Buffet Crampon Prestige Alto Sax

[Black]

I recently just bought the prestige sax. I would like to ask for comments on this horn from those who played it be4. And is the mpc tt came with the instrument good? thankz for all ur comments!! :lol:

[singlereed]

Is this the current model that is basically a Keilwerth? If so, I can't help you as I don't know.

If you have an S1 based copper bodied sax made from late 70's to 80's or thereabouts, I used to have one of those, it had a sweet tone and a very controlled sound. The keywork is as good as anything you will see and had a few unique features which in my opinion were very elegant but didn't make much practical difference in use compared to, say, a modern Selmer. I didn't ever use the Buffet mouthpiece that came with it as I didn't like it, seemed very unresponsive. By the way, I did find the upeer register tuning was dependent on mouthpiece choice, and that the A28 V5 series Vandoren mouthpiece brought it into line.

If you have the model based on the french made S3 available until a couple of years ago, another poster (MAG) will doubtless be here very soon to answer your questions!

[mostly alto guy]

Black, exactly what do you have? Is it a current production Prestige, with adjustable palm keys, or an older one with rollerless RH pinky keys? That's the most readily identifiable difference.

[Black]

Mostly alto guy,
The prestige i bought is the current production of prestige. Its with the adjustable palm keys. I'm currently usin a selmer C* mouthpiece on the prestige and its sounds great. But i just want to find out more about the buffet mpc.

[mostly alto guy]

First, congratulations on choosing the Buffet Prestige! It's a personal favorite, one that makes me grin every time I play it.

The normally supplied mouthpiece is embossed with the Buffet Crampon logo and designated a 5*, but it's made by ESM, a company with ties to JK, B&H, etc. SX90 and 90R altos are similarly supplied, but usually with a jazz-leaning 7*. You can learn more about these at the link below.

http://www.esm-mouthpiece.de/englischeversion/saxophone/index.html

I honestly haven't given this mouthpiece a real go, as I most often use either a Vandoren V5 A28 or a Bilger-Morgan 4M on this horn. ESM's pieces are well made and apparently have a good reputation in Europe, but are not highly touted on this forum. The JK 7* is bashed by many SX90 and 90R players, but that's probably because most of us already have a drawer full of aftermarket pieces we paid big bucks for and haven't given the 7* much of a chance. (There's something about using the factory-supplied mouthpiece that makes sax players cringe.) There aren't many forum denizens who have commented on the 5*.

Bottom line--give the 5* a go. You might like it, or you might not. Either way, there is little resell market for these, so don't count on being able to sell it. If that potential is keeping you from trying it (to sell unused), you may want to reconsider. You could do far worse for a backup piece.

[Black]

Hey Mostly alto guy, thanks alot for the infomation!
I love my prestige! Its sounded very solid. Great horn! Anyway i tried the buffet 5* mpc during my band practice. I find tt its resistance is pretty high, cuz i need more air to play through. But i still feel alright with it, its didn't sound too bad. I may consider it for a backup. My conductor will be buyin me a selmer D mpc. Accordin to her, this mpc sounds darker. BTW i'm playin in an high school symphonic band. :D

[Vortex]

Do you know what model mouthpiece you'll be getting? "Selmer D" is just one of selmer's facings, and they have many models with varying degrees of brightness/darkness like the S80, S-90, Super Session, Soloist, etc, all of which can be purchased in this facing.

Don't think it would necessarily be any darker than an S80 C* (or brighter for that matter), but I certainly wouldn't turn down a free one.

[saxjazzed]

I purchased from Tulsa Band in 1986 both an alto and a tenor. They both have great tone. The interesting thing is that the tenor has the characteristic C/Eb keywork found on the S1 saxes but the alto does not yet the Bb/B/C#/G# spatulas are of the S1 type on both. The alto is also a euro horn with the A=442 tuning.

Now, here is the punch line. I acquired an old buffet ser. #4916 with most of the lacquer worn off, and, guess what, the horn is copper underneath or a very high quality red brass! The sound is absolutely suberb and superior to my prestige which I thought was great. I wonder if the secret to the buffet sound is in the copper? Any thoughts or comments?

[mostly alto guy]

I think it's the copper. And I love it, too.

[singlereed]

No, I reckon it's your playing that's just so good :lol:

BTW, MAG, I came so close to getting on to a S1 bari a couple of years back, a Dutch dealer had one in and had just sold it.