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Selmer Mark VII any good?

96K views 118 replies 58 participants last post by  Platner 
#1 ·
Hey,
Are Selmer Mark VII's any good? I am currently interested in buying one for $2300 that is silver plated and in really good condition. Does the silver make any difference? What is your guys opinion?

EDIT-
It is a tenor and the neck that comes with it is a Mark VI neck. Will that neck do anything different than the Mark VII neck? Also im a fairly advanced player and have played a small but large variety of horns. Yanagisawa A 901, Mark VI, Yamaha yts 23, 52 (mark Vi was alto and i only played it for an hour)
 
#4 ·
Well....not to take a thing from Barone horns but I dont think a horn from Taiwan is in the same league investment wise as a Selmer.

Just to argue with myself: I would probably rather play a Barone than a VII in terms of comfort.

If you dig the sound and you are comfortable with the ergos its a fair deal if its in good shape.
Have you played a lot of horns or are you just buying a Selmer just cuz?

(no offense, just asking. There are a lot of great horns out there to be had) And again, a VII is not a cheap VI.
 
#5 ·
Play it. Some MKVII's sound really close to late VI's. Mine does.

The ergonomics and weight of the horn can be a problem for some people, but most Taiwanese horn I tried didn't have comfortable ergonomics and were heavy, and they sure didn't have that Selmer core. Some don't care for it, I for one couldn't live without it.

As for the silver plating, it is a subject of an endless and wild debate as to whether or not it makes any difference in tone. It sure is harder to care for than traditional lacquer if you live next to the ocean or in a hot and damp area.

It would be a good idea to bring it to a competent tech for an evaluation before buying it if you have the opportunity.
 
#6 ·
This my opinion, others will differ. Finish means nothing, but individual horns will differ. The VII has it's own sound, (different than the VI) which, for me, was dark and focused/centered; at least the one I owned was. Your mouthpiece will play a large part in that. Unless you have small hands, you will become acustomed to the larger left hand "pinky" keys. They are well built and probably undervalued. Most importantly, it's best to try it. Price should be from $1700 - $2200. based on condition.
 
#9 ·
It is a tenor and the neck that comes with it is a Mark VI neck. Will that neck do anything different than the Mark VII neck?
 
#11 ·
I kept a MK VII tenor in addition to my MK VI tenors, for 30+ years. If it hadn't been a good horn I wouldn't have kept it 30 days. It was as good as any MK VI-in some ways better...but different. I have medium/small hands and I never found the ergonomics a problem...just different...and easily could switch back and forth between a VI and the VII. The VIIs are a great Selmer tenor with great tone and tons of power and as somebody mentioned way undervalued. I sold mine 6 or 7 years ago for $2850.00.
 
#13 ·
I have a VII and some time ago tested it against the series II, 54, series III and a yanagasawa 901. I was looking for power. The only one that stood up was the series III. In fact my comment at the time was they have reinvented the VII. My VII is harder to play than the series III, not as easy in the lower notes but I decided to stick with it. Never had the fortune to try a good VI.
 
#15 ·
the VI tenor neck on a VII will give you a different angle, some folks didn't like the VII tenor neck angle and that's very likely why that horn has a VI neck. as for the sound difference I dunno, depends on the neck. the VII neck generally works better with the VII. I tried a VI neck on my VII alto & thought it was stuffy sounding, on the other hand I have a sterling silver III neck that's really good, and I still use the orig VII neck too.

you'll run across some really good VII's and then some that aren't so good, same as with any horn. you have to try it before you'll know for sure. the VII's are well built, powerful horns with good intonation. the erognomics to me even on the tenor aren't any more awkward than some of the vintage horns, and the alto isn't a problem at all.....at least not for me.
 
#17 ·
You can buy the VII tenor and sell the VI neck for $600-$800, or for whatever crazy money they fetch on ebay.

Get a used VII or Phil Barone neck < $200 or a III neck.
 
#20 ·
If i could get it for 2k than sell the neck for 750 than buy a Phil barone neck for like 250 this horn will only cost me 1500$'. Is this a good deal for a horn that is in perfect condition and plays really good.
 
#22 ·
I didn't realize it was missing the original neck til I saw Grumps' post. a silver plated VII tenor neck might be hard to find and without the original neck I dunno. since it has a VI neck (worth $800 or more) that might even things out pricewise, but a lot of people will want the original neck were you to re-sell it. it just depends......on how well you like the horn. eventually a VII neck will come along, and you'd have no trouble selling the VI neck if you wanted to.
 
#24 ·
?? I don't get those comments at all.
Who is collecting Mark VII's?

Most I see look like players horns.
 
#27 ·
Mark VII's aren't bad horns per se. I have big hands and long fingers so the ergos don't bother me. The price seems relatively good. Does it come with a pad job and professional set-up by a good technician? I ask this because the VII's I've seen on E Bay and elsewhere are a total rip off price wise. I saw one last month for 7K...because it was an early serial number...and this means...nothing. I'd hate to see you pay the money to find out you need a pad job or overhaul. The silver plate just looks nice and won't really effect the sound. Have you had the opportunity to play it yet? Also, the VI neck is a little different depending on how old it is. If it's checked out and set up well play it until it turns green and enjoy it!

I'd really try to play it and have a tech look it over. When you are laying out cash like that you do have other options. Just be careful...because it's a Selmer does not mean it's a good horn. I've heard guys play with VII's that sound great and I've seen some people get totally burnt. It's 90% you, but you can get in a mess if you need work done on it. Also I've seen some with problems with the right hand side key rods. They bend easily and are expensive to replace Let us know how it turns out and best of luck.
 
#28 ·
I didn't like the VII.

It had much better intonation than my VI, and decent tone, but did not have any tone flexibility. No matter how soft or hard I played, the tonal color didn't change much - and I couldn't get the tone to distort by overblowing.

What it did best was play with a good tone at a low volume.

But it wasn't a bad sax, just not good for my rock/blues needs.

YMMV

Insights and incites by Notes
 
#29 ·
I've never seen anyone on ebay (which isn't to say there hasn't been) asking $7000 for a Mark VII tenor. I did see someone asking $6000 for a VII alto suppose to have been Fred Hemke's (who btw did not design the VII). In fact I think that alto is back on ebay again after not having gotten any bids the first time now for $5 grand. A good VII tenor goes for around $2500 or at least that's what the recent closed auctions state. one went for $2750, but that isn't the norm. I have even seen a couple of very mint early engraved VII altos & maybe one tenor go for $3000, but they were flawless. Some music stores ask those higher prices for VII's, dunno if they get em or not, they probably come down some.

anyway, different strokes for different folks, some like em, even love em....some don't. I see folks here who prefer their vintage Buescher or Conn to a VI. everyone is different.
 
#30 ·
AG...I saw one about 4 months ago and I kid you not they were asking 7K!!! The big bust about it was that it was supposidly from the very first run of VII's that Selmer manufactured. From Selmers own web site they note changing the later VI's over to Mark VII's a year before it became an official brand. My tech, that I highly trust, told me about this. I was totally blown away! I know it seems hard to believe, but trust me...it was an actual bid horn. I'm sure they didn't get that much out of it. Even though I play a VI, I would rather have a good Yamaha or Keilworth than a VII. They just weren't that great of horn although I have heard people do amazing things with them.
 
#31 ·
I don't doubt it, especially after I saw that "Fred Hemke VII alto" for $6 grand. some people just don't know about saxophones and think because a VI tenor sells for that kind of money a VII will too. well, we know better. I play an early VII alto and love it and would never trade it for a Yamaha or Keilwerth and I've played both, also a Yani & I've had a later production Serie II in addition to my VII. sold the II, I thought it brighter than the early ones & I like a darker horn so I kept the VII (never considered selling it anyway) for me my VII alto beats em all, but that's me, like I said.....every one is different.
 
#32 ·
You are correct AG. There are some great VII's out there, but 7K is way too much. I play a 167XXX VI and love it, but then I've played it since 1969. I've also got a Selmer BA alto S/N 21474 that I can play dark or bright. Cats are always teasing me because it's a relaq....until they hear me play. I got it from Wendell Culp, who was in charge of sax assemby and adjustment at Selmer USA in Elkheart. It was his personal alto. Wendell was the best clarinet repairmen I've ever had, and knowing I play a lot of sax, he sold it to me for $850.00. Keep in mind that was 1994. The relaq bigotry cracks me up. I've played some wonder Selmer's, Kings, Yamahas...etc., that were relaqued. It's urban myth that they won't play well unless a horn has been so over-sprayed that it puts on 2 pounds.

So you found the Series II to be too bright for you? Just curious, because I, too, like a darker sound on alto, and despite having a lot of students, I've never played one. Would appreciate your comments. I've heard too many runors that the Series II were really a "classical" horn. I never believe rumors until I talk to another player with experience. I'd appreciate your thoughts.
 
#39 ·
I've heard too many runors that the Series II were really a "classical" horn. I never believe rumors until I talk to another player with experience. I'd appreciate your thoughts.
The Serie II alto is a great all-'round horn - jazz, classical... If you can't play it on a Serie II, it's not the horn's fault.

Recall that the Mk VI was designed for classical work too. :twisted:
 
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