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Review Super Action 80 Serie I Tenor

Details;
-Clear Lacquered original 90%+ remaining
-SN 341,XXX (made in 1984 according to Selmer chart)

Modifications;
-During some part of the horn's life, a previous owner had the left hand B key (LH1) repositioned to be closer to the bis key. Subsequently, part of the bis pearl cup has been filed down
-Noyek resonators and waterproofed pads were added during an overhaul by Jim Germann http://www.hollisgermannmusic.com/
-As part of his overhaul, Jim solders a small metal bar on top of the RH1 keycup. The bar pushes down on the keycup directly above it. This relieves some of the pressure from the lower stack rod mechanism and helps keep it in adjustment. This mod was also done to Michael Brecker's saxophones. Jim was Michael's tech.

It is hard to find details on the Serie I. They were produced from around 1980-85. I bought this horn because of the low price it was going for on eBay. I picked it up for just under $1,800 and that price is virtually unheard of for a Selmer Tenor these days. The horn played well upon delivery, but there were some mechanical issues. The pads were original and some leaked. The rods and overall action needed some work. After an extensive overhaul, the horn plays like a dream. One thing I did note, it was difficult to bring this horn up to the volume of a Conn 10M or a good VI. The tone was good, but I wasn't able to get that extra "oomph" that you can get out of a fine American vintage horn (or some French horns for that matter). All of this changed when I added a Series III neck.

Now to clarify, I was not looking for a replacement neck for this horn. Actually, I wanted a Selmer SA80 neck for my Chinese Bently tenor. The Bently is based off of the SA80II, which is typical for most Chinese stencils these days. That horn plays ok, but the palm keys blew about 1/4 tone sharp and I was uncomfortable trying to lip these notes down on a fly. One day I experimented by putting my SA80 neck onto the Bently, and the intonation problem was fixed. In fact, the Bentley now played VERY well. Figuring that there was a flaw in the design of the original Bently neck, I wanted another Selmer neck in order to have a backup horn that is comparable to my 80. When browsing through some forums, I discovered some reports that the Serie III neck really works wonders for the Serie I horns. So I figured what the heck, I'll try one of the III necks on both of my tenors and surely it'll work great for one of the horns. I found a lacquered Serie III neck for the right price online and ordered it.

Well, the issue with the lack of "oomph" in the SA80 disappeared the instant I put the III neck on the horn. Projection greatly improved. In fact the tenor now blew as loud as my New Wonder alto. The new neck also removed a lot of the resistance from the horn. Intonation was spot on just as it had been with the original neck, but the altissimo and overtone series were now much easier to sound. Given the reputation that the Serie III tenor is a "Bright" horn, I was half expecting this III neck to brighten up my 80's tone. Fortunatly, it did not. Putting this neck onto the horn was the equivalent of hitting the "Loudness" button on your home stereo. Meaning that it just brought out what was already there. The horn can now be a real paint peeler. It is still very capable of ballad work. Subtoning is a breeze, and the low end is really buttery even when playing at pp. The overall tone has that Selmer Core, but it is a little more contemporary in sound when comparing it with a VI. The tone is more nuetral than the Serie III tenors I have played. For me that's a good thing as I like to have the option of adjusting the overall tone with a different mouthpiece. By this I mean it is possible to get a dark sound out of my horn, and it would be more difficult to get a similiar sound out of the brighter Serie III tenors.

I have compared the horn with several Mark VI tenors, and I still prefer my horn. In fact, I'm not the only player who has said this. One VI owner has played and prefers my horn. The thing he was really disgusted about was the fact he had payed about $6,500 for his ax. After putting in some bucks for the overhaul and neck, I have spent about $2,700 on the tenor. Another interesting note is that I nearly converted a JK SX90 player as well. After playing on my horn he stated, "I never knew that a Selmer could do that".

Ergonomics are wonderful on this horn. I have and always will prefer the pearl front F to the metal teardrop style. Fortunately, the Serie I sports the pearl. The modification to the B key really works well when I'm using the bis. Rolling back and forth to sound the bis key is really nice and easy on the fingers. My only gripe are the "ergonomic" Eb/C spatulas. I think that Selmer had it right when they made the VI. These keys should be flat, and the bent design just feels a little sloppy in comparison. Of course that's just my opinion. The action with the factory setup is heavy. After the overhaul, this horn is light and springy to the touch. The horn has some miles on it, and it feels very VI like.

All in all, this is currently a very undervalued horn in the Selmer line. Get one of these horns, and if you're still not impressed, try the Serie III neck. You will have a relatively inexpensive tenor that will turn the heads of the die hard VI crowd. The original neck has since gone to my Bently permanently.
 
Nice review. I've been tempted more than once to pick up a Serie I tenor.

I also prefer the pearl on the front f. Probably from always playing horns that had a pearl and not a teardrop.
 
Ed Svoboda said:
I also prefer the pearl on the front f. Probably from always playing horns that had a pearl and not a teardrop.

I prefer the pearl because I lift my finger to use the key. Whenever I lift and put my finger on the teardrop style key, it just feels awkward. The metal key almost makes me think that I missed my mark and am hitting a rod or keycup. If I rolled my finger to use the key, my opinion would probably be different.

I would love to get my hands on a Serie I alto just to compare it with my tenor experience. Unfortunatly, this seems to be one of the more difficult models to find. It's kind of funny, I've been able to play on every alto make from the BA-Reference with the only exception being the elusive Serie I. I have played plenty of II altos though, and I like them a lot. In the case with the tenors, the Serie II has a lot in common with the Serie I. In fact, the differences I spotted were mostly cosmetic in nature. I'm under the assumption that the altos follow the same rule.
 
Even when I have played horns with the teardrop I still find myself lifting my finger. I have no doubt that the teardrop is probably a faster way to play but I'm not sure I'll break myself of the habit anytime soon.
 
I like the teardrop because you can roll your finger up onto it.

Hey, celebrate the differences!
 
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