howtoplaysaxoph... A Selmer Mark 6 vs Selmer Mark 7 comparison video for those curious about the difference in sound between these two tenor saxophone models. For more info check the above link.
I am saxophonist and specialist luthier Selmer in France. Each Selmer is different in its manufacture and experience. Sometimes an SA80 II will be much better than a VI with 5 numbers. You must already find your own comfort in a mouthpiece and perfect reed concept. Then go hunting for a saxophone: the best will be the easiest to play for you. You will then feel that it is the instrument that plays you in your place. According to my own experience, you have to test at least 50 used saxophones to find two really good ones at Selmer. Professionals often use breeders who propose at least a dozen ...
I bought a brand new Selmer SA80II tenor in 1997. My experience is similar to your description. I tried 10 or 12 new SA80II horns, including two black ones and a white one (remember those?). I tried two Serie III horns which were brand new and the jury was still out. I tried a vintage VI and a vintage VII. Very happy with my choice all these years later, a clear lacquer, engraved SA80II. It’s been a workhorse for all this time and somehow it still looks like new!
I own both a M6 and a M7. But regardless which sax you have, the sound comes from the player. Jhonny can sound great in any sax. Thanks for your videos.
It's quite crazy just how much "hype" the mark VI has gotten. They are great horns. Don't get me wrong. But they certainly aren't the only good horn out there.
dustin, don't apologize, nobody is getting you wrong! of course there are a lot of good horns out there....I've played several myself. but, they're not as good. there's a reason why most of the best players in the history of the world chose it.
i been playing for over 30 years have had 2 mark 6 altos one from 1957 the other from 1961 the 1957 got stolen in senior year i wouldnt play nothing else ur pros even swear by them like boots randolph ace cannon kenny g earl bostic all mark 6 bostic was the best sax player ever lived
It is a good horn, but they sounds different one from an other and you must try a lot of them to find the one is good , and of course, pay more money than the the real value.
@@saxjohnny Thank you for another fun and great video! Just to clarify and shine a light on something many horn flippers/resellers don't like to discuss- Many of the greatest players were very happy with 10M and 6M, Super 20's, etc.... But the one thing that Selmer did better than anybody was to offer their products to musicians "gratis", and free of charge saxophones were very enticing to many of the great players who often had unlimited talent and very little money in their pocket. Once Selmer got them to switch, it caught on like wildfire.
Nice comparison and you sound great on both horns. Are you playing both instruments with their original crooks? I play a mk vii tenor (265xxx with the M stamp) that's keywork has been modified to feel like a mk vi - it's my forever tenor!
Since we all saying personal opinion. I say: They are the same sound. Even one plays any sax twice, the both records could be different, (even to repeat many time of one note with same sax,you still can’t be always have the exalt same sound), and the video already told you which sax is it before you hear anything, anyone would already generate expectations, this is not bland test, my take away is THESE two particular saxophones are equally same great. Nice sound, both. Great play for both times. Thanks for sharing!
7 has a little more top but with this mouthpiece most horns will sound similar. I have had lots of 6s and BA's over the years. The only Selmer I kept was my 7 from the early production run. I was going to sell it until I put on Oleg neck on it and now it blows away any 6 I ever had. Great bargains these 7s.
I'm so new to sax, so I can hear a difference, but I cannot say if it is the horn or the player. Both are great sounds, the 6 seems rawer, the 7 sounded more smooth to me.
Congratulations! I really love your channel, and I'm fan of your talent! Your covers are so cool, I really like "Baker Street" and "Pretty Woman". Please, continue being like that (sorry about my english, I'm not an english speaker)
In Portuguese: Mark vii é fenomenal, mas o mark vi é uma lenda, quem possui um desses com certeza deve tratar muito bem dele. Para nos mostrar o quão grande é esse belo instrumento.
I love this comparison. Upon first listen, I automatically thought of the 6 being warmer and therefor better. But, the 7 has a nice edge to it that could be what Selmer was shooting for when they made it being that the music world was changing rapidly in the 70s
Johnny, sounding real nice as usual. What model Selmer neck are you using on the 7? Both sound nice. Had a 6 but went with a 7 since it has a bit fatter sound. Bought a newer neck (Selmer goldbrass) which responds better than the original and it is curved upward a little more so I can hold the horn away from my body. Which Selmer neck on the 7? Thanks much, John
hello Johnny. Nice comparison between 6 and 7. i don t see more diferrent sound . Mybe 7 have softly sound in low tones. Do you play P.Mauriat 66 RUL (unlaquird)? What is yours opinion
Honestly VG, I have played quite a few Selmer Paris models and also quite a few System 76 and 66RUL and have found that the Mauriat's are much more mouthpiece friendly, have far superior intonation, play much more in tune and they also have far more resonance and power than a Mark VI or VII. That is ironic since the horn they were made to emulate was the Mark VI. But now they have passed them by.
Honestly Mark, estes saxofones, mark 6 e mark 7, tem entre 40 a 60 anos de idade, e os Mauriats daqui a 40 ou 60 anos como vao estar a tocar $$$...ou seja... vejo dizer que sax chineses tailandeses, ou indonesios, sao tao bons quanto os Selmers ou Yamahas, ou Yanis, e como irao tocar daqui a 10 anos e 20 ... e 40... ??
Both sound amazingly similar. A tad brighter sound in the mark vi. The mouthpiece you have is what makes all the difference in the world. Great mouthpiece, great horn, great sound, great player. Awesome job!
I tried a bunch of horns. Mark 7 included in the list I would still say the 6 sounds better. I picked up a mark 6 I got from the John Blondell. I sold all my other horns(cannonballs). Now looking for a mark 6 alto and soprano. The alto sba Paris versions are pretty good too, I’d say the SBA Paris version is as good a horn just depends on what you want sound wise. But that jubilee edition new one for like 8000$ did not impress me. I’ll keep hunting for a 3000 dollar mark 6 if SBA
Obrigado pela comparacao... Eu tenho um Tenor mark 7 de 1980, e é mto mais pesado que o mark 6 de um amigo q tb experimentei, o meu mark 7 tem mto mais projeccao de som, e com boquilha de ebonite ambos tem um timbre brutal, o 7 tem uma mesa mais dificil de exexutar, pois passar do si para sib grave e mais dificil para quem tem maos e dedos pequenos, mas a diferenca de precos é Brutal, o mk 6 é o dobro do preço do 7, acho que nao justifica a diferença...mas a qualidade e tmbre do metal é brutal, tenho um alto serie 2 de 2006, e nao chega aos calcanhares do mark 7, que qdo se tixa sentes o metal a vibrar nas tuas mãos uma sensacao intangivel, que so quem experimenta sabe do que falo...espero ter elucidado... esta e apenas a minha opiniao..boas sopradelas p todos...
Eu tenho um M7. O som som é exatamente como você disse. Brutal. Cada instrumento é único. Os M6 são imaculados. Mas os M7 foram fabricados com a mesma lata, com melhorias de mecânica. Eu gosto muito. Neste comparativo aliás, o som o M7 foi melhor...
Hey, nice comparison! I hear that each one has it's own character. I think the 7 is good for more modern music but I can see the 6 playing some modern as well. I have a 68 Mark 6 and looking to add an earlier year like yours.
I liked both sound ! both saxs fits you well, I would have like to hear you reproduce that unique FRRR sound @ 2:08 while on the MK VI but didnt on the MK VII, I know you tried your best to play the song identically on both sax . This particular MK VI does not have the high F# key ? I believe some of them had it probably the later models.
For the most part you sound the same but that’s to be expected. To compare though it seemed the Mark VI had a little more mid harmonics but it also seemed a little less in tune but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I would encourage others to try that Mark VII when you go to the Sax shop and the host of Mark VI’s on the walls. Maybe even bring a friend to do a blind test. You may be able to get that Mark VII for 2k +/- and with a different knock other than stock it may sound a lot closer to the VI than without.
The Mark VI seems a bit richer while the MK VII sounds like its a little brighter and maybe a little more centered to me. If you watch Dan Forshaw "A 1975 SELMER MARK VI?" video, he shows a MK VI tenor with a 235xxx serial number, ,meaning it was made in 1975 and was probably one of the last ones made.
Great sounds on both tenors I own a selmer super action 2, so tempted to buy a mark 6 but the wife wants a new kitchen oh well Jonny is such a great musician ,
I really could not tell much, if any, difference. I play both a 74 Mark VI tenor and a 75 Mark VII alto on a regular basis. The Mark VII alto is killer on George Michaels Careless Whisper and Bob Seegers Old Time Rock n Roll. Never played a tenor Mark VII.
I never played an alto M7 but I assume it's the same diff as the tenors, which I expalin in the video. The sound of the 7 is 2nd to none. the only thing I had an issue with is the larger low note cluster of the right hand. if you have small hands this will make it more diff to play down there fast.
I think the mark vi has a more mellow tone. the mark vii has a sharper tone. I have a 93xxx mk vi and a 153xxx mk vi that I just got. I haven't had a chance to compare yet .
The Right Mark 6 has no rival’s. The horn is so good the used Mark’s were competing with the new Marks. Who thinks in the next 15-50 years Sax players will be seeking a 2022 Yani or Yamaha? I don’t think so.
Both great horns but Johnny can sound great on any saxophone, the player makes the sound not the horn so much and don`t get me wrong---its great to have a great, top of the line, top sax but you still have to make it sound good-Bird didn`t even own a sax only a mouthpiece.
I think they sound the same but the artist might be compensating. I wouldn’t play anything other than my New York Strad large bore trumpet. Everything else is tubby and stuffy.
Many commenters who 'preferred' Mark 6 are deaf, because they can't hear how bad intonation it has. Mark 7 in this clip is a superior instrument, ready for more complex music; just change that Guardala mouthpiece to something different, that suits specific music requirements.
The VI sounds fuller, and the VII sounds smoother. To each their own. Personally, I always thought the VII got a bad rap- as if not being as great as a VI it must the WORST sax ever made. Come on, man.
@@saxjohnny , sim eu tenho um YTS 32 de 1990, que tem uma afinação brutal ( o afinador não mexe do Sib grave ao fá # agudo ), é pena não ter a projeccao do meu MK 7 tenor de 1980...
