Should I Gold or Silver Plate?

[Balladeer]

My vintage Mark VI alto (61xxx) has been overhauled 3 times in its life - 1972, 1975 (Selmer factory) and 2002. The first 2 times it was relac'd because no one told me it might have an impact on the tone. The last time (Sep 2002) I had it stripped and hand rubbed with a single shot of clear lacquer applied for protection.

My horn has a very bold, projecting sound that tends toward bright. Would gold plating restore the warm, deep tone? Would silver plating make it warmer and deeper sounding than it is now or brighter?

[Roger McWilliams]

The experiences I have had swapping necks among Selmer horns with various finishes suggests that the tonal differences due to finish reside primarily in the neck. I can't discern any difference due to finish on the body of the horn that can be heard by a listener other than the player. So, my suggestion is for you to experiment with different necks and neck finishes rather than considering the finish on the rest of the horn. I've enjoyed exploring the tonal differences among different necks and found them to be nearly as significant as various mouthpiece/reed/ligature combinations.

[Balladeer]

Thank-you, Roger. Curt (MusicMedic) said the same thing to me earlier today.

[Pete]

... additionally, the reports I've gotten from people with replated horns say that the plating doesn't impact the sound at all. This may be because the horn needs really, really thick plating to make any difference.

Silver plating costs around $600 US for an alto. Gold is "significantly" more, from what I hear -- probably because the horn would need to be silverplated first (gold plate doesn't stick to brass).

I'm with Roger: try a different neck. You may also wish to explore the world of resonators or different mouthpieces. A different kind of reed and ligature might even make a difference (if you want to go from least to most expensive suggestions).

[AMASAX]

hey, it's ONLY money... :D Go for the GOLD, maybe triple plated...however, you probably won't tell any diff in tone...best suggestion is listed above, skip the horn, fool with the neck and save some $$

[Howlin]

:Rant: It's funny but much as I believe all we should worry about is the sound - some saxes are works of art. I had a MkVI alto gold plated and it was stunning. I would defy most listeners to detect the plating differences in a blind test.