$12,000 Selmer Mark VI Saxophone Vs. $3,979 Nexus One Saxophone 

We’re already SOLD OUT of the Nexus Select and Nexus One saxophones, as well as the Nexus Edge Mouthpiece BUT we’re taking a limited amount of pre-orders that will ship in the next few weeks! Nexus Elite Reeds are available to ship today! For more info: www.nexussaxophones.com

The horn looks SO GOOD WOW. As I am listening, it seems that C is my favorite. It’s got that extra layer of meaty beefiness I like. Let’s see which one it is… NEXUS SELECT LET’S GOOOO

(A) was my favorite.

The sound of the keywork gave the selmer away. The clickety clicks sound like a horn with some hours. I liked the sound of C, select the best.

Nexus One has a FAT low register that I absolutely love. But the VI has such a distinct focused sound which is iconic. I could tell immediately which was the VI.

I was surprised that (A)was favorite sounding horn. The sound was in my ears eye the strongest and most complete. I like the looks of the select however, that has nothing to do with the sound. Hip hip!!!

Great video guys! Can’t wait to get mine, counting the days! Congratulations on the launch!

I figured B was the Selmer just because it sounded different from the other two, but I have no ear for tenors.

I love the Nexus saxophone sound! I think I actually prefer the One, i.e. the A choice.

I love the sound of all the instruments, and you can definitely tell the difference between the Nexus horns, it really isn't something I can exactly word, but it's there. Still, you can tell how well the Mk VI plays and its on a tier of its own, but that might also be because of Chad's knowledge of all the idiosyncrasies of his instrument. You can't always chalk your shortcomings to the instrument, but you can obviously tell the craftsmanship and detailed work they have put in to cater to your goal sound and comfort.

I knew what "B" was from the clack of the keyword... and the nice punch in the sound. They're all amazing, kudos!

A > B > C in my book. Low end response on A sounded great, and I enjoyed its balanced brightness

It's so weird, I actually prefered A on the blind test and even in the video that Chad posted on his instragram. The One, to me, has a more complex sound than the Select. B was last! Go figure, I'm excited to try these horns!

Great job guys.I chose A and C in the blindfold test and I owned a Selmer Mark 6 made in the '70's. They sound much warmer and more resonant without the bright tones of the Selmer. I must add that I am particularly fussy when selecting an instrument whether it be a saxophone, guitar or piano. Only the highest standards will do. Good luck with your super saxophones 🎷 💙 👍 👏 ❤.

I thought A sounded the best. I heard the brightness in C and assumed it was the select and then heard a lot of the key clicking in B so assumed it was the VI. Really cool stuff you guys are able to produce and market here. Very convincing

As a Selmer MK VI Collector, I know, that each MK VI Sounds different. Even when the Series Numbers very close together. If you like to find your Selmer with your Sound, you need a Dealer with Minimum 20 Selmer MK VI in Stock. I know that the Company "Legendary Saxophones" in Germany has 150 Selmer MK VI in Stock. Here I found my MK VI. Another important thing is the Action of the Keys. I never touched a Saxophone with better feeling for my Finger tips as Selmer MK VI.

I liked A the most

Great test. I had a Mark VI tenor from 1964 about 10 years and had to sell it about 10 years ago:-( I picked up the VI in the first 2-4 bars of your playing. This test of yours strengthened my feelings that there is still no horn like it that I have heard yet. It seems like it should be fairly easy to reverse engineer the VI, but so far I have heard nothing that does it, yet. Thanks for this awesome test!

My first choice was B it sounds so crisp I thought that was the Mark VI but when the C played I said oh this one I love it I thought it was the Mark VI but when they showed it I was surprised! The Nexus sounds beautiful I would definitely buy it! Thanks for this post!!!

Glad to say I recognised the MkVI in the blindfold listen(I have one) but liked "A" best followed by "C". My preferred horns now are pre-war Conn 10M & 30M for their fuller, richer sound over my MkVI. The Nexus One is certainly impressively tempting, with its strong voice. Lighter weight & no high F# also good features.

My vote’s for the Nexus One; nice full tone with the right amount of edge!! Awesome horn👍🎷

I think the VI has a certain focus that the One doesn't have. It's between the VI and Select for me, but I think the VI has a fuller sound that I prefer. All three sound wonderful, would love to see some altos in the future!

I personally liked B the most, but it could be because I’m biased and have a Mk6 alto. For literally a third of the cost, this is absolutely insane that you guys created such an amazing horn. I may need to take a visit to Boston sometime soon now!

Great sounding horns all three - for me, the VI has the best intonation, though, especially in the high register.

B is a classic sound C is amazing and A will cover all the tenor sounds for the gigs

Really cool video! I love in-depth videos like these a lot

I like B the best, but I’m biased as I have a VI alto and tenor. Took me years to find them, as there are plenty of bad ones around. Having said that, the Nexus horns are very impressive and extremely close. I can imagine they are easier to play too. Would love to try them.

Good grief the Nexus ones low end is insane, I love it.

The Select seems like a balance of both but I like The One and M6 more. I favor the centering and projection of the M6 but I like the sizzle and open sound of the One. I was planning on buying a tenor soon so I can't wait to test them myself.

My guess was A: mk6, B: silver, C: brass. and my fav one was B. AFter seeing the correct answers, I was surprised by how bright the mk6 sounded like. A to me is the darkest, and B was the brightest, C is in the middle. But again, the price of the Nexus' are just too good to beat.

I could tell the mark 6 was B. from the first few notes, that iconic sound. less boomy in the low end and a bit thin up top. after hearing C I could tell it was just like A.

I honestly selected B in the blind test. Not to say the Nexus horns sounded “bad” or even really “worse” at all. (It’s hard to say anything you play is anything less than excellent, after all) I just preferred the sound of the Mark VI overall. It’s the focus and depth that really stood out to my ears. I will also agree with an earlier commenter that the Nexus horns are much quieter in the key work. The Selmer is fairly noisy! All three instruments sound great. (No surprise, given the player) Still gotta give the honest edge to the old standard though.

I guessed right! Of course, the difference between the three is very subtle, but Nexus One had the perfect sound for me. Mk6 sounded like a Mk6! Maybe struggling to get the low notes? And the Select had a bit more "ring" in the opening notes. All sound great though. Well. They would in the hands of someone like Chad LB!! Can't wait for one of these horns to come to the uk!

I liked B the best, followed by a very close C. They all sounded great. I found A to have a more spread out sound. Not a bad thing, I just preferred the other two over it. Having said that, I'd gladly have any one of them as my tenor, which I don't have one at the moment. Saving up for one

Sound wise all great the give away was the one with the most time on it. The new horns both sounded great "C" sounded maybe a little better to me, but no better than the Selmer. Really the biggest difference was in the key noise.

i liked A best, so well done you guys at Nexus

They have different characters but I honestly can't say which I like best. You guys did a great job.

They all sounded good, and similar as to all quality horns. Did the blind test and my choice was B, but I think it would have been much easier to judge if you had played identical patterns on each horn. You are a great player btw!

Liked A and B equally, just different sounds that both were great. A had a lot of character and B was more straight at you (focused?) C was my least liked sound, thinner, but was still good, just not to my liking. After the reveal I'm glad that the One had my interest and was not simply blown away by the VI. Your mouthpiece has me wanting to order as well, dammit. Very cool, thanks.

After few days playing the nexus one I have to say this horn comes as advertised. Built quality is second to none , I absolutely love it.

lorrddtttt, I need more gigs! What a great tenor! Bravo!!

Had all three correct. Really like the timbre of A

Art is as subjective as taste, as falling in love, in Spain we say: for tastes, colors.

GREAT JOB. THE SELECT IS UNIQUE.

my ranking was C, A, B ... so nice work guys :)

I think ultimately it's not as much the sound the horn makes but how hard you have to work to get the sound you want. I could hear slight differences between the tones in the recordings but I couldn't tell which was which. I think the main difference is how the horn feels to the player, which is really hard to show and not tell in a video. I'd certainly love to compare the Nexus with my horn, it looks and sounds quite beautiful.

Did you expect him to say the Mark VI was a better horn? It's like comparing a Chevrolet to a Rolls-Royce

I guessed it. Selmer was brighter and sounded beautiful plus I could hear the keys clank.

I like the Nexus One!

I haven't checked out the images yet, but from the blind test I'd say B is definitely my favorite. So open, and resonant, fluid. A is nice, but more tamed. C just felt too tamed and sorta unfocused. B is really amazing tho, whatever that might be!

You got me. I picked the Selmer as A or C. It was B! Great job on the instrument! In reflecting on my selection, B and C had the best consistency of timbre from high to low notes. A simple tweak in the register above activating the octave key might put your “lower model” the same league as the select but a lower cost option. However, it’s possible you know that and that’s the difference between the models and there’s a marketing or cost cutting reason behind it. I love my Yamaha YTS62 (pre mass production) but would keep an open mind for the Nexus brand as a recommendation for others looking to purchase a “Cadillac” saxophone. 🍻

Your key noise gave away the mark vi! But man you guys nailed it, these nexus saxophones sound fantastic and dare I say I even preferred the nexus one out of them all.

Oh how I wish you would have done the reveal in a follow-up vid instead of this one! I’m guessing comments about the VI would have been a bit less confident! Great job and thanks for the vid!!

I play trumpet so not in the market for a sax. I did pick "B" to be the Mark VI it is just so solid all across the whole scale. If you could get the upper and mid range of the all brass Nexus and the low end of the silver bell Nexus incorporated in to one it would be nearly as good as the Selmer. I would say both Nexus sound better than the average off the shelf out of the box horns...

nexxus sounds really good good work guys 🙌👊👌🏻

The mechanical noise gave away the mark 6. I guessed correctly! a and c sound very similar a little more “vintage sound” from A. I think the nexus gives the vintage sound we expect which shows the mark 6 to be a very focused sound and not so “vintage” in tone All sounds great!

It's hard to beat a MKVI, but horn #3 came close ! Next on my purchase list !

B was my favorite, C I didn’t care for, but if A is one of your horns it’s very impressive for 4 grand

I love the most C then A and then B.

Both Nexus horns sound more like Conn NWII... They sound really nice!!

I guessed all 3 correctly! Great horns, guys!

Chad, the sound of the keys clacking in B told me right away it was the Mark VI… The sound is also a lot more robust and even throughout. You should analyze the frequencies through an FFT. The lows on the VI are more aggressive, the resistance of the horn being greater to the sound pressure. Lots more to say, but other horns sound great as well, but a lot modern. Keep up the good work it’s really neat to hear the difference. Even through RU-vid compression algorithms

Sorry to say B was clearly best from the jump. I scored 100% on the blind test with the mark VI sound clearly most pleasing. Another indicator was that you seemed noticeably more fluid/comfortable on the mark VI compared to the others. The select seemed decent but no mark VI. I did not like as much the timbre of the one.

nexus one for me. i figured which one was the selmer because of the clacking sound, probably some adjustment corks that got really thin through aging.

I recognized the MkVI right away. Has a distinctive clearer and focused sound. A and B have a more muffled tone but are pleasant sounding. No criticisms. 🎷

Second one sounded cleaner than the first, and then the third just sounded like a better horn than the first two - I was surprised to hear such a clear difference on the third one. This does mean I was wrong about which sax was which, and it also means you've done a REAL good job here. I stand by my judgement - to me, horn C sounds the best.

The selmer does have a narrower sound, but it's so rich and colorful, I'd have to say the selmer is still the best. I did pick B from the blind test.

A was the sax with the most edge, B sounded like the MKVI a tighter sound and C was kinda mellow. I have three MKVI tenors and each one sounds different.I have a very early MK VI ( kangaroo pads) my dad's old horn. , also a model 124 series ('65) it's my main horn with metal resos. with lacquer off very well rounded horn. and I have a later MK VI a 1971 much brighter MKVI was bought as a back up great for more rock/contemporary gigs. I do really dig the sound of the horn A. Nice comparison! maybe a 4th tenor on the horizon :)

Great horns, especially the select. Sounds like my silversonic (from the good era), a killer player with an enormous vibe in your hands. The ergonomics off the king are for the somewhat bigger hands. I wonder how the nexuses feel. At first glans you guys made a very special horn witch has a lot off ease when played.

I heard it right away. Because the nexus has an amazingly subtone, but the selmer had that typical direct sound. With the selmer your tone is going a little in the direction "Michael Brecker". But I can imagine that if someone likes to articulate as soft as you do, the nexus is a support.

Nexus select it is the best for me

I loved B and pretty much knew that it was your VI because it sounds like my VI.

What a cool project - I bet Emilio would approve! You should make a model with wood putty extensions on the palm keys painted with the sellers favorite color of sparkly finger nail polish ;^) #1 - Sounded deep and free-blowing #2 - Warm and intimate, but more contained. It sounded like home to me so I guessed it was the VI and I was right! #3 - Punchy attack!

Got all three right but liked A best. So full and complex. Then B and C at last. Didn't care for how focused the select was or maybe a little thinner? I'm not sure what it was but it didn't do much for me - in this comparison, of course.

If you can figure out a way to get relaxed brass and a tension-free brass-bending, and placing of keys/holes, you’ll hit a home run!

The initial price of these Nexus saxophones was very tempting, but the new prices (~$1500 more?) makes them far less tempting. Seems like a crazy jump. Note sure if there was an explanation. Simply demand maybe?

I think the Selmer has a certain focus and complexity that is just tough to beat. However, with that being said, Nexus did a great job at recreating that legendary MKVI sound on their horns.

B is killin. You sound nice on all of them and they all sound like you could gig on them tomorrow but B had a depth and punch that was best.

Damn I think I want one. Awesome work Chad

A sounded really nice but they all did to be honest great work 🙌👊👌🏻

I actually guessed correctly. I still like the VI the most and then the Nexus select next.

Nailed all 3! That Mark VI sound is unmistakable.

i guessed B, C, then A in the blind test. all sound great by the way, tiny differences.

I thought B was best, but I heard a fair bit of clanking from it which also gave a heavy clue that I was the mk6, so that might have been a subconscious bias

A personally sounded the best to play. B sounded like there was more air needing to be pushed to produce a sound which I personally am not looking for in a horn anymore. My P. Mauriat requires way too much air pressure to get through notes. C sounded near middle of the road for ease of playing between the other two, but with A sounding so free blowing I’d 100% go for A. Tone clarity was better on B, but I’d rather use a different mouthpiece to get a brighter more beaming tone than have a horn that forces me to play with more air than I need to get out a solid sound.

All horns sound awesome. You should get someone to work on those noisy ball joint Mk VI side keys. Exceptional work on the Nexus horns.

it was actually pretty easy to tell which one was the VI. B had a a much more focused, even sound, as well as even scale to my ears. But the other horns were quite good, especially A (C seemed a bit dead for me, not enough overtones). A GOOD VI is a really wonderful thing - my VI bari is an absolute gem - out of all my axes (I'm a doubler), it is the one I would grab in case of a fire. But you have to play through a LOT of them to find the really, really good ones. If you have the time and the money, great. But if you don't, these Nexus horns seem like they would be worth a look. In that price range, though, there are going to be a fair number of used Yamaha and Yani's to try also.

Congrats 🎉🍾. My view is the vintage saxes like the MK6, as great as they are, have been artificially inflated price wise by collectors. But also that $4000 for a Taiwan made sax (and there are many on the market now) is unjustified because of lack of track record and because you can buy killer hand made Yanagisawa or Borgani saxes for similar bread. As with USA vs Asian made guitars, labor costs should influence price in favor of the consumer. If it doesn’t, hard pass for me. But best of luck.

Alla fine ho scelto B. Sono rimasto stupito, in quanto pensavo che: (A) fosse il Selmer Mark VI, (B) fosse il Select e (C) fosse il Nexus. Subito sono rimasto affascinato dalla qualità del registro grave di (A), ma sentendo (B) sono rimasto impressionato dalla brillantezza del registro medio e acuto. Il (C) mi sembra una via di mezzo fra gli altri due. L'ideale sarebbe un saxofono che unisca il registro medio-acuto del Selmer Mark VI e il registro grave del Nexus. Concludendo, sono tutti e tre degli ottimi saxofoni, ma è doveroso precisare che le differenze fra gli strumenti non sono così determinanti nella musica. È il musicista, con il suo timbro, il suo gusto e la sua bravura che fa davvero la differenza, non il saxofono. Ciò che importa è avere uno strumento che funziona bene, indipendentemente dal prezzo.

Ernie Watts said that he plays all of the registers as though it is one sounding horn all the way through. Great playing here although I did not hear that here.

What I've learned from watching many comparison videos is that a great musician is the real difference. A great musician will sound better on a student setup than a mediocre musician will sound on a professional setup.

How about the point screws? Are they the same as Selmer, Yamaha and Yanagisawa?

Mi favorito fue el Nexus One 🎷🎷🎷

B/A/C Nexus is a very good Horn ! MARK VI is the best!

The sound of the horn comes from the player not really the horn. I have a Mark VI tenor purchased new in 1975 and I have an Olds, from what year I do not know. My sound is pretty much, if not exactly, the same on either horn. What IS different is my comfort and ability to get around the horn. There’s no comparison whatsoever! I also have an old Otto Link 7 metal mouthpiece that I bought, used, over 30 years ago. At one point I started using a rubber Otto Link, and after a couple of months being very comfortable with the rubber, my tone was exactly the same. However, I found the altissimo was less of a struggle with the metal mouthpiece. I even heard Hank Jones tell an interviewer, “That sound doesn’t come from that piano you know”, I was surprised because, I thought being a percussion instrument, and not a wind instrument that didn’t come into play, but it does. Your tone, phrasing, articulation and interpretation all come together to create your sound. If the positioning and feel of that Nexus is close to a Selmer, I think I would be interested in getting one as a backup horn.

I guessed right on all 3 and my favorite was C the Nexus Select. The key noise is a giveaway in the SM6. The brightness of the Nexus select is nice.

the VI and Select sounded the closest to me. the VI's tone just sounds more crip out of the three, but all three are very good. i'd choose the select

I’m not a fanboy of any brand but honestly B sounds so good and it’s not really close. For me it was B, C, and a distant third place A..

Is there a prevailing reason why new horns tend to be heavier than older ones? That's interesting to me as a guitar player. We like them light too -- mainly because the lighter ones tend to sound better, but of course they're more comfortable too. And with guitars it's hit-and-miss because every piece of wood is different, whereas I'd think horns would be more consistent that way. Anyway, your new horn sounds beautiful to me, and your teaching is very valuable on any instrument. Cheers.

Sound of letter C was good,., I like it