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.
I bought my first PM 67R alto last weekend after playing over a dozen horns in three states over a period of time. Played several PM horns as well and everyone was spot on with no quality issues that I could see...and I consider myself a pretty good engineer. Can't put the horn down, plays wonderfully, sounds great, and quality is flawless as far as I can see. I hope it stays this way but see no reason why it won't.
well, the question of the company name might have been of the French allure around it and because Mr. Hisieh liked " Blue is Blue" ........that is , I think, completely irrelevant when it comes to the quality of these product. At the vey least they acquired the rights to use Mr. Paul Mauriat name , as far as I know, lawfully.
I thought we were talking of the quality of the horns though.
It seems to me that such an extreme QC problem, like bell keys being out of alignment, may be damage caused when the instrument was shipped or un-packaged. All of the P.Mauriat horns I have tried that have passed through their QC department have been in great playing condition except perhaps for minor set-up tweaks.
I agree that a whole brand of instruments cannot be judged based on a few cases of quality problems. And, when the Taipei office is contacted they take all comments and concerns seriously and do their best to deal with them. it seems to me that p.Mauriat has a real desire to continue to develop and improve their products in oreder to offer their customers great quality at more reasonable prices.
I can easily see that not one of you actually knows anything about how instruments are made (at the factory).
No offence o' mighty know-it-alls.[rolleyes]
They are ALL individuals and aren't completely made like automobiles on an assembly line. How do I know? Because like all of my handmade violas, violins and Spanish guitars:
Even saxophones (good ones) are SOMEWHAT handmade/hand assembled and can vary.
I have friends in every aspect of the musical instrument industry, and that's the way it is. Saxophones are no exception.
Sometimes parts are unevenly manufactured and 'slip by' the maker/assembler/tech, it is then the responsibility of the final inspector or "master craftsman" to 'catch the problems'. So, the problems described by the tech are guess-who's-fault?:QC/Master Craftsman/Big Kahuna/etc.....
I'm sure that P.Mauriat has the same problems that Selmer, Keilwerth, and everyone else has - the difference THESE days is that people the world-over don't have the same personal pride in their work that they did in the 20's and 30's at the Conn, Selmer and Buescher Factories. That's evident in EVERY SINGLE product made these days; "You know Dear, they sure don't make 'them' like they used to!"
They had their 'dogs' too; just not quite as many as we have today......
I'm sure that Schmidt and the gentleman in NYC that hand-make each and every horn, and charge 8-12k for them, don't have those problems:
Because they make each part and each horn themselves - BY HAND.
In others words: Everything varies: even handmade instruments made by ONE Master-maker; they're just far better than massed produced 'anything' because a Mastermade handmade instrument has one set of eyes on it from start to finish - and his or her name is the sole name on it.
WAIT! I remember Phil Barone writing on SOTW that his first saxophones were made in the same factory where P.Mauriat were made (obviously he that that was a merit to be mentioned!) and the fuss that that caused.
Do you think that now (that he apparently has changed suppliers) that P. Mauriat should say that they are made in the same factory where Phil Barone's are made ? (this is obviously an attempt to make a joke of the situation............ P.Mauriat has bought the factory where the saxophones were produced and own now that factory).
Mauriat Horns are made with high quality Taiwanese craftsmanship...with superior materials and design. I play P. Mauriat and love the sound and the feel every time I play a note. The sound from a P. Mauriat will melt the hearts of many. They truly are of the highest build quality, mine fell off of the table on a gig once and never went out of adjustment. WOW. What a horn! I love my Mauriat!!!
I too believe that P.Mauriat are exceptionally well made saxophones but for a saxophone to fall off a table , hit the floor and need no adjustment afterwards you need more luck than good construction because saxophones are not made or meant to take that kind of punishment
My posts in this thread may make me appear to hate P. Mauriat saxes. I don't. I know several excellent professional players who play and love their P. Mauriat horns. I myself have played Mauriats that play very well. However, I have seen consistent problems in the final assembly of some of the Mauriats. I'm thinking that some of the issues I've mentioned may make the Mauriats more prone to problems when pads get old and hard. If no one addresses the problems of P. Mauriat, or of any other manufacturer, chances are the problems won't get fixed.
I am sure that P. Mauriat's Mr. Alex Hsieh General Manager and C.E.O will be very interested to listen to what you have to suggest him and his company about present past or future quality control issues. Please get in touch with him........
The earlier Mariuat horns had fake pivot screws according to several repair tech accounts on the web. There are also accounts of the horn set up being not so good. The Sax Alley horns that Tim sets up are said to be great. It appears that when the Mauriat horns are set up correctly the play great and people love them. But i'd hate to be a dude who paid 3k+ for a horn and had a pad fall out on the first gig. That is why I just ordered a Mac Sax Magnum, w/o high F# in bare treated finish with Ken Beeson's benchmark set up. I'll post a review when I get it and play it for a week.
There's one of the newer model tenors on the wall at my local shop--86UL--sort of dark purple vintage-y colour. I was really excited to try it, but it didn't knock me out. Based on the pop of the keys alone, it sounded like it was sealing really well, but it felt really stuffy/leaky to blow. I'd love to try it again with a top notch set-up. It's definitely not cheap at $3200.
I played my 66UL at our end of year concert a couple months ago the tune was "Blue Trane" and after the performance I got bombarded by other musicians and audience members with: "Man I really like your TONE on that horn" , "Dude you sound great I really liked your solo." So from my perspective all I care about is what the audience experience is. The build quality on 66UL is great, I have not had any issues what so ever and no repairs yet. I treat my horns like they are the only one's on the planet. I just picked up a magnum neck and can't wait to see how it pan's out during a performance. My other tenor is a SAX.com TS-642L which is built like a tank with single post construction and heavy and has a very focused Selmer Series II tone which I use for legit stuff. I guess all that matters to me is how the darn thing sounds and is it pleasing to people that are listening to me all else wasted energy that I could use during practice!
I played my 66UL at our end of year concert a couple months ago the tune was "Blue Trane" and after the performance I got bombarded by other musicians and audience members with: "Man I really like your TONE on that horn" , "Dude you sound great I really liked your solo." So from my perspective all I care about is what the audience experience is. ...........I guess all that matters to me is how the darn thing sounds and is it pleasing to people that are listening to me all else wasted energy that I could use during practice!
I would hope that you are not receiving compliments only because you play a Mauriat and if it were not for the Mauriat, no one would care for your tone or your solos.
It sounds like when ever someone says bad things about the Mauriat horn, a bunch of their dealers and their workers will get online and attack their credibility.
for the price they are charging, they should be more focus on how to get their quality up and stable. I would not want to gamble on the horn which cost that high.
It sounds like when ever someone says bad things about the Mauriat horn, a bunch of their dealers and their workers will get online and attack their credibility.
for the price they are charging, they should be more focus on how to get their quality up and stable. I would not want to gamble on the horn which cost that high.
When I bought my first 66R early on for $1800, I thought it was a steal for the way it played. I wouldn't pay what they are asking for them now, I don't think. There was something about that horn, though, that made we want to leave it out on a stand so I could just walk by and pick it up and blow any time I wanted.
I don't work for Mauriat. I love my horn. Paid more than some on this thread would pay for such a horn, but I sure do not regret it. Robust, fast playing horn. Easy to manipulate the tone too. But then I won't buy a horn I haven't played long and hard first.
Does that make Mauriat the best horn there is, to me? No. It means it's the best horn I've played that I decided to own at the time. And the longer I own it the more evident it becomes this particular horn is a keeper.
And I hope (and believe) you will find the same satisfaction with whatever informed choice you make.
FWIW: I am in no position to judge the build quality of the horn; I'm just saying it didn't light my fire in any way. What I also know is that this store used to have a great tech on staff who would go over all the horns before they were put up on the wall. They don't anymore.
It was I who came across in a way I didn't mean. You're right, about horns being judged subjectively, but I also agree that when there's an obvious problem there's an obvious problem.
But I also have to say that the few posts here about flaws don't really compare to the amount of horns sold each month which are problem free. I think that can be said about any brand or model. It really isn't representative of as much as people would like to believe. Consider that of all the players you know or know of, how many of them post on this site? Or other sites like this one? They're buying every brand or model that's available to them and some are really happy with whatever it is they buy. Whether it's because they aren't well versed in what constitutes the better designs or they just don't care all that much so long as the the horn works for what they're willing to pay.
Did the key cups/pads not work? If they did, then there only appears to be a problem. Or one which might develop down the road. I'll certainly give that. But I also don't know what your definition of too little means to you. It might be different for someone else.
But what you saw does sound like a design flaw. Or something looking like one anyway.
I don’t care if the sound is focused
I don’t care if the sound is spread
Is it bright or is it dark who's to say
No one paid for my Mauriat and I sure don't work for them
My custom Phil-Tone screams
And my Berg Larsen sings to like Tom Waits
So why the hell should I care what anyone has to say
I don't care if the sound is focused
I don't care if the sound is spread
Is it bright or is it dark who's to say
No one paid for my Muriat and I sure don't work for them
My custom Phil-Tone screams
And my Berg Larsen sings to like Tom Waits
So why the hell should I care what anyone has to say
It sounds like you care more than you want to care.
What if I don't care if your Phil-Tone screams
or if your Berg Larsen sings like Tom Waits
so why the hell should anyone care what you have to say? :mrgreen:
BTW, Muriat can get sued by Mauriat by having a name that similar to theirs. :shock:
I don't like Mauriat's branding and the "french mythology" thing. I think they have some potential going on. The "bell rolled tone holes hybrid" also sounds like BS to me.
I like the variety, and some of the horns I could see myself buying if it weren't for those things I mentioned. I'd have one by now if instead of P.Mauriat France it would be named A.Hsieh taipei, or whatever.
That said I only hear people whom owns them (and paid a whackload of cash for those) praising them and trying to raise them to the level of a Mk.VI (horns wich I don't agree to be the pinnacle of the sax history anyway) After a P.Mauriat owner (and former defender) manages to get his way out of the mess he's into, they always comment on "how stupid I was..."
Another example of a person getting past all the PR BS and becoming an enlightened one.
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