[Yofis]

Just sold my 1920's Martin stencil "American Artist" tenor saxophone on Ebay. I had to relist and lower the price and eventually, it sold for $400.
This horn was overhauled and wonderfully setup years ago, but, because it was my backup, I rarely played it.
Over the past year I have put a lot of work in on my '52 Martin Committee III and recently purchased a '69 Selmer Mark VI, continuing my diligent practice.
This morning, before I shipped the American Artist, I decided to play it to ensure that it was working properly. Two hours later, all three saxes were out and being compared to each other over and over.

The conclusion: between the $400 stencil, the $2k Committee III, and the $4k Selmer Mk VI...I really couldn't tell any difference. All three sounded just like me.

 

[lostcircuits]

The conclusion: between the $400 stencil, the $2k Committee III, and the $4k Selmer Mk VI...I really couldn't tell any difference. All three sounded just like me.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

 

[Somes]

Interesting. All good horns but spanning 5 decades. Sounded like you. But how did they feel?

 

[Yofis]

Interesting. All good horns but spanning 5 decades. Sounded like you. But how did they feel?

The ergs are obviously way different. I grew up playing a Yamaha, so the Mark VI feels very familiar. Ive played the Committee for so many years, that it feels completely natural as well. The Mark VI and Committee are each very aesthetically pleasing...the stencil, not so much.
And to answer the previous post, it was kind of sad....I mean, that perfectly regulated stencil could cut any gig. So it made me feel a little shallow and brand conscious.

 

[saxcop]

yep, probably selling my last Mkvi.

 

[Dave Dolson]

Yofis: I enjoyed your post. I too have experienced (probably) too many good saxophones over the years. Like I've written many times, they all end up sounding like me rather than anything unique. And, with maybe one or two exceptions, they all were about the same. DAVE