[LukeAndHisSax]

Hey,
Are Selmer Mark VII's any good? I am currently interested in buying one for $2300 that is silver plated and in really good condition. Does the silver make any difference? What is your guys opinion?

EDIT-
It is a tenor and the neck that comes with it is a Mark VI neck. Will that neck do anything different than the Mark VII neck? Also im a fairly advanced player and have played a small but large variety of horns. Yanagisawa A 901, Mark VI, Yamaha yts 23, 52 (mark Vi was alto and i only played it for an hour)

 

[Sigmund451]

Run the search.

First you have to play it and decide.

It is not a VI so get that out of your mind.

If you have big hands its ok. The ergos arent the best, in fact they are kind of stupid.

The price is good. Finish is not important.

I assume we are talking tenors.

 

[ericdano]

Yeah, you need to play it. For that price you could get a Barone or something....

 

[Sigmund451]

Well....not to take a thing from Barone horns but I dont think a horn from Taiwan is in the same league investment wise as a Selmer.

Just to argue with myself: I would probably rather play a Barone than a VII in terms of comfort.

If you dig the sound and you are comfortable with the ergos its a fair deal if its in good shape.
Have you played a lot of horns or are you just buying a Selmer just cuz?

(no offense, just asking. There are a lot of great horns out there to be had) And again, a VII is not a cheap VI.

 

[magical pig]

Play it. Some MKVII's sound really close to late VI's. Mine does.

The ergonomics and weight of the horn can be a problem for some people, but most Taiwanese horn I tried didn't have comfortable ergonomics and were heavy, and they sure didn't have that Selmer core. Some don't care for it, I for one couldn't live without it.

As for the silver plating, it is a subject of an endless and wild debate as to whether or not it makes any difference in tone. It sure is harder to care for than traditional lacquer if you live next to the ocean or in a hot and damp area.

It would be a good idea to bring it to a competent tech for an evaluation before buying it if you have the opportunity.

 

[spike421]

This my opinion, others will differ. Finish means nothing, but individual horns will differ. The VII has it's own sound, (different than the VI) which, for me, was dark and focused/centered; at least the one I owned was. Your mouthpiece will play a large part in that. Unless you have small hands, you will become acustomed to the larger left hand "pinky" keys. They are well built and probably undervalued. Most importantly, it's best to try it. Price should be from $1700 - $2200. based on condition.

 

[Sigmund451]

I hated the right hand lay out worse than the left. The C and Eb were just too far to reach comfortably. Im sure I could adjust to it but I wasnt inclined to be bothered with it.

 

[Woosax]

In that price range I would look for a nice used Yamaha Custom Z.

 

[LukeAndHisSax]

It is a tenor and the neck that comes with it is a Mark VI neck. Will that neck do anything different than the Mark VII neck?

 

[sonnymobleytrane]

Some VIIs are good horns and you can find some real bargains.

 

[Thomas]

I kept a MK VII tenor in addition to my MK VI tenors, for 30+ years. If it hadn't been a good horn I wouldn't have kept it 30 days. It was as good as any MK VI-in some ways better...but different. I have medium/small hands and I never found the ergonomics a problem...just different...and easily could switch back and forth between a VI and the VII. The VIIs are a great Selmer tenor with great tone and tons of power and as somebody mentioned way undervalued. I sold mine 6 or 7 years ago for $2850.00.

 

[magical pig]

It is a tenor and the neck that comes with it is a Mark VI neck. Will that neck do anything different than the Mark VII neck?

Yes it's possible it won't sound as good and suck the life out of the horn. You gotta play it man.

 

[Ed Geddes]

I have a VII and some time ago tested it against the series II, 54, series III and a yanagasawa 901. I was looking for power. The only one that stood up was the series III. In fact my comment at the time was they have reinvented the VII. My VII is harder to play than the series III, not as easy in the lower notes but I decided to stick with it. Never had the fortune to try a good VI.

 

[Bubba06]

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?98161-Mark-VII

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?135014-Is-the-Mark-VII-a-bad-horn?s=

-Bubba-

 

[AG]

the VI tenor neck on a VII will give you a different angle, some folks didn't like the VII tenor neck angle and that's very likely why that horn has a VI neck. as for the sound difference I dunno, depends on the neck. the VII neck generally works better with the VII. I tried a VI neck on my VII alto & thought it was stuffy sounding, on the other hand I have a sterling silver III neck that's really good, and I still use the orig VII neck too.

you'll run across some really good VII's and then some that aren't so good, same as with any horn. you have to try it before you'll know for sure. the VII's are well built, powerful horns with good intonation. the erognomics to me even on the tenor aren't any more awkward than some of the vintage horns, and the alto isn't a problem at all.....at least not for me.

 

[Dr G]

Buy it.

You can always sell it and lose money when you find it was a mistake.

 

[saxphil]

You can buy the VII tenor and sell the VI neck for $600-$800, or for whatever crazy money they fetch on ebay.

Get a used VII or Phil Barone neck < $200 or a III neck.

 

[dexdex]

It is a tenor and the neck that comes with it is a Mark VI neck. Will that neck do anything different than the Mark VII neck?

It is very likely to do quite a difference. I use a Ref54 neck on my MkVII tenor, it really opens up the horn. You should observe a similar effect.

 

[Grumps]

I am currently interested in buying one for $2300 that is silver plated and in really good condition.

Overpriced considering it's missing its original neck.

 

[LukeAndHisSax]

If i could get it for 2k than sell the neck for 750 than buy a Phil barone neck for like 250 this horn will only cost me 1500$'. Is this a good deal for a horn that is in perfect condition and plays really good.