I purposely left off 1961 Mark VI in the title (Selmer haters) but my horn is freakin' amazing. I had an articulation break-thru this week (it only took 30 years to figure out) and it was as if my horn was waiting for me. Every time I reach a new level, my tenor is THERE. I've owned this horn for 23 years and I just can't find it's limit.
My Tenor is AWESOME - What a Machine
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Yeah, every time I think about other horns I go back to my '63 VI and it just kills. Same thing goes for my Link. Yup. Nothing beats a good setup.
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Generally speaking, the limitations are not in the horn
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How about a SBA? :mrgreen:
I suppose this means is that there is hope for some of us, even if we don't own a MkVI.
Although I do have a really good VI - My point is find a life long instrument is really COOL!!!! It seems a lot of SOTW member are constantly switching horns. It might be easier to find a horn and play it for 40 years. I've been on both sides of this issue but my tenor is really the stuff. Good luck to everyone still looking.
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I agree. Mine is only a year older and Ive owned it since1986.
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Found my life long sax 5 years ago, so now I'm selling my other tenors ! ( took me a while to make that decision though)
Yep, Twenty years ago I mistakenly passed on what I now realize would have been my lifelong alto. I'm going to rectify that soon.
Have had my True Tone since '77 or '78 and a nondescript MexiConn ('71? which is a heckuvalot better than it should be) since about '81, I think? The Conn stayed on as a gig horn in case it got stolen or damaged. Strangely, I still have it and there is not a dent anywhere on the entire horn.
I may never own one and the sound may not be what I'm after personally, but there is no getting around the fact I loooove the sound of a great Mk VI. Tenor, alto or bari!
Harv
Have had my True Tone since '77 or '78 and a nondescript MexiConn ('71? which is a heckuvalot better than it should be) since about '81, I think? The Conn stayed on as a gig horn in case it got stolen or damaged. Strangely, I still have it and there is not a dent anywhere on the entire horn.
I may never own one and the sound may not be what I'm after personally, but there is no getting around the fact I loooove the sound of a great Mk VI. Tenor, alto or bari!
Harv
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I'm with you on this 100% I've owned a VI tenor (121,xxx) for just over 25 years and, while I liked it from day 1, it's taken me all that time to even begin bringing out its potential, and I have along ways to go yet. I've tried a lot of other horns along the way. The only thing that comes close is a series one Buescher that I use as a backup/alternate. And if I spent 25 years on that horn, no doubt it would be a lifetime horn also. So it's not so much the brand as the time spent playing a given horn or setup.
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Or, at the other extreme, you could do what I did, and play what is essentially an intermediate model (Couf Superba II) for 17 years, including professionally, for lack of initiative or interest in trying out other gear, and having one's eyes opened to what was being missed....
I figure, be the best player you can be with the gear you have by practicing, but nothing wrong with being on the lookout for alternative gear-- if: 1) you can try before you buy, and more importantly, 2) you don't expect miracles. Like many things in life, it's about moderation.
I'm glad you have such satisfaction with what you already have. The ultimate in economy and convenience!
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7,215 Posts
You can't play 'em all, but you can sure try... is my motto.
These are my primary horns with their approximate timeframes:
1. Clarinet - 1967 Selmer Series 9 (inheritance from a deceased uncle) I got this horn in about 1981.
2. Soprano Sax - 1920's Buffet - Evette & Schaeffer - bought from a high school friend (who is now deceased) in about 1974.
3. Alto Sax - 1963 Mark VI - bought from a person dropping out of college in 1978.
4. Tenor Sax - 1940 Balanced Action - bought from a music store in 1980.
I have played these almost exclusively since the years that I listed that I bought them. None of them have held me back musically...it is by far the other way !!!
1. Clarinet - 1967 Selmer Series 9 (inheritance from a deceased uncle) I got this horn in about 1981.
2. Soprano Sax - 1920's Buffet - Evette & Schaeffer - bought from a high school friend (who is now deceased) in about 1974.
3. Alto Sax - 1963 Mark VI - bought from a person dropping out of college in 1978.
4. Tenor Sax - 1940 Balanced Action - bought from a music store in 1980.
I have played these almost exclusively since the years that I listed that I bought them. None of them have held me back musically...it is by far the other way !!!
Bought my VI alto brand new in 1967, and it was my ONLY sax for 40 years. Only in recent years have I sampled the pro instruments of the past. I have enjoyed them all immensely, but none of them stands up to my VI. Some are brighter, some darker, some with wonderful low registers, some with edgy high registers; each has its own distinct character that it takes time to learn. But the VI does everything well (though not everything perfectly, as there is no such thing). It has been my partner through high school, university, graduate school, professional playing, teaching, everything. Perhaps if I had 40 years on a 6M, or The Martin, or King Zephyr/Super 20, or Buescher 140/400, I would feel similarly about one of them. But I played most of the above for a period of time each, after I had spent 40 years on saxophone, and so I learned their assets and deficits much more quickly. The VI does it for me; 44 years on it makes it a life partner musicially, and I know it "inside and out."
There is truth on both sides of the horn vs. player argument but I agree that once you really develop your sense of proper tone production on the sax, a good MK VI is hard to beat. I keep trying out other horns looking for a good back up to my tenor and I find some are decent and some are not but none have ever made me consider switching.
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