Early 66R's

**Jazziswaswillbe** · 07-15-2017, 01:34 AM

Someone is selling a 66 on eBay. I believe it's from '03. The neck says Super Jazz VI. Not Super VI. Does anyone know these horns? I've owned later ones - 2011, 2012. I called Saxquest and the guy I spoke to had no idea if they were markedly different and whether the necks were inferior etc. Anyone with one of these able to.comment?

**nachoman** · 07-15-2017, 10:35 AM

I know Mauriat have always been a bit inconsistent in what they stamp on their horns. In all probability its the same neck and they just reset the jigs differently...

**KeithL** · 07-15-2017, 03:03 PM

I play tested one of these in Fall of 2003 at Sax Alley while Tim was still working out of his basement. That tenor was one of the very first 66Rs in the country. It played pretty well and at the time was a very good deal for the price which at that point was around $1600 new. The impression I've gotten from Tim, spending a great deal of time talking to him about Mauriats and Taiwanese horns in general over the years, is that they try and make small improvements to them over time when they get the opportunity to do so. This is why the present iteration of East Asian horns are begrudgingly accepted by the mainstream sax community (if such a thing really exists) where the ones made up through the late 1990's were considered really inferior. I don't think an 2003-2004 66R is going to be a completely different horn from a 2016-2017 66R but I suspect there are some differences.

**tommyboy585** · 07-19-2017, 08:06 PM

I purchased the 66R I believe you are talking about on eBay. I haven't had much luck finding a whole lot of info on the older P.Mauriats. I am suppose to receive it tomorrow so hopefully it's a nice horn. So any info from someone on here with experience would be greatly appreciated!

**Jazziswaswillbe** · 07-19-2017, 10:10 PM

Originally Posted by tommyboy585

I purchased the 66R I believe you are talking about on eBay. I haven't had much luck finding a whole lot of info on the older P.Mauriats. I am suppose to receive it tomorrow so hopefully it's a nice horn. So any info from someone on here with experience would be greatly appreciated!

CONGRATCH!! I had called someone at Saxquest. He thought they'd improved the horn AND the neck. Someone else who used to work for p Mauriat thought they probably didn't change significantly. So .. Too difficult to know. But the auction went higher than I could go. And I've already owned an INFLUENCE - better than the couple of 66rul's I'd tried at a store. So I wasn't willing. But I'll bet you'll love it. These are the exceptions among the Taiwanese horns in my experience.

**tommyboy585** · 07-19-2017, 10:54 PM

Originally Posted by Jazziswaswillbe

CONGRATCH!! I had called someone at Saxquest. He thought they'd improved the horn AND the neck. Someone else who used to work for p Mauriat thought they probably didn't change significantly. So .. Too difficult to know. But the auction went higher than I could go. And I've already owned an INFLUENCE - better than the couple of 66rul's I'd tried at a store. So I wasn't willing. But I'll bet you'll love it. These are the exceptions among the Taiwanese horns in my experience.

Great thanks for your info. Tomorrow can't come soon enough!

**littlewailer** · 07-19-2017, 11:09 PM

I played a 66R at a trade show a year or two after they came out. Really great horns. I played the 76 alongside it and I just couldn't get my sound out of it.

Congrats!

**Jazziswaswillbe** · 07-19-2017, 11:27 PM

I'm eager to hear. But I know you'll be happy with it. Good purchase! Everybody should spend a year with one of these. They are very responsive. Big sound. And complex. Nice nice horn.

**tommyboy585** · 07-20-2017, 12:46 AM

Originally Posted by littlewailer

I played a 66R at a trade show a year or two after they came out. Really great horns. I played the 76 alongside it and I just couldn't get my sound out of it.

Congrats!

That's really good to hear thanks for the info!

**tommyboy585** · 07-20-2017, 12:53 AM

Originally Posted by Jazziswaswillbe

I'm eager to hear. But I know you'll be happy with it. Good purchase! Everybody should spend a year with one of these. They are very responsive. Big sound. And complex. Nice nice horn.

I'll have to post my initial thoughts tomorrow after I get it. I hope it lives up to all the hype I've heard and read about them. I use to play a Mark VII several years ago and I stopped playing for a little while. I'm just getting back into playing so this is my first professional tenor in a while. I hope I enjoy it as much as my Mark VII.

**tommyboy585** · 07-20-2017, 07:35 PM

Originally Posted by tommyboy585

I'll have to post my initial thoughts tomorrow after I get it. I hope it lives up to all the hype I've heard and read about them. I use to play a Mark VII several years ago and I stopped playing for a little while. I'm just getting back into playing so this is my first professional tenor in a while. I hope I enjoy it as much as my Mark VII.

It just came a little while ago and so far I'm very pleased with how it looks, plays and sounds.

**Isle of Jazz** · 07-21-2017, 08:41 AM

I've got one from 2006 with no engraving on the bell. I like it: it's sturdily built and has a good tone. I use a key riser on the "D" palm key. For years I thought of it as a solid horn but the bell tones were always somewhat of a struggle and mentioned this to Glen Sargent when I brought it in this past spring for a sticking pad issue. He ended up working with the neck tenon and since I got the horn back it's played better than it ever did before.

**tommyboy585** · 07-21-2017, 10:09 PM

Originally Posted by Isle of Jazz

I've got one from 2006 with no engraving on the bell. I like it: it's sturdily built and has a good tone. I use a key riser on the "D" palm key. For years I thought of it as a solid horn but the bell tones were always somewhat of a struggle and mentioned this to Glen Sargent when I brought it in this past spring for a sticking pad issue. He ended up working with the neck tenon and since I got the horn back it's played better than it ever did before.

That's good to hear.... I've been happy with it so far. I'm going to take it to a repair shop and get checked out this weekend. It was just in the shop a couple of weeks ago before I purchased it. I feel like the octave key has a bit too much play in it. And it has some red oxidation on a few parts of the bell.