My favorite Selmer Altos

Manny, I've not heard of either one of these horns. So I have to second what Dave is saying. Play them, and take the time to compare them to a known product. $1200 is a nice chunk of change, so you want to know exactly what you've got before you shell out.
 
Manny,

Keep in mind, as Dave mentioned, that there is "Selmer Paris" and "Selmer USA"

The models you mentioned are Selmer USA

USA and Paris are, nowadays, two completely separate companies tied together by historical ties. Alexandre Selmer - Henri's brother, basically started Selmer USA to import his brothers instruments then as time grew on it dissapated into the gigantic conglomerate it is today.
 
Selmer Artist LTD 52 and Selmer Standard?

Thanks Pete, So ,in your opinion do these two seperate co.,USA and Paris, produce an Identical Horn,or similar in quality?

Manny:-D
 
Mmmm. Gandalfe = Jim. SteveSklar = Steve. DaveDolson=Dave. Pete = Pete.

I haven't posted in this thread for over a year ....

Selmer USA and Selmer Paris are two completely different companies. Selmer USA is, essentially, the former Buescher company. The new horns that they're producing (LaVoix, LaVie, etc.) aren't even made by them anymore: they're made in Taiwan/China.

As Dave mentioned.

It's like me trying to compare Yamaha to Martin. Different manufacturers, different concepts of what is a "quality" product.

There are no Taiwanese/Chinese horns that approach the quality of the Selmer Paris horns. However, there WERE some Selmer USA horns MADE A LONG TIME AGO that approached the quality of the Selmer Paris horns. My wife's 1981 Omega alto, for instance, is extremely nice.

Manny, you seem to be posting a bunch of questions about buying a "new" horn. How 'bout you just start a thread in General Discussion about, "I want to get a new/used horn. My budget is $. I like this stye of music. I've played these horns. What's your suggestion?"
 
Selmer USA did produce the Omega which was about as close to a Selmer Paris horn as they ever got, the early ones are very nice saxes....IMHO.
 
RE:

Thank you AGASTON,

Sorry for all the questions but I am new to this forum and forgive me for directing the question to to the wrong person Pete = Pete.
I have now become gun shy about asking anything here.
I am not an expert on saxophones and I am trying to learn all I can. I have owned and played Selmer mk vI, conn .,Bundy,martin,King,Buechser.I have been out of the loop for many years and am trying to get back into it.
All you help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks Again, Manny Chavez
 
AGaston said:
Selmer USA did produce the Omega which was about as close to a Selmer Paris horn as they ever got, the early ones are very nice saxes....IMHO.
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Me said:
However, there WERE some Selmer USA horns MADE A LONG TIME AGO that approached the quality of the Selmer Paris horns. My wife's 1981 Omega alto, for instance, is extremely nice.
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Great minds think alike, or something like that :p.
 
Helen said:
Don't sweat it Manny. We're here to help you.
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+1.

However, the point is that we're trying to "fix" your problem. If you just ask a bunch of random questions about saxophones, we won't be able to help you with your real issue, which does seem to be, "I wanna buy a cheap, but good, saxophone."

There's nothing wrong with that question. Everyone has different needs and amounts of cash.
 
RE;

No MR. Pete, I never said I wanted Cheap,I want to know what is available now that compares to the SELMER MK VI. As Helen knows, I have purchased a vintage Pierret Super Artiste which I am having rebuilt By Steve " Sarge" but am looking for another good horn with great sound.

Thanks, Manny:-D
 
Manny: I'd like to qualify my previous post about non-Selmer-Paris saxophones with the Selmer name on them. I assumed the two models you queried were new. I should have qualified my reply at that time.

Yes, there are used Selmer-USA horns out there, made in an era when some worksmanship went into them.

But lately, it seems Selmer (or what ever the über-corporate name is these days) has taken to buying Asian-made saxophones and slapping on them a variety of model designations (LaVoix comes to mind), calling them Selmers. There are even some such horns out there with the name "Selman" on them. To me, that is a not-so-clever marketing ploy to capture some sales from novice saxophone buyers who may think they are getting a known-name brand.

Even worse, in my view, was the recent introduction to the market of some really cheesy stuff labeled "Buescher".

So, while I am not making any blanket condemnations of these products (not too long ago I played a friend's Monique alto - he'd tweaked it himself - which was a marvelous horn), a potential buyer should know this info going into the deal and consider other similar "brand names" or even nice vintage horns before spending $1200 or so. DAVE
 
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Manny Chavez said:
No MR. Pete, I never said I wanted Cheap,I want to know what is available now that compares to the SELMER MK VI. As Helen knows, I have purchased a vintage Pierret Super Artiste which I am having rebuilt By Steve " Sarge" but am looking for another good horn with great sound.

Thanks, Manny:-D
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"Inexpensive", then. Your other post mentioned that you were interested in a Yamaha Allegro for $1200.

"Good horn with great sound" is a tad vague. I'd *assume* that you're looking for "French" -- so I'll just ignore the Yamaha.

SMLs are starting to become cheap, again. Look at the Buffet Dynaction or SuperDynaction.
 
Manny Chavez said:
No MR. Pete, I never said I wanted Cheap,I want to know what is available now that compares to the SELMER MK VI. As Helen knows, I have purchased a vintage Pierret Super Artiste which I am having rebuilt By Steve " Sarge" but am looking for another good horn with great sound.

Thanks, Manny:-D
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Now that you've said it that clearly, there are some really great players on this forum, who will be able to offer up their insights. The best thing you can do is start a specific thread in the Eb Alto section of the forum. There you can give us a bit of background about what your experiences are with your Mark VI, and what your looking for. Eg: vintage or new horn. Something like your Mark VI in what way? Ergonomics? Sound? Other? Once we've got that information, it's much easier to give you some input that will be helpful to you, rather than just rattling off a bunch of brand and model names which might not be what you're looking for.
 
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