Gear Acquisition Syndrome afflicts not only sax players but trumpet players, clarinet players, and especially guitarists. It's an unfortunate and inevitable part of the process of searching for your personal sound. That elusive sound that you hear in your head. Even after you find the sound in your head from time to time doubt will creep in and off you go on the search for equipment to fix what needs to be fixed with more practice, long tones, or sometimes a short break from playing.
How do you love the one you're with?
It's interesting that many of my personal heros in jazz played most of their career on the same horn or just a couple of different horns. Zoot Sims played on a Selmer Radio Improved and mostly played on a vintage Brilhart. Gerry Mulligan played on old Conn's and a Gregory. Phil Woods spent most of his career on a Selmer Mark VI with a New York Meyer only to switch in recent years to a prototype Yamaha 82Z. Mulligan was obviously quite successful and at one point did try to play a Selmer Mark VI bari but didn't find it to his liking. He had bonded with his horn and it had become a large part of how he played. The same can be said for Cannonball Adderley. Cannonball sounds like Cannonball on a King Super 20 with a Meyer. Paul Desmond played a SBA for his whole career in spite of doing ads for the Mark VI. Michael Brecker played Mark VI's except for when he was helping Selmer push their latest horns or using a Mark VII as a stunt horn on an album cover.
The obvious advantage of sticking with a given horn once you find the one is that you can learn it inside out. Switching horns every couple of years can stifle your development of your personal sound unless the new horn truly does get you closer to that sound in your head. To love the one you're with you have to really love the tone that you get out of your setup. It's without a doubt identifiable to your friends and family and section mates as you when you play just one note. Where you take it from there is up to your talent. But the next time you think about switching horns think about Mulligan playing on a Berg and a Mark VI and feel in your soul how wrong that would be.
How do you love the one you're with?
It's interesting that many of my personal heros in jazz played most of their career on the same horn or just a couple of different horns. Zoot Sims played on a Selmer Radio Improved and mostly played on a vintage Brilhart. Gerry Mulligan played on old Conn's and a Gregory. Phil Woods spent most of his career on a Selmer Mark VI with a New York Meyer only to switch in recent years to a prototype Yamaha 82Z. Mulligan was obviously quite successful and at one point did try to play a Selmer Mark VI bari but didn't find it to his liking. He had bonded with his horn and it had become a large part of how he played. The same can be said for Cannonball Adderley. Cannonball sounds like Cannonball on a King Super 20 with a Meyer. Paul Desmond played a SBA for his whole career in spite of doing ads for the Mark VI. Michael Brecker played Mark VI's except for when he was helping Selmer push their latest horns or using a Mark VII as a stunt horn on an album cover.
The obvious advantage of sticking with a given horn once you find the one is that you can learn it inside out. Switching horns every couple of years can stifle your development of your personal sound unless the new horn truly does get you closer to that sound in your head. To love the one you're with you have to really love the tone that you get out of your setup. It's without a doubt identifiable to your friends and family and section mates as you when you play just one note. Where you take it from there is up to your talent. But the next time you think about switching horns think about Mulligan playing on a Berg and a Mark VI and feel in your soul how wrong that would be.