[saxspy]

I recently made a video covering the differences between a VI and a VII, and playtests as well. Even against a 5-Digit Brecker era VI, the VII held its ground and many people preferred it. What do you think?

 

[Grumps]

I had a VII tenor I played from age 16 to 46. Then every VI I tried beat the hell out of it. After shelving it for a couple years in favor of vintage American tenors, I took it out again. Couldn't believe I ever played it for so long. Absolutely hated it. So off it went.

Generally, when folks do these side by sides, they are often biased in the results they wish to convey. Thus they might put a bit more effort or feeling into the piece of equipment they wish for you to favor. I kinda got that vibe from some of your playtesting. It couldn't hide the more whiney high end of the VII, as well as its more boomy low end in comparison to the VI. That's always been the problem with VII tenors. That and the poor bow to bell connection.

 

[14470]

I recently made a video covering the differences between a VI and a VII, and playtests as well. Even against a 5-Digit Brecker era VI, the VII held its ground and many people preferred it. What do you think?

As always best not to draw conclusions from comparing just one horn of each make/model, but your take happens to fits my own well. Given the oddities of the pinky clusters and the angling of the neck, it does require a bit of an open mind to like a VII.

 

[saxspy]

I had a VII tenor I played from age 16 to 46. Then every VI I tried beat the hell out of it. After shelving it for a couple years in favor of vintage American tenors, I took it out again. Couldn't believe I ever played it for so long. Absolutely hated it. So off it went.

Generally, when folks do these side by sides, they are often biased in the results they wish to convey. Thus they might put a bit more effort or feeling into the piece of equipment they wish for you to favor. I kinda got that vibe from some of your playtesting. It couldn't hide the more whiney high end of the VII, as well as its more boomy low end in comparison to the VI. That's always been the problem with VII tenors. That and the poor bow to bell connection.

The statement of bias is unfounded, as you can hear in the side by side clips here. The performance is as close to identical as you can get. http://instagr.am/p/B9Kj7T9BPed/ If there were any bias, it would be towards my own horn, which also negates that statement. I take great care to perform and make my videos as objective as possible.

 

[Grumps]

I take great care to perform and make my videos as objective as possible.

Double-blind. Look it up.

 

[Tranechaser]

The statement of bias is unfounded, as you can hear in the side by side clips here. The performance is as close to identical as you can get. http://instagr.am/p/B9Kj7T9BPed/ If there were any bias, it would be towards my own horn, which also negates that statement. I take great care to perform and make my videos as objective as possible.

You forgot the #1 rule of SOTW - Grumps is right about everything and nobody else knows anything.

 

[liggy]

Well... yeah. 7 is only one away from 6 🙂


I had a VII alto for a time. Sounded pretty good. Hated the left hand pinky table.

Felt way too big.

I basically bought it to resell as I found it cheap and in very nice original lacquer.

Wasn';t going to replace my VI or my 62S for sure.

 

[B Flat]

You forgot the #1 rule of SOTW - Grumps is right about everything and nobody else knows anything.

He's new.
He'll learn.

 

[warp x]

I had a VII tenor I played from age 16 to 46. Then every VI I tried beat the hell out of it. After shelving it for a couple years in favor of vintage American tenors, I took it out again. Couldn't believe I ever played it for so long. Absolutely hated it. So off it went.

Generally, when folks do these side by sides, they are often biased in the results they wish to convey. Thus they might put a bit more effort or feeling into the piece of equipment they wish for you to favor. I kinda got that vibe from some of your playtesting. It couldn't hide the more whiney high end of the VII, as well as its more boomy low end in comparison to the VI. That's always been the problem with VII tenors. That and the poor bow to bell connection.

You may have just had a bad one. It happens; even Selmer makes a lemon every now and then. I've played great VII's and awful VI's. Here's a little video of a nice solo performance played on a VII

 

[Alain Gen]

You may have just had a bad one. It happens; even Selmer makes a lemon every now and then. I've played great VII's and awful VI's. Here's a little video of a nice solo performance played on a VII

Thank you for the nice video!

 

[Grumps]

You may have just had a bad one.

No. It was a good one. Made a lot of great music with it, even getting to play it onstage with Ethel Ennis, and another time with Charlie Byrd. It was bought new for me when I was a kid and I absolutely loved that horn. Others from the site here got to play it at a get together we had just after the turn of the century. It shocked them. They didn't think it was a bad horn at all. Then I played a handful of VI tenors and everything changed. You can get used to playing anything, you know.

 

[14470]

You may have just had a bad one.

You know, there are probably more posts about this particular - and likely peculiar - VII on SOTW than all others combined.

 

[warp x]

No. It was a good one. Made a lot of great music with it, even getting to play it onstage with Ethel Ennis, and another time with Charlie Byrd. It was bought new for me when I was a kid and I absolutely loved that horn. Others from the site here got to play it at a get together we had just after the turn of the century. It shocked them. They didn't think it was a bad horn at all. Then I played a handful of VI tenors and everything changed. You can get used to playing anything, you know.

How many other VII tenors have you played?

 

[Grumps]

How many other VII tenors have you played?

Good question. I can think of only two others over the years, and a couple VII altos (one owned by a high school buddy). This issue gets dragged over the coals all the time here. And generally the folks that defend VII tenors always say the ones complaining are never the ones that owned them. I simply offer my perspective, having had one as my primary horn for decades. If someone likes their VII tenor, that's fine and dandy, and they should just be happy with it and not worry about it not being a VI.

 

[Tranechaser]

You may have just had a bad one.

You know, there are probably more posts about this particular - and likely peculiar - VII on SOTW than all others combined.

Whalers relac BA that he got for $3200 is the most famous horn on SOTW.