Any good?

If they didn't have something good about them, people wouldn't buy them. They'd go for the $150 instruments on eBay.

You may want to read some of the other threads in the P. Mauriat part of the forum... there's probably more info than you'll ever need from dozens of reviews.

several of my friends have them and really dig them. they do say that they can tend to be stiff when they first got the horn but after the "breaking in" process is complete, they're super happy with them. all new horns need to be broken in and also you can adjust the key height to your preference and the spring tension. i play a balanced action from 39 so the p mauriats feel very big to me...the bore is larger and the keys are offset so it feels foreign to me but they do play nice and have a good sound.

To put it simply...

YES. Try them if you can. I've found them to be pretty phenomenal given my tastes and preferences.

I've played System 76's alto and tenors and thought they sounded GREAT. I really liked the way the horn sounded, but I couldn't get over the way it felt and looked. The finish FEELS cheap and I think it looks pretty bad too. I'd much rather have a lacquer horn. I'd really rather have a lacquer horn with dark honey lacquer like they are on vintage horns..

I like my 66R. It was supposed to be a backup to my T991, but looks like the role is reversed. But, in my experience so far, nothing beats the action of a Yani.
I stopped paying attention to how my horns look after my rather ugly looking Conn soprano sounded, to my ears, better than my other nice and good looking sopranos.

Now, I just go for the sound.

Yes, they're excellent. Personally I don't go for the fancy matt finishes, but I'm a traditionalist. The sound certainly is traditional. Don't own one, but have heard most of the models as I know an endorsee.

If look is a concern, then don't go for the vintage series (76, 66, etc.). Instead, go for one of the modern ones, like the Black Pearl (black nickel), the NS (nickel silver) 60, or the elegant Night Club model (light gold).

Regarding the vintage "look", I noticed on sax.co.uk, there is a unlacquered, gold plated 66-R. This would give you the the vintage sound along with a gold plated horn. Not a bad combination IMHO.

Hmph.

Yeah, I wouldn't mind playing a gold-plated 66R! I will be happy enough though when my 66R shows up at the end of this week!

A friend just got a 72 GM tenor today. I tried it, and it is smoking a horn sonically, physically, and aestheticly!

The matt-finished body looks great with the light-clear gold lacquered keys!

I got to play these horns up against my IV and I think they play great. Have a big sound, felt a little stuffy but like any new horn felt like it needed to be broken in. The alto's I like more than the tenors. Tried the rolled tone holes and some other model that was just ok. These horns if they are consistent will be taking some business away from the big 4.

If hes your friend you could always try it out and see what it's like...easier to go with what you like than what others say on here...

I don't know what model your friend is offering but $1000 is a steal... I'm playing a 66R alto and it sounds great...

Porbably about what you would pay for it there.

Zoot21 said:

When I get out of college, I'll have to give my current horn back to the school. (Selmer SA 80 II Alto). One of my friends offered to sell me a P. Mauriat for about $1,000 new.

I'm wondering if this is a worthwhile investment, since I'll be selling my Cannonball to pay for the new horn, whatever I get. Should I go for the PM or should I go with a more tried and true horn, like my very own Selmer SA 80II?:?

Click to expand...

Why don't you go playtest a bunch of horns? I did, and I walked out with an SA80II over a A992, but I could easily see why someone else's tone preference would lead them to a Yani, Yamaha, or P. Mauriat that I played (I played the 60NS) Wasn't too impressed with the 60NS, but I only got to try one, and the others might be better.

I think the 60NS is an SA80II stencil, but I don't know for sure... it looked awfully similar to the SA80's I played, didn't sound the same. Consequently, there was another SA80II there that was horrible...

Bottom line: You'll never know what horn you like until you try it! So try it!

$1000 dollars is a great deal on a P. Mauriat, as far as the talk of the finishes goes, here is the real deal. You can get the P. Maurait vintage series in differetn finishes, I know on the system 76 and teh rolled tone hole models you have the folling options available. Vintage finish, gold lacquer adn 18k gold plating, just visit ther website and find a dealer in your area. www.pmauriatmusic.com