What makes the Selmer Mark 6 so special of a Sax?

[Michael]

Hey Johnny,
Just had a quick question about the Selmer Mark 6….what is it about that particular model of Sax that is so special? All of the pro players ramp-and-rave about it and I’ve heard stories of players who were endorsed by say Yamaha for example. When it came time to record in the studio, they put their Yamaha down and recorded on the Selmer instead (wonder if their Sponsors ever got word of them doing that LOL) Trevor James said their Sopranos are only the the developmental stage right now, so I looked at the Selmer line of Sopranos and they produced many high-quality Sopranos for good prices, which freaked me out because the Mark 6 is so expensive. For someone like me who just plays for fun and has a family to raise, a Mark 6 is simply out of the question…I’m more than content to just get a good, solid Sax with a great MP and it will last me for many, many years. Speaking about having fun, we get back together with the Blues Society in 2 weeks plus I meet privately with the UALR instructor tomorrow afternoon to get an assessment. 2016 is going to be a fun year here locally 🙂

[john]

Mark 6’s have gotten way too expensive. with several other good saxophones out there these days it doesn’t make sense for most people to spend that much on a sax. If you’re making a good living from it and money is not a problem at all then of course it may be the best sax you’ll find.
I can’t say for sure cause I haven’t tried them all, I have tried a few though and of those top models the selmer mark 6 played and sounded the best IMO.
A long time ago when Yamaha was no.2 I played one for a while and really liked it, I would even say they felt better than a 6 but when it came to the tone it was just that, no.2.
In this case it’s the material that’s used to make the sax. it’s a combination of brass, which is already made with several alloys and then there are more materials used…you’d have to look more into this but as I understand it, it’s not as much brass as a brass instrument like a trumpet, but more of a combination of other things and this is where Yamaha fell short in getting their horns to sound as good as the selmers.
also the 6 was just a high point in selmer’s genius production. it was an improvement over the models that came before it and as they made changes to the models that came after it, many people didn’t think they were superior to the 6 so it remains the favorite amoung most of us.
the 7 is a perfect example… I have one and it sounds a little better than the 6 but for me, selmer messed up with the left hand cluster (Bb,B,C#).
they made it too big and so it’s a little cumbersome, maybe it’s just me cause of my smaller hands. so they succeeded in making a better sounding horn but messed up in another area, and so it goes. I guess the 6 is considered to be as close to a perfect all-round saxophone as there is.

[wayne wojnarowski]

Another good topic I have a Yanigasawa Alto I have had it for quite some time. I’m happy with my tone I just got a Meyer 8
MP from a Yanigasawa 7. Iv’e been thinking about a new horn ? Will a “BETTER HORN ” sound that much better?? Whats a better horn??

[Jazz Cat]

well said Johnny re MkVI vs yamahas; most pros I’ve seen use MkVIs though getting a good used one is too pricey nowadays. I chose a yas62 over mkVi back in the 70s since key action/speed felt much crisper on the yamaha, for playing bird/bebop. haven’t tried a yani but I know they’re a top model too. i’m a yamaha fan for life, will continue w/them since action is so good/responsive, even on the yts23 student tenor I’m using (I’ll buy a yts62 someday). likely best to go to a music store and test out a few makes to play side-by-side. the yts23 is more clunky/esp. octave key compared to yas62 pro alto; the pro horn is much smoother, faster, fine-engineered.

[john]

Trying them out side by side is the only way to do it (if you’re luck enough, remember some people don’t have that luxury)

@ Wayne, you have a good horn, I would invest in a better mouthpiece instead. A better mp is the biggest improvement we can do for tone. I’m going to be ordering 2 new Guardala models very soon and will let you guys know all about these. as you may know I’ve been playing only on Dave Guardala originals for the last 25 years so this is a big deal!

[Michael]

Johnny,
PLEASE post something here on your site about them. Are you thinking about switching to another Guardala besides the MBII you’ve been using?

[john]

The one I’ve been using is called MB or MBI which is the first and original Michael Brecker model that Dave Guardala designed for Brecker.
So…. I found a guy who is not only reproducing Dave’s original designs but is expanding on them. I’m going to try the MBII and MBII FATBOY
these are supposedly improvemnents over the MBI and so I have to check em out. (the FATBOY is a bigger piece so very curious about this one)
I’ll post more as soon as I get them.

[Pete]

[Pete]

[john]

not sure, I’m just a player who doesn’t get too crazy about trying every sax I can get my hands on.
But what I can tell you is I’ve never yet played a nicer sax than the mark 6 I have owned for almost 30 years.
they just feel perfect, I think. the selmer company just nailed it during this time period of making their horns
which was sometime around the 40-50’s to 1975, at which point they stopped the 6 and introduced the 7. I have a mark 7 as well.
it sounds maybe better than the 6 but doesn’t feel as perfect because of the changes they made. The question “is it over rated” is one I hear at least a couple times a year and my answer is no, it’s not over rated if you have one and it feels like the best sax you ever played.

[Author]

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