I know that's probably a bit provocative of a title to some people, but I've learned a lot these past few months and I thought it would be nice to share.
I got a Selmer Mk VII new from my parents in 1978 or 1979 when I was in high school. I had just made first chair in the high school wind ensemble as a sophomore and they were very proud and scrimped and got it for me. It was much better than any of the school horns I had played, better than any of my peers' horns but not quite as nice as a Mk VI that I had access to occasionally. I played it all through high school and college, playing in my college jazz band. I'm no great shakes, but I was no beginner.
Since college I'd not played much, but someone dared me so I pulled it out and started playing again. After 42 years it needed an overhaul, so I found Mark Aronson (probably from someone here mentioning him) in Iowa (I'm in Texas) and shipped it off to him for some work.
I told him I hated the left hand pinky table and I almost tongue-in-cheek asked him to refit it to a Mk VI style. He saw that as a challenge. It ended up it that it would have cost me too much, but I enjoyed how hard he researched it, he seemed really excited to do it. I kind of feel like I let him down. But he told me that it looked like it wasn't adjusted well, so he made some major changes to how the keys were angled and I couldn't be happier. All those years of cussing it out are washed away.
He also found that the bell to body ring had a hidden crack. There were numerous other adjustments needed, some due to age, some because Selmer just simply put it together badly.
Okay, this is already too long. The result of Mark's work is that this horn is now simply amazing. The intonation is nothing like I ever remembered. I had always been told that I should expect some challenging notes for intonation, but I think my standards were too low. I can't believe how well it plays in tune, how responsive it is, and how good it sounds.
Mark told me that the real problem with the Mk VII wasn't the design. He said he thought it was actually a better design than the Mk VI. The problem is that Selmer's build quality slipped in the seventies, and that sloppiness from the factory gave it a bad reputation.
From my experience, the Mk VII can be a fantastic horn. I believed too much negativity about it and accepted a lot of flaws that could have been fixed. In my defense, we didn't have the internet or youtube back then to be exposed to the wealth of knowledge out there.
Mark Aronson is a miracle worker. I highly recommend him, and I love my Mk VII more than I ever have. Thanks, I just wanted to share.
I got a Selmer Mk VII new from my parents in 1978 or 1979 when I was in high school. I had just made first chair in the high school wind ensemble as a sophomore and they were very proud and scrimped and got it for me. It was much better than any of the school horns I had played, better than any of my peers' horns but not quite as nice as a Mk VI that I had access to occasionally. I played it all through high school and college, playing in my college jazz band. I'm no great shakes, but I was no beginner.
Since college I'd not played much, but someone dared me so I pulled it out and started playing again. After 42 years it needed an overhaul, so I found Mark Aronson (probably from someone here mentioning him) in Iowa (I'm in Texas) and shipped it off to him for some work.
I told him I hated the left hand pinky table and I almost tongue-in-cheek asked him to refit it to a Mk VI style. He saw that as a challenge. It ended up it that it would have cost me too much, but I enjoyed how hard he researched it, he seemed really excited to do it. I kind of feel like I let him down. But he told me that it looked like it wasn't adjusted well, so he made some major changes to how the keys were angled and I couldn't be happier. All those years of cussing it out are washed away.
He also found that the bell to body ring had a hidden crack. There were numerous other adjustments needed, some due to age, some because Selmer just simply put it together badly.
Okay, this is already too long. The result of Mark's work is that this horn is now simply amazing. The intonation is nothing like I ever remembered. I had always been told that I should expect some challenging notes for intonation, but I think my standards were too low. I can't believe how well it plays in tune, how responsive it is, and how good it sounds.
Mark told me that the real problem with the Mk VII wasn't the design. He said he thought it was actually a better design than the Mk VI. The problem is that Selmer's build quality slipped in the seventies, and that sloppiness from the factory gave it a bad reputation.
From my experience, the Mk VII can be a fantastic horn. I believed too much negativity about it and accepted a lot of flaws that could have been fixed. In my defense, we didn't have the internet or youtube back then to be exposed to the wealth of knowledge out there.
Mark Aronson is a miracle worker. I highly recommend him, and I love my Mk VII more than I ever have. Thanks, I just wanted to share.
