Mark VII alto: Good alternative to a VI?

[BobD]

Whats the general consensus on the Mark VII alto. I know the tenor has been much maligned but is the alto a decent horn. I was thinking that since they are so "cheap" compared to a VI and they are still a Selmer it might make sense to own one.

[Jeff Foster]

It's a matter of personal taste I suppose. Personally, I never liked the Mark VII. When I was in the Navy Band in the late 70's, I had a somewhat beat up Navy Issue Mark VI and another real nice one that I owned personally. Our band got several brand new VII's and offered to replace my VI with one of them. I played it for several days and went to the supply chief and made him give me back my VI. The action on the VII was fine but, for my tastes anyway, it just didn't have anywhere near the range of tonal qualities that the VI had. Bottom line, I guess you need to play a few and see what you think. If you find one you like, go for it. It is, after all, a Selmer. Even if it ain't a VI it's still a real nice horn.

[Dave Dolson]

BobD: I have both in my family; MKVI alto (low 100's) and a MKVII alto. They are my children's horns (both adults now). My daughter's VII is a terrific horn, purchased new for her when she was in high school. It is every bit as good as my son's VI, which is a nice horn itself. DAVE

[Hurling Frootmig]

I think the main problem with the Mark VII was that it isn't a Mark VI. The one's I've encountered make me think it is more of a jazz horn perhaps not quite as versatile (but is that necessarily a bad thing).

[danm]

I agree with Dave above. I think they are a great horns. I play a M258XXX silver alto and in my opinion it sounds great. I would say in tenors there is a bigger difference between the MK VI and the MK VII. I can't tell much difference with the altos. If there is a size difference in the altos you would need a micrometer to tell. I think they are a good bargain pro alto for a good price. Try one.

[singlereed]

I noticed on a Joe Lulloff (classical) CD I just bought, the notes say he's playing a VII. Sounds great to me.

[Docax]

I've only played tenor and sop for the last couple years, but played a Mk VII alto for 10 yrs in the past. I thoght it was an outstanding horn, and still have it in case I ever need to play alto again. The "consensus" can certainly be wrong, but FWIW, the typical statements about the MK VII are: 1. They're brighter on average than the VI's. 2. The early VII's are better. (mine's a 262xxx) 3. They're a great value. 4. As has been stated, the altos are closer to the VI's than the tenors.

[AG]

My VII alto 255xxx has a dark, lush thick tone with the original neck; using a Millenium sterling neck the tone is only slightly brighter and a little more centered, but very sweet. The harmonics are excellent, notes bend easily, it's an extremely versatile horn. Play it in a concert wind symphony & fill in some in a big band. With any Selmer it's whether you get one of the good ones......I did. A good VII alto will hold it's own against many a VI, and I do think the earlier ones tend to be better, generally speaking.