Pierret is my horn of choice

[queperknuckle]

I've got to say. I've played alot of Pierret's. The super artiste, the artiste competition, and the competition model. Out of the three, the artiste competition has just really impressed me. The horn has an incredible lower end and it resonates so nicely. It sings and is so lively and joyful. The super artiste is more brash, dark, and melancholy and it really resonates to.

I can't really recommend anyone to buy an artiste competition horn on ebay because these horns are built with such soft metal that if you dropped it, or banged it against something, or even pressed a key to hard it would be damaged. They are not like the selmers, which can take a beating. So it would be very expensive to get one because of the work that would have to be done on it. The super artiste horn I have is built like a tank though, and has an amazing dark sound. That horn has harder metal on it than a selmer. If you're lucky enough to find one of these artiste competition horns in in near mint condition like i did, I'd say go for it. You'd be amazed by the way they play and the lightness of the keywork.

[saintsday]

Hi Q, I'm glad you've found a horn that works for you.

I just got my first playable Pierret from bfahle, a Super Artiste alto, and I do like the sound of it and it has a nice even scale with decent intonation. I've found the key spacing and layout to be tight even for my smallish hands, but would guess that unless you have gorilla paws like Grumps, you could probably adapt.

I have a couple of questions about these things and would value your opinion.
Have you played just the three that you mentioned, or multiple examples of each? The reason I ask is that is that a friend who has had 6 of them reported that they were all very different. Has that been your experience?

[queperknuckle]

I played two examples of the artiste competition. One that I bought from a colector here on SOTW and it turned out to be in poor condition. It had poor intonation. Hard to know if that was because it had been treated so badly. The body was bent and a tech had stretched the horn out during a repair. I ended up resaling it. The one I have now was bought from a SOTWER who took incredible care of it. My tech thinks it probably was a closet horn. It has great intonation. They sort of play the same, except this one has better intonation and a fuller sound.

The super artiste plays like an artiste competition on steroids. It is more powerful and immediate and has a more brash, dark selmer like sound. It's also built more solidly. I like a more pretty sound than a nasty one, but I plan to keep the super artiste around for when I want to get a nasty, hair raising kind of sound. Either that, or someone purchases the horn from me for at least the price I paid for it.

I think they are all different. The super artiste I have is a special horn. It was stamped by M. Poinbeuf, has elaborate engraving even on the key guards, and is in mint condition. It is built with such strong metal that it quit an eye raiser for other sax players and it just has a powerful nasty sound. I haven't had any work on it. The intonation is as good as any horn, but with an overhaul (which it certainly can use), one can only imagine how this horn would play. The action could even be improved alot. To bad I couldn't afford to overhaul both of these horns! But I will eventually overhaul it to. So, I doubt all the super artiste horns, or really Pierrets, are built the same.

[queperknuckle]

The problem with these horns is that after an overhaul you are operating at a financial lose. The price of an overhaul 650+ in my area, is more than the resale value of the horn.

[saintsday]

Thanks for your comments. Your point about the economics of these makes a lot of sense.

FWIW, Uwe Steinmetz wrote me that, "The Pierrets I played were all very different, similar to Dolnet in that respect. I believe, if you find a good one, its a very good horn. I have owned around 6 Pierrets, two SUPER ARTISTS, the best sounding/playing one was a MODEL 6 VIBRATOR, but I believe the PIERRET COMPETITION with modern keywork might be the one to look for in terms of Pierrets."

Again, FWIW, the Super Artiste that I got from Bill does have a Selmerish sound. I'm very curious about how the tenor I sent him plays when he is done with it.

[Jazz Is All]

Thanks for your comments. Your point about the economics of these makes a lot of sense.

I have owned around 6 Pierrets, two SUPER ARTISTS, the best sounding/playing one was a MODEL 6 VIBRATOR, but I believe the PIERRET COMPETITION with modern keywork might be the one to look for in terms of Pierrets."

Obviously Six is Not Enough for some people! (Wasn't that the name of an old movie?) Congratualtions on your SEVENTH Pierret, Saintsday, that nice looking Olds Parisian tenor you just won on eBay. I was watching that for days and reading up on Pierrets, including threads in this section of the forum, among them this very one with your posts. I was very seriously considering stealing it away from you (actually I didn't know you were watching it) except that the words vintage, French and cheap won't appease a certain woman who will make my life miserable on a daily basis because she has yet to comprehend that having more than one sax is natural and that the main issue about them is not where you are going to put them in the apartment.:x Please let me know how it works out for you. I won't feel bad since it's about the third time I have had to control a GAS attack this way and take my finger off the bid button. I figure with time and obedience training she will finally come around to the right way of thinking.;)

[goodsax]

Having recently received a Parisian-Pierret bare brass alto that would have been a perfect match for the Parisian-Pierret tenor just won on eBay, I too was watching it very carefully while assessing my wife's current mood regarding the recent flurry of sax purchases bringing my total to nine, a relatively small number to many SOTW members, but a new record for my small household. I finally decided at the last minute not to push the button.

[saintsday]

Obviously Six is Not Enough for some people! (Wasn't that the name of an old movie?) Congratualtions on your SEVENTH Pierret, Saintsday, that nice looking Olds Parisian tenor you just won on eBay.

Thanks, Jazz. This will actually be the first Pierret tenor in (hopefully) playing condition for me. I was quoting Uwe Steinmetz from an email he sent me when I asked him about Pierrets. If I have a question about Pierret or Dolnet saxophones, I write Uwe. He has an M70 Dolnet in the marketplace and on eBay Germany right now.

[Jazz Is All]

Six, nine!! Some guys have all the luck (and the money, and understanding wives to boot). Ha, Ha, I'm talking about sax here guys not the other thing.

Seriously though doping out Pierrets is no easy task given all the stencils, the resultant confusion over which stencil model is which (Parisian and Parisian Ambassador, etc), and the uselessness of serial numbers as a guide. Kim Slava has put up a page where they are organized and which is of some help but far from complete since it is based on input from owners. It's a page on his Doctor Sax website. According to him, the Olds Parisian is really a stencil of the Pierret Competition, or maybe that was Sax Pics who said that, my mind is foggy from too much time watching eBay and too little sleep.

Anyway, once you have the tenor and have played it for awhile I would love to hear all about it, because maybe that will convince me to jump on the next one that comes along regardless of what she thinks. Considering how cheap you got that (I was going to bid $250 as my tops and figured I win for less while I was asleep) if it is in as good a condition as it appears, it has got to be a good purchase. Obviously as you mentioned before, any money spent on refurbing it is money down the toilet cause there is no upper margin on eBay for these. In my case, living in Spain, I figured I might be able to turn it over for a profit if I needed too. I just saw a Noblet (Beaugnier I assume) priced at 1000 € or so on Mike Duchsteins website. Not sure how much market there is over here for an Olds Pierret however.

[sax-ony]

A nice tenor was recently auctioned in the UK. Ebay item number 140207580521.

[Jazzbrass]

With the amateurs of Pierret, you can consult my gallery:

http://gallery.mac.com/mjean2

[Meyer]

A nice tenor was recently auctioned in the UK. Ebay item number 140207580521.

I bought it, to add it to my collection. I will review it and post the result later.

-Meyer

[Helen]

With the amateurs of Pierret, you can consult my gallery:

http://gallery.mac.com/mjean2


Nice gallery of photos. Some of the Pierret pictures look familiar to me.

I have no problem with you using my pictures, I wish you would have sent me an email asking permission though.

[Jazzbrass]

Nice gallery of photos. Some of the Pierret pictures look familiar to me.

I have no problem with you using my pictures, I wish you would have sent me an email asking permission though.

Afflicted to have used is your photographs without permission and the knowledge too late? Or do I have to remove them?

However yes say me which.

[Helen]

You may leave the photos on your website. You do not have to remove them. We're OK now.

[artzee]

Hi everyone on this Forum!

I am a newbie on this and not so much a musician although when I have more cash I want to fix my sax and play. I am wanting some info on it though as it is beautiful!

It seems to be antique perhaps 1920's. A alto silver "C.Jeuffroy Concerto Model with Virtour" from Paris. It says "Improvement" on it? It has a serial number. Not sure the note is in like I said not a musician but wish to be.;)

Does anyone know the history here? Also a good tech guy for something like this in Vancouver, BC as it needs work.

Cheers,

Diane

[Jazzbrass]

Hi,
Go to my galery : http://gallery.mac.com/mjean2#100226/5647

and see same one

[saintsday]

Welcome, Diane.
Most questions you may have already have been answered somewhere here. http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?t=30797
The search button is your friend.
Good luck with your saxophone.

[Ewald Borgmann]

Hello, my name is Ewald Borgmann and I am a new member here.
My music interrest are more in the area of instruments played by keys e.g. piano, keybord. However, I got a Pierret Vibrator alto Sax as a hand-me-down from a member of my familie.
I’m trying to find some more information about the the sax. It's a nice sax in silver plate and has the words Pierret "Vibrator" engraved.
I did several searches in the forum but did not find detailed information on how to estimate the age or the value of the instrument. It might be that I did not use the search function correctly.
Can anyone give me some hint or help or point me to on how to find these information?
Thanks in advane for any answer.

[bfahle]

Hi saintsday, I haven't looked in the Pierret section in a while because I was waiting on pads for the Oxford tenor. I finally have them all but don't have time this weekend to finish up. I'll definitely have it done in the next week or two though, and I'll post some sound clips. What is the name of that sound clip site everyone likes to use here? I'll post clips of the Pierret Oxford tenor (Santy Runyon's model from which he made his signature model).

[saintsday]

Sorry I can't help with the site, but I look forward to the review and clips.

[gwilly]

i've been trying to identify this horn all week and have come to the conclusion that it is a pierret stencil....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=110252049835&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=001

i've just won the auction and i'm about to start restoring it... albeit as a beginner..

anyone who can give me a postive id i'd love to hear from.. i can't find any other pierret c mels...

paul.

[sax-ony]

Sorry if this is a rather obvious question - I may be missing something - but what makes you think it wasn't made by Jacqes Perroquet, of Paris?

[goodsax]

Knowing it's not a Conn stencil, it has some of the characteristics of a vintage Conn, e.g., nail file G# key and what look like RTH's.

[sax-ony]

I think the photo of the bell engraving shows fairly clearly that these are not RTH's. The heavy ribbed construction looks to me more like Couesnon than Pierret; but I still don't see why it wouldn't have been made by the guy named on the front.