMan User ID: 9488873	Dec 31st 1:21 AM you should have gotten a series III over that year, the series III will do things that the VI just wont on a m/p you are used to. thats is why I picked the III over the VI. There are certain years that just cant be beat: 63, 60, 59, 58, 57, 56, 55. but those late 60's, early 70's VI's just suck. not to diss your horn or anything, but if you had use the m/p you were used to, I am sure you would have bought the III.
CashSax User ID: 9014973	Dec 31st 3:37 AM SSman, you are obviously the man if you've had Jillions of selmers, I haven't.My flip comment was more from like get a good VI and everything else follows. So 2 questions. Why are late VI's so much worse than earlier ones, and what # is the cut-off for a good horn.(my VI silver tenor is a #1580xx) and why are the III's appreciably better than a VI..??
garyinla User ID: 2017574	Dec 31st 3:52 AM ssman, sanborn and kenny garrett are reported to play 14x,xxx. Isntthat about 1966 or 1967? how do you reconcile that with what you say above?
soprano player User ID: 0958254	Dec 31st 6:18 AM "SelmerSaxMan", if I remember correctly, is a high school student or college junior who has recently purchased a series III, so his opinions could be a little biased or even dogmatic. Keep in mind that he is not Matthew, THE Selmersaxman on Ebay. Personally I'd prefer the Keilwerth SX90 or a good MarkVI in any serial range over ANY series III. They just don't have that big and dark jazz sound that a lot of people are after. MarkVI players (a lot of them being pros) picked their horn for a reason.
soprano player User ID: 0958254	Dec 31st 6:21 AM Majinx, congratulations by the way. You picked out a good horn. Keep playing that MarkVI.
Helen User ID: 1007814	Dec 31st 6:44 AM Majinx, congrats on your horn! Don't let some of the clowns on this board second guess your choice. You played the horns, no one else here did. There were many fine horns made during the lengthy Mark VI production run. Many of them were made in the later years. NO ONE can catagorically say that a 5 digit form XX year is better than that 6 digit from XX year. Different horns made in the same year played differently. This is as much true today for the new horns as it was then. Also, these horns are all over 30 years old, and have had a life. Some were better looked after than others. I own a tenor (198XXX) from roughly the same era as yours. I've had mine for over 20 years and use it daily. I've played older VIs of the "more desirable" years. I could have traded mine. I haven't. Yes other VIs have played differently or sounded a bit different than mine. However they were not necessarily better...They were just different.
MajinX User ID: 0234554	Dec 31st 8:08 AM i have been somewhat aware of the tendency of the horn to get 'less great' in its later years, HOWEVER i used that mouthpiece for around 2 hours of trying other horns before i got on the series 3 and mark 6. I now own that mouthpiece and really like it, and its not that i didnt like the series 3. It was hard for me to decide. It was best decribed as the mark 6 having a much fuller, deep 3d sound, while the series 3 was a bit more monotonal, more brutish and loud (just in the feeling of it rather than the inability to control it). I did like the keywork a bit better on it cause it was a bit better for my hands, but the mark6 sounded so much better. Once i came home i gave it a go with my usual mouthpiece. I have a couple hours on a series 3 at a clinic with pat labarbera around a month ago, and from what i could remember, i still like the mk6 more than I had liked the series 3.
who am I to say? User ID: 0673084	Dec 31st 10:03 AM MajinX, I just wanted to say congratulations, and go forth to the woodshed and fall in love! She is your horn. Learn her, enjoy her, and learn to love her. Only you can make the right choice for you. 3 Mark VIs and a Mark VII live here; there are twenty seven or thirty seven or close to forty seven years of loving joyful song from the throats of these beauties to learn and love. No one can discover all her secrets in a play test at the store; when she has become a body part to you, then you can say truthfully "I play a Mark VI." Happy New Year
smitch User ID: 9308123	Jan 1st 9:24 PM MajinX, Congratulations. You made the right choice!
LBAjazz User ID: 9356783	Jan 1st 9:32 PM Not only did you make the right choice, compare resale values in about 5 years.Then you will know you REALLY made the right choice.
Dr G User ID: 8659853	Jan 2nd 11:00 AM The measure of a great horn is not caring about its resale value - because you never want to even think about getting rid of it.
M Exner User ID: 3013944	Jan 2nd 11:07 PM G Man, I wish I said that. That's very prophetic.
SelmerSaxMan User ID: 9488873	Jan 3rd 2:20 AM I made a long reply, about 2 pages long, and I accidentally deleted it, I was so pissed I just left, and didn't want to appear that I was ignoring this thread. Cash sax - I have not owned "jillions" of vI's, just played "jillions" of them. I dont know why the later VI's are so differant from the earlier ones, I assume, safety standards changed, and the VI had to be made a differant way. I don't play tenor, I don't know much about vintage tenors, except, that the VI tenor will beat pretty much any horn out there, if it is a good year. I don't know when the cut off for the tenors are, my teacher said something about the altos being good for longer or the tenors being good for longer, can't remember. Garyinla - yes, they were 66's. kenny g is hardly a jazz musician in my point of view, his style is so new age. and sanborn, don't even get me started, his sound is not the only thing that I cannot stand. SP - no, it is not bias or dogma, I played at least 20 mark VI's, none of them did what the III did, that Is why I chose the III over the VI, when I could have had the VI for only 50 dollars more, and a year sooner. (yes I waited a year to get it, it was silver.) I can get a darker sound than any VI I have ever played, including one 5 digit VI. I get the same projection, just with a little more effort. I also get a altissimo register about 6 notes bigger on my III. Helen - I never said that there were no fine horns mad in the later years, the 65 was a pretty good year, it was later production. however I havent played any VI's after that that would ever make me consider going back in time if it was possible to get that horn. If any thing, a life will only degrade the horn, Imagine how good one of those never played VI's would be? the price would only be, about 800,000 dollars, last one I saw. When you get a horn and plat it for a while, you become attached, If I had a chance to get a Brand new Series III, in a trade for my current one, I would never give it up. even though it was identical, it just isn't the same horn, do you know what I mean? I wouldn't even give up my III for a low A, granted one would never find adeal like this, but if I did, I wouldn't do it. Majinx - I am not dissing your horn or anything, All I am sayin is that, If you put eache horn up side by side, with the same m/p you may have chosen the III, I am not saying that would have, but just maybe. I am not accusing you of this, but did the fact that it was Mark VI influence your buy at all? I sure know that it almost did for me, actually when I ordered my III, I was planning on getting that 66, but realixed, that I was going for the name, not the sax. Dr G - I am not admistering approval. DO NOT EVER try to interpret (sp) what I say, only read what I say, and go on that. let me tell you a story, once a shrink cam in to our social studies class when we were studying psycology, and I offered him to interpet (again sp, gotta look that up) me, what my personality is based on a few questions, what I am like, He failed, and my friends vouched for me on that. He also tried a few other people, he suceeded. (still think they're a buncha phonies.) and actually I do have experiance with all the years, except the 56, and 59. - LBA, whe you buy a horn you should not be thinking about resale, like guardala did. If you do, you may end up buying something like that padless sax.
CashSax User ID: 9014973	Jan 3rd 4:31 AM To me the measure of a "great" horn for a player, is simply that it's a sax dream come true..whether it's a museum pc or a fixer. MajinX, a good MKVI is a great place to start.. And Dr G, you're right!!it ain't about re-sale..(well not always anyhow)
MajinX User ID: 0673084	Jan 3rd 9:33 AM fair opinions there. remember, i am not going to rule out a series 3 as a future sax for me. I like my mark 6 and am having ample fun with it. Even though i can not pop as much altissimo on it yet (it will take some time for me to get used to it) and i can get a lot more altissimo (and a lot higher) on a series 3, i just happened to like the tone of the mark 6 more than the series 3 I tried. It was a bit darker, and deeper. I know, actually i am going to end up with more than one alto, and unless I find another mark 6 which is better than mine instead, I am sure i will end up with the mark 6 and probably a series 3 (in black lacquer too, really cool looking imo). Plus then i will hopefully eventually have the tenors and a sop or 2 and a bari... at 17 this is merely a start of my true saxophone experiance. Plenty time and ways to go as of yet :)
Dr G User ID: 7468553	Jan 3rd 9:50 AM SSB: "DO NOT EVER try to interpret (sp) what I say, only read what I say, and go on that." "I don't play tenor, I don't know much about vintage tenors" "my teacher said something...can't remember." That's good enough for me. No interpretation needed. Thanks for keeping it simple.
Mark User ID: 9642053	Jan 3rd 9:58 AM SelmerSaxMan....pardon me but your ignorance is showing, lighten up there are lots of great horns out there and it really comes down to the individual instrument itself. Just for the record concerning your reply to GaryinLa's comment on Kenney Garrett.....Kenney Garrett is NOT Kenny G and if you have ever listened to any of his recordings you would realize Kenney Garrett is entrenched deeply in the shed of jazz...considering he got his start with Miles Davis. Is he a contemporary musician, by all means but I highly doubt you will hear any of his music being played on the "Smooth Jazz", "New Age" type of format. Regardless of the era this particular MKVI was produced it is still the benchmark most other horn makers (Selmer included) reach for. Why else would so many try to persuade you to buy by stating...designed/plays like/has key action/ has tone like a MKVI? Okay enough....I want also to offer congrats to the player who acquired the MKVI that started this thread, wise choice going with the saxophone considered the industry standard and preferred by more pro players regardless of serial #