G#? Do you mean high F#? Anyway, the answer is no. Lead? That's a new one on me. Not sure where the lead would be but you're going to play it, not eat it. I owned a Mark VI alto for 30 years and, to my knowledge, I haven't suffered any ill effects.

 

I owned a Mark VI alto for 30 years and, to my knowledge, I haven't suffered any ill effects.

Loss of memory and cognition is a side effect of chronic lead poisoning. :twisted:

 

No. If you wait until you try all the other horns, you may well go right past the horn you need - not that the Mk VI is The Best, but they have been very good to a lot of folks for a long time.

No. Lead is not an issue.

The Mk VI was, to some of us, the first of the "modern" horns. It does have an articulated G# as do many of its Selmer predecessors.

Try the horn again. Try it with a tuner. Ask if you can have it examined by a reputable technician for wear and issues that might require adjustment. If the seller is asking top dollar for it, you'll want to be assured of its authenticity if you are paying for "original" condition.

If you tell us the asking price, we can help guide you a little better.

 

The horn is selling between 3 and 3.5 K, and she just had new pads, springs, etc put in it.

 

I can't recall the exact serial number, but it was one of the lower numbers, if that helps with the F# key.

 

The serial number range for the Mark VI started in the 5x,xxx range.
Some people think the Mark VI horns with 5-digit serial numbers (< 100,000) play the best. Others think this is hogwash. The Mark VI horns with 5-digit serial numbers do fetch the highest prices, all other things being equal.

You mentioned the horn was refinished. All other things being equal, if a vintage horn was relacquered, that reduces its value.

Some people like having a high F# key. Other people hate it, and think that if a horn has a high F# key, this degrades the intonation of the horn down low. Most Mark VI horns did not have a high F# key. If you look at this site (www.usahorn.com) that store has a couple of Mark VI horns (altos, I think) which include a high F# key. I would not worry about whether or not a Mark VI horn has this key or not. You probably will not need it.

The one theme I hear over and over is that Selmer Mark VI horns are variable. Play test the horn and see if you like it. Test its intonation, its altissimo, and how it feels to you. If this is your first purchase of a professional horn, try to compare to other types of horns, including Yamahas, other modern Selmers, perhaps a vintage Conn (10M? - I don't know, I'm an alto player), and others that people here have mentioned. See if you can go to a store and try out several brands in person. Even better if you can bring another set of ears with you - a teacher, or another musician. I think the first purchase of a professional horn is the hardest, because these play so differently from the student horns that we all start out with.

 

$3k seems like a good price for a VI that is in good playing condition. Without pictures or playing the horn, we can't really give you a fair assessment, but oh well.

 

As I read your first post, I somehow suspect that you may have answered your own question. If you definitely like the Mark VI better than you should go for it.
As the proud owner of a re-lacquered Mark VI I can attest that it is the best
Tenor I ever owned.

Yes the re-lacquer lowered the value, but that made it a bargain for me. In addition, I have no doubt that I could recoup my investment if I ever had to (and I hope I don't).

I have played vintage and modern Keilwerths and, for me, they didn't come close to my Selmer. (Remember that I said "for me." Your mileage may vary.)

 

there is now a Mark VI avaliable to me which has been refinished, and has a wonderful sound to it.

(I definately like the selmer better than yamahas)

There's your answer. Get the MKVI. You won't go wrong there. It will play altissimo as well as any other horns, and lead poisoning is not an issue at all. Maybe if you used a pure lead mouthpiece, but then then is no such thing.

You like the MKVI, so get the MKVI. You're lucky to have the opportunity to have that horn. Did I say you should get the VI? Yes.

 

Buy the VI, it's the better horn, and you get to hang out in this thread with us, we're totally awesome.