P. Mauriat Soprano

[dfsaxman]

Anyone out there had the opportunity to play the soprano? The tenor sounds like it is generating a lot of buzz and I'd like to know if the soprano is equally as good.

I've read a lot about the Antigua's and how good they are. If anyone can share their experience with both that would help me even more since I'm considering an Antigua.

[Chris S]

I haven't played the Antigua.

I own a P alto, and have played several of the sopranos at Tim's shop. I find them to be excellent horns, intonation is good, they feel sturdy... pretty much all the same comments that have been made about the altos and the tenors.

Chris S

[johnd]

I had a chance to play both the P. Mauriat soprano and the Antiqua. For me, the Antigua played far better. Easier response, more consistent intonation and superior keywork (other than the palm keys, which I don't care for on the Antigua). The P. Mauriat tenors are another matter -- great horns for the price.

[Chris S]

john,

Do you mind if I ask where you tried the P soprano? Was it set up well?

Chris S

[jazaddict]

I realize you're asking for PM comparisons, and I've NOT played a PM. But I'd like to vouch for both the Antigua Sop (I own a 590LQ) and Kessler's as a place to buy one.

The Antigua horn is just wonderful, and when you compare the prices of the 2 I'd say PM as A LOT of explaining to justify the difference. At least that was a factor in my decision.

Kessler's is top notch; Dave'll talk to you til you're done & satisfied. Very fair prices.

[dfsaxman]

I'm surprised, or shouldn't I be, that there aren't more people that have played the mauriat's. I know the tenors are demanding alot of interest I would have thought more people would have tried the Mauriat just because.

jazaddict, you seem to be part of a growing majority about the Antigua's as well as Kessler's. I believe I'll have to give them a try.

Now all I need to do is sell my alto . . .

[jazaddict]

Well, I considered a PM, but while comparing text on the various horns it became apparent the it wasn't worth the difference....to me.

While I've never touched a PM (or a VI or a Yani, for that matter) I had a vintage Conn. In comparing those I'm VERY happy with the Antigua. Much happier. Better action, better intonation, better tone, and a high F# and G.

I guess I'd have liked to try them all, but such is life. And if YOU have the opportunity to try them I'd recommend it. Furthermore; if you DO try them and the PM feels or sounds or just "is" better to you, then I say GO FOR IT. Like somebody here said; the money I spend on <fill in MPC, Horn, Neck, Reeds> adds to my quality of life; and that justifies the expense. I agree with him.

[johnd]

I tried the P. Mauriat soprano at Saxquest, so I believe that it was setup well. I was hoping for a vintage tone with modern features, but it just didn't do it for me. At this point my favorite soprano is a 200,xxx vintage Conn, and I've owned and played a lot of sopranos. I'm not sure why it is so hard to make a modern soprano with the tone quality of the vintage ones.

[Dave Dolson]

John: For what it is worth, I own and have owned many sopranos, both vintage and modern. I doubt if anyone listening behind a curtain could tell whether I was playing one of my late-20's Buescher TTs, my recently owned '23 Conn, or any of my modern sopranos. I've listened closely to all of them with the same mouthpiece set-up and they sound surprisingly close to one another.

I prefer the Bueschers, not only for their sound but for their easy and responsive keywork. But among the modern sopranos I own and have owned (S992, SC902, silver Serie III, and a 590LQ Antigua, to name a few), they all sound(ed) fine. DAVE

[xuanvu]

Well, I've owned the Antigua 590 and played the PM at Tim's place. To me, the PM sounds much better and the keywork was superior in my opinion. The action is really fast and it responses very well. I like it as much as my R&C R1 jazz sop.

Kenny.

[johnd]

I wanted to correct a prior post. I tried the P. Mariaut at Sax Alley, not Saxquest. I tried two of them, one in the antiqued lacquer and the other in the shiny gold lacquer. It is interesting how we all have different impressions of the same instrument.

[Dave Dolson]

I attended a mouthpiece/general playing clinic this afternoon at Scimonetti's in Lancaster, CA, put on by Jody Espina of JodyJazz fame. It was interesting. Nice to meet Jody - he can play, alright. He demo'd his various tenor and alto pieces, using Serie III alto and tenor.

While I was there, Jim Scimonetti Sr. was showing his newly acquired PM baritone in the antiqued finish. He raved about it and it did sound good when he played it. He said he was ordering a new PM tenor with the rolled tone holes after seeing the whole line at NAMM. And, he said he was going to feature the whole PM line at his store. He was pretty stoked about the PM saxophones.

To sopranos . . . he had a PM brochure which I now have. In it, they show several different soprano models (dual neck, fixed neck, curved, tipped-bell [they call it an Arc, with what appeared to be a straight removable neck], etc.).

The one that got my attention was their Model PMSS-2600 Vintage Series. It looked like a Selmer MKVI, complete with a fixed-neck, the older-style pinky-table, the low C#, B, and Bb pads cups on the top of the tube and the MKVI in-line palm keys. The brochure said it was custom-made/limited edition. The finish shown was lacquered brass and there was no mention of other finishes. Now there's one I just might be interested in. DAVE

[Hurling Frootmig]

Dave,

I saw that horn as a prototype at summer NAMM. It had the feel of the VI soprano but I didn't play it. I didn't think to bring my soprano mouthpiece. I also checked out their other high end soprano and thought it felt very nice in the hands and seemed well made.

[BayviewSax]

I had a P straight soprano for a bit, but the intonation was abysmal. I've met a number of people who did NOT have that problem, but my experience was not a positive one.

[Merlin]

I just played all of the PM sops at NAMM - I really liked all of them, but especially the curved. That little curvy is one of the best playing and feeling horns ever for me.

[Dave Dolson]

Merlyn, Bayview, Hurling: Thanks for the feedback.

I already have two nice playing modern sopranos (Antigua 590LQ and Yanagisawa S992, both with dual necks, modern pinky-table, etc.) and a wonderful curved Yana SC902. Still, they don't wind my mainspring like my '28 TT.

What intrigued me was a new soprano with the MKVI look and features. I'll admit to criticizing the MKVI palm keys (the subject of much discussion and some disagreement here on SOTW), and the MKVI I once owned did not play all that good. But I've heard some that really did sound good and played well; hence, my curiosity in this new PM soprano.

I've contacted Jim Scimonetti about further info, pricing, and availability. DAVE

[Dave Dolson]

I had a nice telephone chat with Jim Scimonetti Sr. this afternoon. He talked with the guy who owns PM and learned that they are NOT making the MKVI-style soprano shown in their catalog. There was no market for it because of the general reputation MKVI sops have in the saxophone community (Paul B.'s opinion notwithstanding). According to Jim, I was the only guy who had expressed any interest in the PM MKVI-style soprano.

That decision saved me a few bucks, eh? DAVE

[Daktion]

That decision saved me a few bucks, eh? DAVE


maaaaaaybe ...... you could try to buy that prototype :D