[SaxmanTy1]

I have a school bring me their Mark VI Tenor for repair. The only problem is it doesn't have a neck! The kids lost it. Anyway, the store upstairs can not deal in used parts, so shopping for a replacement MVI neck isn't really an option that I can do. The band director said he looked of a neck online, but had trouble finding on. I do have the resources to get one made, but before we go down that route I wanted to ask you guys. I checked the Selmer catalogue and it doesn't seem that they sell replacement necks for the VI. I DID however go back in our stock and tried a Ref 54 neck and it actually fit (not exactly but close enough that I could get it to) Do you guys know of anyone that's playing a MVI with a Ref 54 neck or any modern made selmer replacement or is that a really bad solution to this problem? Second, where is the best place to look for an actually MVI neck, and why are they so hard to find all of a sudden!! And third, do you think I should just forget the whole idea of replacing the neck and just have one made? What do you think? Thanks for you help in advance...

 

[Dr G]

I've sold a couple Ref 54 necks to players that use them on Mk VIs. That's probably your most cost effective way to go. Look for one in lacquer finish vs the matte finish so it is less obvious. A 54 neck will be less than 1/4 the price of a good Mk VI neck. Check Kessler's (one of the SotW sponsors) for prices on the lacquer 54 neck.

 

[mike_s]

if its a school, as in high school type kids, i would just use the reference neck, or have a series 3 neck fitted to work.

a used VI neck can run up to 1500 USD depending on vintage these days and having a neck made sounds expensive when the kids might just lose it again.

you coudl also try a barone/oleg or ponzol neck as well. or a gloger but they are more expensive.

 

[Scott Ramminger]

I use a Phil Barone neck on mine. There is a thread on here where he has them on sale.

My VI was made in in the '69/70 period. The original neck was a bit pulled down. I had it straightened. But the horn plays much nicer with Phil's neck.

I would think if you could find a VI neck in good shape you would pay a huge premium for it. And the Barnone necks play very nicely for a couple hundred bucks.

I know people who have tried Yamaha necks, Ponzol necks, etc. The bad news is that the horn is missing the neck. The good news is that there are a ton of aftermarket necks designed to work in a Mark VI.

Scott

 

[Dave dix]

Use a ref 54 neck or suggest you have a nice bundy 2 tenor thats perfect for the kids to smash up and all you want is that old beaten up , neckless tenor.
Fair swap?
Dave

 

[SaxmanTy1]

Use a ref 54 neck or suggest you have a nice bundy 2 tenor thats perfect for the kids to smash up and all you want is that old beaten up , neckless tenor.
Fair swap?
Dave

Haha! Funny Dave!
I actually suggested just selling the damn thing on the market. He'd probably be able to get 2 or 3 new horns for his marching band out of it. Or anything else he might need. But the school won't let him sell it. Drag. So he's just going to use it for whoever plays lead in the jazz band that doesn't own a good horn.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'll go with ordering a ref54 neck for him and call it a day.

 

[OttoVanFrankenLink]

I know a band director that lets her band kids use her Super Balanced. It's in such disrepair that it barely plays. To each his own I guess.

I often practice my Strad near my neighbours woodchipper, and I just lent my Maserratri to a guy with two glass eyes.

 

[Dr G]

I knew a guy that had a whole box of spare glass eyes in his desk drawer in case one dropped out and broke. Two glass eyes is nothing to worry about.

 

[Swampcabbage]

The Ref neck is a good match. You'll need to either have the tenon fitted or apply a little bit of clear nail polish to it.

 

[curly]

I use a Series III neck on my Mark VI. I found it to be a better fit than a Ref 54 neck.

 

[Dr G]

Better fit? The tenons are the same size (within manufacturing tolerances). The III neck has a high arch. The Ref neck is a better match to a Mk VI neck.

 

[curly]

Thats the case for mine. I recently purchased a Ref 54 tenor and the neck is way too loose for the Mark VI. The Series III neck only required a once around with sticky tape for a very snug fit. The Ref 54 neck was spinning like a top. Keeping in mind my Mark VI is very well used.

 

[axetech]

Neck

Hopefully you have checked inside the horn? I've found a many necks a mpecs inside school horns.

Carl

 

[SaxmanTy1]

Haha!
Actually a month or two ago a young girl brought me her alto with a cell phone stuck in it! And by stuck I mean it was IN THERE! Haha! We should start a thread about all the crazy things we find stuck in customers horns!

 

[Dr G]

Thats the case for mine. I recently purchased a Ref 54 tenor and the neck is way too loose for the Mark VI. The Series III neck only required a once around with sticky tape for a very snug fit. The Ref 54 neck was spinning like a top. Keeping in mind my Mark VI is very well used.

The tenon sizes vary with the different series of Mk VIs. If you are using a "once around with sticky tape", that is an equally bad fit and should be addressed by having the tenon expanded to fit your horn for optimum response.

 

[GaryL]

What about the scale?

What sort of intonation issues arise from using the 54 neck on:
A. Early VI tenors?
B. From later VI tenors that have the higher/shorter neck?