Durability P. Mauriat

[boman]

Hi,

I'm looking for a new tenor and yesterday I discussed the fact I might want a P. Mauriat (system 76 of 66R) with my teacher.

He was worried about the fact that they might not have the same build quality as the 4 major brands. BTW he's a selmer guy. (plays as serie III)

Do you guys worry about that?

A played a system 76 for 10 minutes and WOW what a sound. I will test it against a 66R soon. Up till now I've played all the major brands and found no reason to switch to a new horn (now using a Conn 10M ladyface. I have it for 15 years).

So I really like the sound, but if it will start falling apart in a few years I better stick to my Conn.

So any tech guys/girls who can tell me this thing is build like a tank? :)
Please do because I really like the sound :D

thnx
Boman

[Chris S]

I've had my alto for almost two years, and have yet to have a problem with it. The way the horns feel... I'm not sure I'm too worried about them falling apart. They seem like they're built like tanks.

[GAS_Wyo]

Tim Glesmann of Sax Alley commented to me while I was buying my horns that PM's have harder metal in the body tube and especially the keys than the Yamaha's. I've had mine for a few months now and play 3 - 10 hours a week. I am very impressed with the little tanks! The Yamaha 875 is the only Yamaha that has an equal weight...all other Yamaha's seem lighter to me. The PM's are just as heavy as the Yanagisawas but a little a little less heavy than the Selmers and JK's.

I may just be blowing smoke here, but I have a theory that the hard but thinner body tube metal of the PM (as compared to the JK and Selmers) is one of the secrets to their great sound! Some say the tube is just there to direct a vibrating air column in the horn. But I believe when the air column vibrates, it vibrates the tube walls as well...the whole horn makes the sound. Sax/woodwind mechanics - no need to reply to this part of the post...I'll rest may case on this point (until I'm proven wrong)! :twisted:

As I have seen from many other posters, I have had no adjustments to my horns in 5 months. I read from someone this evening they have had thier PM for 2 years with NO adjustments! Compare that to buying an old Mark VI that needs adjustment every 3 - 4 months or so. I play with a guy who has to hold his octave key closed with a rubber band! :shock: The springs on his '73 MkVI are so weak on his horn that it won't even keep it closed. Unfortunately, his rubber band broke in the middle of a performance in June. The others just smiled as we continued playing. He bought another horn a few weeks later. 8-)

[boman]

Oke thanks for all your comments.
I just wanted to know for sure before I would spent 2500,- euro's on a P.

Now I just have to do some side by side testing and pick the right one

[Mark R]

I had the experience of trying out a brand new Selmer Ref 54 next to my PMauriat PMXT-66R and came away feeling my P Mauriat was a better constructed and made horn. There was quite a bit of loosness in the rods and on several areas of the Selmer there were places that looked unfinished and I also noticed a couple of soldered areas that were not done too well. I went in hoping to be impressed by the Selmer since it was priced at well over double what I paid for my P Mauriat. For me the P Mauriat was a much more solid construction, a little heavier horn and performance it played markedly better than the Selmer. Only thing better about the Selmer was the case. I can't comment on the Series III, I have not played one.

[Yellowhorn]

I don't own a PM sax (yet), but I agree with Mark on his assessment of the Selmer new horns. Last week, I was in a shop in Singapore and had a chance to test a Reference 54 (Selmer's much-claimed replacement of the Mark VI's) tenor and a few Super Action Series altos (II and III). Having played a Yanagisawa alto (A900) and a Selmer Mark 6 alto earlier that day, I came away possessed by both the Yani and the Mark 6--no matter how beaten up and ugly they look! The new Selmer horns feft stiff in my hands, and the tone was no where near outstanding or impressive. From a far, these new horns look shiny and all, but after playing other horns (like the Yam 62 or Yani A900), I couldn't help wondering why in the world people are still paying a s..t load of money for these new Selmer horns? Just because it has the name Selmer on it? No, thanks!

[-88-]

Just bought a P. Mauriat System-76 as a backup horn. What a sweet tenor. And action like an angel. Playing it A/B next to my Rampone & Cazzani R1-J, my lady came out of the back room and said, the Mauriat has a sweet feminine voice like Sarah Vaughan, and the Rampone & Cazzani sounds more masculine like a Ferrari. Frankly I like them both and won't give up either one of them. Let's see, that's how collections go.

[boman]

Did you compare it with the 66R model?
And if you did why did you buy the system 76?

Thnx
BoMan

[jacobeid]

I also noticed a couple of soldered areas that were not done too well.

On my horn, I have about 10 splotches. Kinda dissapointed about that.

[deiter1977]

Did you compare it with the 66R model?
And if you did why did you buy the system 76?

Thnx
BoMan

Hey BoMan, there's an existing thread that discusses this comparison, which you can find HERE (http://71.6.135.46/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=323960#post323960). I hope this helps! :D

[boman]

I've read that thread over en over agin :D but I would like to hear from more people the differences between the system 76 en the 66r. They are the same price in the Netherlands. I only had a chance to "try" the system 76 for 10 mins or so and really liked it. I will play test it for sure and then I will add my comments to the other thread...

Regards
BoMan

[hgiles]

I wouldn't worry too much about the P. I think it'll do fine. In the grand scheme of things the important thing is that you're confident in your equipment.

Any of the esoteric BS that people regurgitate trying to explain why one horn is better than another doesn't amount to a hill of beans in the end. I have a really old and ugly vintage American horn that feels light as a feather and I have a modern German made horn that feels like it's way overbuilt. Both, however, play extremely well and I can find my tone on either of them.

More importantly I know either horn can get the job done. If I had a P, I am sure I could get my work done on it also.

[deiter1977]

Any of the esoteric BS that people regurgitate trying to explain why one horn is better than another doesn't amount to a hill of beans in the end.
I have to agree with this. If you are comparing horn A and horn B, some people will love A and hate B, and others with have an opposite reaction. Some will love both, some will hate both, etc. To chose a horn, you MUST play it before making a final decision.

More importantly I know either horn can get the job done. If I had a P, I am sure I could get my work done on it also.
I'm not quite on board here (although I may be misinterpreting, so please give me some grace!:dontknow: ). If any horn that doesn't totally suck will get the job done, then why shop around? Just order the cheapest horn you can get online that is somewhat in tune, and "get your work done." (PLEASE NOTE: I don't subscribe to this philosophy. I think there are a great variety of quality saxes out there, and there are definitely different strokes for different folks.)