[Bigbroadcast]

Anyone no the differences............................
I've noticed another committee III that said Magna on the bell. It was a "Bird cage" like my Committee III. Both say "The Martin"
Just wondered what the difference was other than chrome keys and a chrome star soldered to the bell. My bet is
there is no difference as everything I could see was no different.

 

[pontius]

Did you do a search?

 

[turf3]

From everything I've read the only differences are the engraving, plated keys (not chrome, maybe nickel, maybe silver?), the little star on the bell, and maybe a couple extra rollers in the left hand table. I think SOME Magnas may have had silver necks.

 

[earlybabbitt]

on a magna the rods , touch pieces, left and right hand tables, palm keys,and key guards are made of solid nickel. I have a magna alto. The "cross" is on the bell and also on the neck. Here is a very thorough comparison from a repairman's perspective

'The Martin' Committee III and Magna alto saxophone review

A workbench review of 'The Martin' Committee III and the Magna alto sax

www.shwoodwind.co.uk

 

[1saxman]

Essentially the same horn although Magna is much 'nicer' with its upgraded features. The Sterling silver neck is a unicorn - I've never seen one in person and only two on the web. One was on ebay recently for heavy dough - didn't notice what it finally went for.
Given a choice at the same price between the two, I'd take the one I liked to play.

 

[rhysonsax]

Essentially the same horn although Magna is much 'nicer' with its upgraded features. The Sterling silver neck is a unicorn - I've never seen one in person and only two on the web. One was on ebay recently for heavy dough - didn't notice what it finally went for.
Given a choice at the same price between the two, I'd take the one I liked to play.

I don't think the silver neck is that rare - I have one on my Magna alto. I don't own a unicorn, despite looking for years.

Rhys

 

[1saxman]

Yes, it is that rare, and you are very fortunate to have one. I have never seen one for alto. Are you sure its really a Martin neck? There have been more silver necks made for Martins in the last 30 years than were originally made by Martin.

 

[rhysonsax]

Yes, it is that rare, and you are very fortunate to have one. I have never seen one for alto. Are you sure its really a Martin neck? There have been more silver necks made for Martins in the last 30 years than were originally made by Martin.

Yes, I'm sure. I think that several other SOTW members have mentioned having silver necks on their Martin Magnas in previous threads.

I would be interested to know how many Martin Magnas were made and what proportion had silver necks.

I don't play mine much but remember it having some fearsome power, almost too much, which I put down to the neck.

Rhys

 

[PigSquealer]

I would be interested to know how many Martin Magnas were made and what proportion had silver necks.

Rhys

150,000 according to Saxpics. 115,000 according to The Martin Story.

Martin History :: SaxPics.com

saxpics.com.

Anyone no the differences............................
I've noticed another committee III that said Magna on the bell. It was a "Bird cage" like my Committee III. Both say "The Martin"
Just wondered what the difference was other than chrome keys and a chrome star soldered to the bell. My bet is
there is no difference as everything I could see was no different.

This may help answer your questions.

Photo Gallery :: SaxPics.com

saxpics.com.

This link actually goes to the Magna

The Martin Story - Martin Centennial saxophones

The Martin Story, detailled information about Martin Centennial saxophones

www.themartinstory.net

 

[rhysonsax]

150,000 according to Saxpics. 115,000 according to The Martin Story.

The way I read that is that the Magna period covered 150,000 sax serial numbers but most of them would have been plain Committees ("The Martin" without Magna).

Rhys

 

[ROARII]

Martin appears to have used the same serial numbers for both brasswinds and saxophones up until the mid 1960s. So when lining at the ranges only a faction we’re saxophones. It was just not at the end of RMC period in which brasswinds were given separate ranges. See below for a list of trumpets. You will see the serial numbers align with saxpics ranges from brick 1965

https://www.brasshistory.net/Martin%20Brass%20List.pdf

 

[Saxaholic]

The silver neck is exceptionally rare. I've owned one of them and have seen maybe 5 for sale in the past 20-25 years on the web.

 

[Neil Sharpe]

The Martin Magna hss been my main horn for years.

 

[zapatista]

The silver neck is exceptionally rare. I've owned one of them and have seen maybe 5 for sale in the past 20-25 years on the web.

I had a solid silver tenor neck for sale on reverb for the past year and a half...finally sold in December.

Martin Magna Sterling Silver Bb Tenor Saxophone Neck | Reverb

Original Martin Magna Sterling Silver Tenor saxophone neck in very good condition.

reverb.com

 

[Saxaholic]

I had a solid silver tenor neck for sale on reverb for the past year and a half...finally sold in December.

Martin Magna Sterling Silver Bb Tenor Saxophone Neck | Reverb

Original Martin Magna Sterling Silver Tenor saxophone neck in very good condition.

reverb.com

I almost bought it nearly 3 times.

 

[zapatista]

I almost bought it nearly 3 times.

I did move the price around a bit...wasn't sure I really wanted to sell vs. keep. Finally Comm. I > Magna (for me) on Tenor. I have a Comm II Tenor arriving this afternoon. Can't wait to play it.

 

[Txsaxkat]

So I also have been wondering about how the Comm II plays after playing 2 47 Comm III horns for years. You have a chance to blow it for a while yet. What is your MP setup? I currently playing a MACSAX Bob Shepard 9* marbled so the sound is huge and nice balance of fatness with good tonal balance.

 

[Saxaholic]

The Committee II horns are very different between tenor and alto.

The altos are richer, deeper, slightly more spread but with a more lyrical and sweeter sound. They still have the typical Martin warmth and power. Slightly darker than the Committee III horns. Much better intonation than the Committee III horns...the Comm II altos have the best intonation of any vintage horn IMO. The best alto for the Paul Desmond sound IMO, but at home with many other sounds and styles. Can be used for jazz, classical, big band, etc.

The Committee III altos have more focus, more punch and power available and are brighter than the Comm II horns. That being said they're still in the middle of the bright-dark spectrum, and mouthpiece choice can really direct where they go. The early models can have wonky intonation between F2-Bb2...not all horns experience this, tends to be more prevalent on the early serial ranges. Great for jazz, lead alto, big band, funk, R&B, etc.

The tenors are kind of the opposite, intonation wise. The Comm II tenors have a more flexible pitch center and a big, resonant, warm sound with a lot of resonance and lots of volume. Much more mouthpiece sensitive than the Committee III tenors. Amazing ballad horns and one of the best tenors for pure tone. Put one up against a Balanced Action and you'd never pay the Selmer price.

The Committee III tenors are powerful, punchy, warm, and have near perfect intonation with a lot of mouthpieces. They can be played in nearly any situation and have more focus but are still very wide and fat sounding. They love to be played aggressively but are equally at home in a standard jazz setting. Set up is incredibly important on these horns, more so than the Comm IIs. Great jazz horns and probably the best R&B/rock horn on the planet.

All IMO after having owned many of these models. Remember the importance of a top notch set-up on the Committee III horns. Picky in terms of pad types, key heights and spring tensions.

Hope this helps!