Jim here. In many ways this doesn't surpise me, but listing back to the clips through my computer, back to back, they don't sound a whole lot different from each other, but you can still hear it! However, it is SO much more apparent when you play them, and for those around you at the time - so again it comes down the busines of how it feels to the player, which of course counts for a lot; Feel versus real. And of course, the way something feels can then in turn affect the way you play. I'll be interested to see everyone's thoughts on this!
I loved the Solid Silver the best. All three were great. I wonder how the Silver Plated would sound vs all these three. I remember when I got my Yamaha YAS-62III, I compared the regular lacquer model vs. the Silver Plated one. I ended up getting the Silver Plated one because it felt and sounded more vibrant to me.
Ich glaube Dir was Du sagst. Es ist sicher dass man die Unterschiede stärker erlebt, wenn man die Instrumente spielt oder man live zuhört. RU-vid filtert alles so stark, dass man kaum einen Untetschied hört. Aber man merkt Dir Deine Aufgeregtheit und Begeisterung. Ein schöner Beitrag. Danke! Und ich bleibe bei meinem 1200€ Saxophon. ;)
I definitely heard the differences you described, albiet from my computer speakers. I had the dark gold lacquered Supreme for about a year and just traded it in for a silver plater - even with that silver plating the differences were incredible. Yes, differences are always small and does it justify the price? Maybe not. But hey, it sure makes it a real fun to play. With the video, I like the richness in the gold plated, but its the roundness and smoothness of the solid silver that wins me over!
Can you explain the difference with the silver plated vs the dark gold lacquer? I tried a vintage matte Supreme alto at Kesslers a few years ago and felt it was a little too spread for my taste coming from a long bow Mark VI alto 88xxx that had more resistance. Another RU-vidr posted a video of him playing a silver plated Supreme and it felt more rich and brighter. Thanks
I knew there would be a slight tonal difference but this surprised me. To my ear the solid silver model was brighter at your softer playing demo. I really liked that aspect of the silver alto. The gold plated instrument was buttery smooth yet very dynamic, hitting brilliant high notes and soft, colorful and smooth low notes., It was the star of the show. I own the standard Selmer gold lacquer Supreme so it sounded like my horn although your skill is much more advanced that mine.
When will you ever be doing a soprano saxophone companion. Selmer series iii vs Yamaha 875 soprano vs Yanagisawa Soprano vs Julius Keilwerth sx90 soprano. We need such comparison
Pretty similar. It would've been interesting to hear a silver plated Supreme next to the gold plated; I wonde, is the gold plated horn bare metal, or lacquered? If it's bare metal, I think that a silver plated-no lacquer-horn might sound about the same. I'll bet the lacquer on the solid silver horn tones it down a bit. But-how could one tell? Unlikely that a new, silver Selmer would have the lacquer stripped off! The plain lacquered version-to me, anyway-sounds more like a VI. You sound very good on all of them. It'd be interesting if you had the opportunity to play them all for a few weeks, see what you might think then. Personally, I prefer the VI and the Super 20. Might not be a popular sentiment, but there it is. Thank you for putting this together!
Your gold sound is best to me ported through my HTR system. I've had a brass lacquer Supreme for three years and I'm happy with my sound which I think is different from the sound you get from the brass lacquer in this clip. I wondered about your reed. Nevertheless, the delightful difference you get with the gold leaves me wanting one - some day, maybe, if only. I'd be grateful to hear you play the brass lacquer horn with the gold plated neck ... 🙂
Thank you! And of course we all get a different sound from each other as the player is the biggest variable in the equation, followed by the reed, mouthpiece (plus lig) and finally the sax! Reed-wise, I used my usual choice of D'addario Select Jazz 3S filed. With a Meyer 6M.
Very cool demo indeed. In all honesty - I felt the cheap ( lol ) lacquered one sounded best in my phones. I thought the Solid Silver one inspired more soulful playing. Almost as though it required more effort and input - and therefore rewarded the performance accordingly. The gold was obviously very good, but to my ears sounded a little moany. I preferred listening to the other 2. But we're splitting hairs here - they all sound incredible.
Demonstrating a jazz style with the three instruments is what most people are interested in, however, most of my playing is not a jazz style. I’d love to hear demonstration of orchestral excerpts and excerpts from solo recital literature. I play a Series III Jubilee alto that is silver plated and really like the tonal differences from my lacquered instruments. I bought a silver plated Yamaha 875 EX tenor sax last year and really like the sound when playing non-jazz music. I tried a lacquered Selmer supreme tenor last summer and compared side-by-side with my silver Yamaha. I like both horns, but couldn’t really justify the extra $4000 for the Selmer.
Thanks for the great video, as ever. There are definitely subtle differences to the horns this end but not sure they couldn't be achieved with a different mouthpiece or neck on the 'cheaper' supreme. So much of it is about how it feels when playing, but it would take a lot of inspiration to part with that much extra cash or even to pay that much for the regular model. A good mark VI feels like a much better investment, which at these prices is what the horn is. I have a pristine VI but leave it at home for most things and take out my Yami 62 or Atelier unless the environment is super controlled and safe! That said, compared to flutes you could say elite saxophones are relatively good value!
Get a used YAS 62 and drop '0' digit from the price tag 😅 Thanks for this play test - very cool that you were able to have all 3 in the same place! They sounded very similar to me. My .02 - if you think it'll make you practice more, buy one! Thats the best reason to get a new instrument :)
It’s insane that the plating alone can drastically impact the price of a Selmer Supreme. When I looked at the black lacquer version, it’s nowhere near the price of $25k USD.
Very very interesting comparison. We all hear the same thing differently, so conclusions are VERY subjective. In the soft round I preferred 2,3,1 or even 3,2,1. The standard supreme is a nice compromise of the other two. But in the fuller round the gold-plated was my favorite sound so rich and thick of tone. The silver had an edge I didn’t care for, I would tire over time of that sound. And again, the 3rd choice is such an excellent compromise of what the other two do that anyone who played one would be well served, and so would its listener.
I could hear the differences like you said. To me playing this through monitor speakers, it sounds like the Gold Lacquer is mellower than the other two. The silver plated does sound like it has more breadth and maybe a bit thinner slightly more brighter sounding than the gold plated?
The Silver one is missing some frequencies..It s like a 2D image..gold plated have the 3D, beautiful sound! Regular brass it's maybe too dark for the alto sound concept i imagine..An alto should be like "lady sings..or screams".
Thinks 5 times before buying discounted instruments from them. I bought a sax from their store a few weeks ago and in the store I was told that this sax was carefully checked a few days back. I was happy to hear that (I couldn´t check the sound because I had more that 5 years of break from playing saxophone) When I started to practice I started to notice lots of thing that brought me to the local technician who inspected the licks and told that it is a factory work and he demostrated me a few huge licks as the unflat tone whole of C note and a few pads on the lower register. That took him 3 minutes to find those lick. Carrently my sax is in the workishop waiting its turn for repair and I have no idea how much it will coast me. Thanks for an amazing experience sax uk
Neither is better, just different! So it's a matter of preference beyond that. I actually have a slight preference for Signature when it comes to alto. Tenor, maybe Supreme! Thanks, Jim.
But it’s interesting Brass sax with gold plate Solid silver sax with gold lacquer So …did the materials make different . Or….people who buy the solid silver sax and just has the same effect like normal lacquer…… Sorry Maybe I didn't express myself well
I used to think the Supreme was greatly overpriced...but have you checked out flute prices? If I could afford a supreme I would go with the solid silver.
