Sax on the Web Forum banner

P. Mauriat Master 97 alto: classical horn?

14K views 25 replies 10 participants last post by  LostConn 
#1 ·
I created a previous thread about the alleged benefits of the sterling silver octave pips used by P. Mauriat on its new horn: The latest sax-body sonic technology. I'm not soliciting a reiteration of comments and/or derision on that subject in this thread.

What I wanted to discuss in this thread is that I believe the P. Mauriat Master 97 alto is the first saxophone from a Taiwanese manufacturer that directly, rather than incidentally, appears to cater to the classical saxophonist. The very first sentence of the U.S. distributor's press release alerts us that something different is at work: "In the winter of 2011, the P. Mauriat team began designing a horn that could thrive in the hands of both professional classical musicians and commercial musicians." A promotional "review" on the P. Mauriat website emphasizes this goal: "As a performer of both classical and jazz genres, my ideal saxophone is one I can play in multiple styles comfortably and confidently. ... The Master 97A ... has resistance perfect for creating a warm classical tone without sacrificing the ability to be free-blowing and edgy when needed."

Up until now, the Taiwanese manufacturers have pretty much ignored the classical alto market, first by promoting their tenors most heavily, and also by positioning their altos as either powerful and edgy, or "vintage"-sounding in the American jazz sense. Unlike Selmer Paris, Yamaha, Buffet, and to a somewhat lesser extent Yanagisawa, the Taiwanese haven't really focused on selling "classical" attributes such as a dark, elegant tone, outstanding intonation, and evenness across registers, nor have they put forward large numbers of classical players as endorsers. But I get the impression now that P. Mauriat has decided that it's been missing out on a nice market (schools and universities?), and is broadening its product line accordingly.

Has anyone played the Master 97 alto yet? It just came out in 2015, and I haven't read anything about it on SOTW, which is why I've posted.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
I noticed this earlier this year. I decided to check the website of my P. Mauriat dealer (Sax Alley) and he didn't have it listed.

I don't all the marketing terms used, but I general like to hear what Tim thinks of the horns. Still loving my 67R, but I'd be intrigued to see what comes from this horn.
 
#3 ·
I don't all the marketing terms used, but I general like to hear what Tim thinks of the horns. Still loving my 67R, but I'd be intrigued to see what comes from this horn.
There's a short video floating around that shows Greg Osby at NAMM basically declaring that the Master 97 is the best saxophone on earth. Of course, he said the same thing about Greg Osby model System 76 alto a couple of years ago. Regardless, I think it's a good thing for any company to broaden its product line. And the rule of thumb seems to be that a good classical horn will be a good all-around horn, amenable to customization via mouthpiece and reed choices.
 
#9 · (Edited)
I don't know in US... but here in Europe nobody who is into classical stuff (student, professor, performer) will play a """classical""" saxophone made in Taiwan... nor endores such a kind of instruments.
It's not about the intrinsic quality of the horn... it's simply because it's not a Selmer.

The (classical) French Sound is based on a Selmer saxophone. In the academies/conservatories, they teach the French Sound...
Very few people use different instruments rather than a Selmer saxophone (Yamaha... for instance).
 
#11 · (Edited)
There is no "classical saxophone." If you think there is then you're responding to the marketing exactly how they want you to.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Homely Saxman
#12 ·
Re: P. Mauriat Master 97 alto: classical horn? [Now tenor too!]

P. Mauriat now has introduced a Master 97 tenor. I still haven't even tried the Master 97 alto! (P. Mauriat claims the M97 alto has been "an enormous success.") Someone hit the brakes, please. :)

In the NAMM video, the company describes the Master 97 tenor as a "do-it-all horn," but the website says the model "was meticulously designed from selected materials to meet the exceptional expectations of our Classical connoisseurs."

P. Mauriat also is still pushing the line that having sterling silver octave pips on an otherwise all-brass saxophone creates a "dual-alloy horn." Why? Because "the octave pips are the part of the saxophone that affect the sound the most."

Anyway, like the alto, the new M97 tenor is a nice-looking and -sounding horn that I would like to try someday, but probably won't be able to unless I just buy one outright.

 
#13 ·
Well it looks nice and appears to be well made but I'll have to call BS on the silver octave pips making any significant difference. Likewise the classical demo was just meh, - it didn't sound particularly good to me but classical isn't my thing. I've owned a couple of Mauriats and I'll definitely have a go with this tenor when one eventually shows up at Sax Alley.
 
#14 ·
Re: P. Mauriat Master 97 alto: classical horn? [Now tenor too!]

Well it looks nice and appears to be well made but I'll have to call BS on the silver octave pips making any significant difference.
As cited in my OP in this thread, we had a whole separate thread mocking the claim about the octave pips, but apparently no one at P. Mauriat read it. :) Now the tenor is the subject of the same nonsense.

Likewise the classical demo was just meh, - it didn't sound particularly good to me but classical isn't my thing.
Perhaps because he (a guy named Scott Litroff, who is one of P. Mauriat's few (only?) classical endorsers) was playing a work written for soprano sax. That was the Fantasia by Villa-Lobos for soprano & chamber orchestra.
 
#15 ·
Fair enough - I don't know anything about classical repertoire so I'm not in much of a position to judge. I was just admitting I wouldn't have been impressed enough by that demo to pull my wallet out straight-away. Hopefully this won't turn out to be a Sys-76 with silver octave vent pips. It seems like there's a lot of that sort of thing going on just to try and create a buzz.
 
#16 ·
Re: P. Mauriat Master 97 alto: classical horn? [Now tenor too!]

Hopefully this won't turn out to be a Sys-76 with silver octave vent pips. It seems like there's a lot of that sort of thing going on just to try and create a buzz.
The M97 alto was reputedly designed pretty much from scratch as far as P. Mauriat was concerned (though ideas probably were borrowed from Yamaha and Selmer). Hopefully the M97 tenor is similar. I agree that slapping a different name and lacquer color on the same basic horn would be a waste of time, but I don't think they've done that. This horn will not be cheap, though: $4399 at the WW&BW.
 
#17 ·
I was just admitting I wouldn't have been impressed enough by that demo to pull my wallet out straight-away. Hopefully this won't turn out to be a Sys-76 with silver octave vent pips. It seems like there's a lot of that sort of thing going on just to try and create a buzz.
Too much vibrato for sure.

Nobody remembers the P.Mauriat 85Z?
https://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?177059
 
#20 ·
just got one today. new and mint. needs an adjustment and once it is I will play and give my assessment. It is quite beautiful. I saw a list of 5449.00. I saw a dealer price slasher selling new for 3999.99. Mine was bought less than a year ago and never played. the owner did not play sax and wanted to learn one day. He unfortunately passed away and his horn was passed to his son and never played. I picked it up today. I havent heard of anybody playing the master 97 for a review. virtually unknown horn and seems nobody has one. except me now.
 
#21 ·
the master 97 plays beautifully. I believe it is P. Mauriat attempt at a (selmer supreme) type horn. it plays in tune up and down. it doesnt play bright unless you push it and it will scream nicely. it does not have metal resonators but it has a broad tone and is impeccably made. The lacquer is gorgeous and the engraving is substantial and hand made. It does play like a professional instrument. I put it up against my Selmer MkVI and even though my selmer has a very broad mid range power due to its massive custom Beasonator resonators, the master 97 marches right up to altissimo holding in tune with solid high register. It can easily be played in a classical setting and live there for as long as its owner wishes but can dive right into jazz and hang with the best. I used my durga 4 10 star mouthpiece and it took all the air I could give it yet never distorts and continues to play in tune. It instills confidence when hitting any note in its register. They clearly worked on its tone (playing in tune) and invested research and development in ergonomics and flexibility. It is a very very good horn. I am a believer in P. Mauriat. I also have my original to me Selmer Mk VI with a fresh Ken Beason overhaul, Yamaha 62 purple logo with a fresh Ken Beason overhaul, Steve Goodson Custom gold plated sax with all of his additional keys and a Jupiter 869 with Sterling Silver neck. I feel I have a pretty good selection of pro horns and this P. Mauriat hangs with any one of these horns. Every one is different but each is great in its own way. Definitely try a Master 97. It is worth it.
 
#22 ·
Despite being quite "locked in", the Supreme sounds quite lively, somewhat darker than "your favorite average Mark VI alto"... but lively with a lot of definition.

The Yamaha YAS-875EX (alto) sounds very "locked in" but it doesn't have the presence of the Supreme.

If it was hard to get the right balance between sound-flexibility-intonation, when Yamaha historically always focused on the intonation... the Supreme delivers a superb intonation with less of the trade-off with the sound.

I don't think P.Mauriat wanted to have an instrument like the Selmer Supreme, since the Master 97 has been availble much earlier than the Supreme... but IMO they tried to provide an instrument more similar to a Yamaha Custom alto... in terms of feeling... locked-in feeling.
 
#23 ·
Nine years after I started this thread, I finally acquired a Master 97 alto. The unusual way that happened is the subject of its own thread: https://www.saxontheweb.net/threads/is-p-mauriat-discontinuing-the-master-97-alto.404148/

The horn arrived via FedEx today. I won't make any comments about how it plays until I've had a chance to check it out thoroughly. But here are some preliminary notes. The saxophone was well-packed by Sweetwater. Inside a big box was a smaller box and some large, firm pieces of bubble wrap that immobilized the contents. Inside the smaller box was the P. Mauriat case. The saxophone and the neck were in separate lightweight protective bags inside the case.

The horn came with a good selection of accessories: a set of backpack straps (not preattached, so they can either be used or stored); a shoulder strap; one of the nicest neck straps I've ever seen come as standard equipment (wide leather at the top; heavy cord; metal slider; metal hook with heavy plastic coating); a reasonable-looking mouthpiece with a two-screw ligature and plastic cap; a cool red polishing cloth; a pull-through swab; a tube of cork grease; the P. Mauriat warranty card; and the extra Sweetwater warranty card (good for 2 years if submit your info). About the only thing missing was a reed. They even put all the packing corks and so forth, which had been removed from the horn during the setup process, into a little plastic bag and sent those along to me as well. And of course, I got the usual Sweetwater swag: a decal and a few candies.

The horn appears to be in perfect condition. It did function well in a quick play test. The finish is excellent; in Selmer terms, I'd say the lacquer color is closer to the amber shade of the Supreme than to the yellow look of the Series II. The engraving is very traditional in style (floral pattern, wide etchings) but looks excellent. The neck fits very snugly in the socket. The neck plug is your basic black plastic (looks almost exactly like the plug on my Series III, except without the S on top).

I'll follow up down the road with more substantive comments.
 
#24 ·
Almost thought you were going to say it came with a pair of white gloves as well ;) Looking forward to the full run down on this one although I don't play enough alto to justify buying another one at a discount or not.

Remind me again LC, your a Yani guy right?? So you're going to be sort of A/B-ing this with your other altos.
 
#25 ·
Remind me again LC, your a Yani guy right?? So you're going to be sort of A/B-ing this with your other altos.
I do play Yany on soprano and tenor, plus a Yany copy (Solist) on baritone. My no. 1 alto is a Selmer Series III, with a Yany A990μ as my backup & outdoor concert alto.

Yes, I do plan some back-and-forth comparisons. I can list one key difference right now: my other two altos are black lacquer! I don’t think the Master 97 comes in any finish except gold lacquer. When this model first appeared, a gold-plated version was available, but I haven't seen that offered anywhere for a while. It's not even mentioned on the P. Mauriat website. But I'm perfectly happy with standard lacquer.
 
#26 ·
While I'm not yet ready to comment extensively on Master 97's playing capabilities (though I've found that I do enjoy playing it), I've learned something that clears up a mini-mystery from the past. When this model was introduced, P. Mauriat described it as a "dual alloy" horn, apparently based on the use of sterling silver octave pips. I found that amusing, and mocked it accordingly in another thread. But now I understand that while the body and bell are made of yellow brass (70-30), the neck is made of what's variously called "gold brass" or "rose brass" (85-15). In fact, you can easily see that the Master 97 neck is a slightly more reddish color, even under the lacquer. It looks more like Yanagisawa bronze, which also has a higher copper content than yellow brass. P. Mauriat's videos from 2015 oddly fail to mention the composition of the neck, but some more recent marketing material calls this out. It's obviously a much more solid reason for applying the "dual alloy" tag than just octave pips. In fact, I guess it's really a triple alloy horn. :)
 
Top