So… I am a dedicated King player. My 5 digit MKVI went into the closet after playing a Silversonic, and didn't see much action from that point forward.
My King arsenal includes Tenor, Alto, and Silver King Clarinet. My main bari is a Conn 12M, but I doubt anyone would fault me for that. My main tenor is a great Silversonic (double socket, gold leaf 375,xxx).
I like to have 2 horns of each voice (tenor, alto, bari) both for variety, and also as a safety net in case something needs to go to the shop.
I had to sell my backup tenors (5 digit MKVI, single socket Cleveland Silversonic w/no gold leaf) over the last four years in order to pay for a second bachelor's and master's degrees, but now that I am out of school, and playing out a lot more, I have been debating about what to do about the backup tenor.
I have a Yanagisawa 9930 alto, and 880 bari that I like a lot. They play well, and more easily in tune than my vintage King and Conn. I like having a vintage axe that sounds amazing, but also having a modern horn with great intonation and action, as some gigs/studio sessions call for different approaches. Unfortunately, I haven't played a Yanagisawa, or Yamaha tenor that has really impressed me. Modern Selmers haven't really grabbed my attention, and the Taiwanese stuff sounds great for the first five minutes and then I start to notice the absence of core and character in the sound and I start to feel dirty.
This long preamble leads up to the question:
I'd like to get a good backup tenor. I enjoy "free blowing" and big sounding horns, but I would like to find something that will have better baseline intonation, and a different tonal profile than my Silversonic. I am looking to spend as little as possible (it is a backup horn, after all), but might be willing to go as high as $5,000 for something that was as awesome as my King. I don't live in an area where I am likely to be able to play test any horns, so it will most likely be an internet gamble. So, SOTW, what would you do in my position?
I've been looking pretty seriously into the Buescher TH&C, Buffet S1, Conn 10 or 30M, certain Martins sound interesting, and then there's always finding another MKVI, or even a brass bell Super 20 or Zephyr Special. Unfortunately, I have never had the opportunity to play any of these tenors. World Wide Sax has this chart, but I would be curious to hear King players' comments on how these horns compare to Kings.
http://www.worldwidesax.com/saxophone_comparison_chart.htm
Thanks in advance!
My King arsenal includes Tenor, Alto, and Silver King Clarinet. My main bari is a Conn 12M, but I doubt anyone would fault me for that. My main tenor is a great Silversonic (double socket, gold leaf 375,xxx).
I like to have 2 horns of each voice (tenor, alto, bari) both for variety, and also as a safety net in case something needs to go to the shop.
I had to sell my backup tenors (5 digit MKVI, single socket Cleveland Silversonic w/no gold leaf) over the last four years in order to pay for a second bachelor's and master's degrees, but now that I am out of school, and playing out a lot more, I have been debating about what to do about the backup tenor.
I have a Yanagisawa 9930 alto, and 880 bari that I like a lot. They play well, and more easily in tune than my vintage King and Conn. I like having a vintage axe that sounds amazing, but also having a modern horn with great intonation and action, as some gigs/studio sessions call for different approaches. Unfortunately, I haven't played a Yanagisawa, or Yamaha tenor that has really impressed me. Modern Selmers haven't really grabbed my attention, and the Taiwanese stuff sounds great for the first five minutes and then I start to notice the absence of core and character in the sound and I start to feel dirty.
This long preamble leads up to the question:
I'd like to get a good backup tenor. I enjoy "free blowing" and big sounding horns, but I would like to find something that will have better baseline intonation, and a different tonal profile than my Silversonic. I am looking to spend as little as possible (it is a backup horn, after all), but might be willing to go as high as $5,000 for something that was as awesome as my King. I don't live in an area where I am likely to be able to play test any horns, so it will most likely be an internet gamble. So, SOTW, what would you do in my position?
I've been looking pretty seriously into the Buescher TH&C, Buffet S1, Conn 10 or 30M, certain Martins sound interesting, and then there's always finding another MKVI, or even a brass bell Super 20 or Zephyr Special. Unfortunately, I have never had the opportunity to play any of these tenors. World Wide Sax has this chart, but I would be curious to hear King players' comments on how these horns compare to Kings.
http://www.worldwidesax.com/saxophone_comparison_chart.htm
Thanks in advance!