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P Mauriat: Unremarkable build quality

32K views 95 replies 48 participants last post by  Harvey 
#1 ·
I had a chance recently to try 2 alto 67's and 2 tenor 66's and found their sound to be very good and what I was looking for. Nice darker core, sort of the opposite of my yani's. But the build quality was poor. These horns felt like student knock offs compared to what I'm used to. With further inspection I noticed the palm key cups were in general too small as the rolled tone-holes were right at the very edge of the pad, others needed realignment, the octave mechanism didn't feel solid and in general the horns didn't inspire me to want to play them. Honestly, the Barone horns I tried had a much better feel so I guess all Tiawanes horns are not the same.
 
#3 ·
All mine are perfect.Each to his own but for me having all the rest they stand below my 66RUL.Built solid and like tanks.And sound wise it cant be touched.My 4 mauriats i had have stayed set up and leak free alot longer than all the other top horns i owned for sure.
 
#5 ·
The ones I tried felt like they wanted to jump an octave down on middle D. Very strange that three different tenors did the same thing. For the price, there are better options. As their "stock" goes down, maybe they will be a decent buy knowing that they need a lot of adjustment.
 
#6 ·
And yet as mauriat have shook up the sax world with the most talked about modern sax's out there and i would be brave enough to say i bet they have grabbed a HUGE amount of the sax sales worldwide and theres thousands like me who love them.Each to his own but compared to my mk6's,yams,yanis,jk's and a borgani i have had i think the 66rul's suit me just fine
 
#9 ·
I've had the exact opposite experience. I've owned a 66R for over 2 years and it's needed only minor adjustments (leaky pad stuff, once a year as usual) and I just bought a Swing 55 a few weeks ago. Neither want to drop an octave on me @ D2. No problems with the palm keys, no problems with the octave mechs. And as far as build in general, it's probably the heaviest/most robust feeling horn I've held in my hands. It makes Yamahas and even a lot of vintage horns feel like toys. When I bought the Swing, I really tried to play as many horns in the $2k - $3k price range as possible. I tried a few Yamahas, a few Cannonballs, a Selmer or two, etc.

Maybe I'm just a know-nothing noob though, yeah?

PS- I've yet to have the pleasure of trying a Barone horn, but really want to.
 
#12 ·
The first 66UL I got off P Mauriat had some issues with the octave-- I identify with the above, but I believe this may have been early in the evolution of this instrument, and easily fixed. The New 66R I got a few months back was absolutely killer, with no issues with the octave at all- just the opposite-- a great playing and built horn.
I am very curious about the swing-- what do they sound like?
 
#14 ·
in general the horns didn't inspire me to want to play them.
I found this to be the case as well. For the bread they're demanding these days, their performance should be greater than adequate.
 
#15 ·
Perhaps the last sentence in the original thread "Honestly, the Barone horns I tried had a much better feel so I guess all Tiawanes horns are not the same." has something to do with criticism of Mauriat horns.
 
#21 ·
I have found the P. Mauriats that I've owned have been of better build quality than most of the newer Selmer's and B&S I've play-tested, and much better than some of the other Asian horns. That said on build quality alone I've always felt that Yamaha and Yanagisawa are the best built....but even as well made as the Yamaha and Yanagisawa is I prefer the playability, vibration and sound/voice I get from my 66RUL though I did find the 82Z to be a great playing horn.
 
#28 ·
When I have contacted P. Mauriat to discuss quality concerns or talk about questions of key ergonomics I have always received prompt responses and the sense that I get is that they value feedback from customers. They are always looking at ways to improve on an already great product. I would recommend e-mailing them if you have questions or concerns.
With regard to the saxophones that P.Mauriat produces I think that are much more than adequate. The 66R and 86ULs I have played have a very powerful, rich sound that impressed me a lot. The whole range of the horns I played had great intonation and accurate pitch, playing in all registers was effortless. I really dig these horns and am excited to see how this company will continue to improve and grow. I think P.Mauriat has earned its place in the saxophone world as a producer of quality, great sounding instruments.
 
#29 ·
When P. Mauriat attempted to make the music store where I work a dealer, I told their sales representative about my quality control concerns (see post #22). The rep put me on the phone to the company. Not only did they not know who the celebrity endorser of their product was, but they promised to "get right back to me" about my criticism of their product. I never heard from them again.
 
#31 ·
do you mean to say they put you through with anyone in Taipei then and there? Or was this an American sales rep putting you through their American offices? Paul Mauriat in Taiwan take their responsibility to the highest level! I am not connected with PM at all, but I know personally the owner of the company, Mr. Alex Hsieh. He is a man of great passion for his work and great professional and persona integrity. He and his staff are very punctual and , in my opinion , would have done no such a thing as to ignore you or any other important or not so important customer. I've never bought anything from them, although I greatly admire their instruments especially the 66 R, yet, they have always been very friendly, informative and helpful to me.

As far as I know, Mr. Hsieh personally deals and knows all his endorsers and has a great love for the saxophone as an instrument.
 
#32 ·
No, the Mauriat sales rep called what he said was "the head of the company" on his cel phone. It was obviously an American businessman, but I can't remember a name. I don't Pick on manufacturer representatives, because we need high quality instruments, wherever we find them. However, I had just repaired a tenor saxophone for a major jazz artist in an iconic American big band. The entire sax section had endorsed P. Mauriat saxophones but only one player was actually using their horn, and he was having problems that had obviously originated at the factory. The "Head of the company" had never heard of the endorsing artist.

I don't hold it against a businessman who is unfamiliar with artists using his instruments, although it would be nice to see American corporate executives who are a little more in touch with their consumers. What I really think is strange is this:

P Mauriat gave an instrument that did not work very well, at least after a few months playing, to a major endorsing artist. The build quality was inferior. Bell keys were so off-center that the edge of the key cup almost hit the tone hole. None of the rollers, low B, low C#, low Bb, low C, low Eb moved freely. If this is what the hotshots receive, what can the average player expect?

If the "Head of the company" would like to contact me, as he said he would, i would be glad to discuss this with him.
 
#36 ·
Well, Paul Mauriat is not an American company and the General Manager is Mr. Alex Hsieh he lives in Taiwan, Taipei and occasionally might travel in the States but most definitely doesn't reside there. He knows personally all the artists who endorse his products.
 
#38 ·
It's a mistake to judge a whole line of saxes on one or two examples. I have played what I consider horrible saxes by Selmer, Yamaha, Cannonball and many others. I have also played others that have played great. For whatever reason there are differences from horn to horn. I also wouldn't put too much weight on what anonymous internet posters say as you don't know what their motivations are. I try not to make a decision until I get some in front of me and try them myself. I have had everyone and their brother tell me horns stink and then get one in front of me that plays great. I have also played ones with great reputations that I thought stunk........
 
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