Selmer Saxophones – a Short History and Personal Comment
Following the decline of US saxophone manufacturing after WWII and
prior to the introduction and rise of quality from Japanese manufacturers (establishing themselves from the mid-1970's onwards) from
the 1950’s to the late 1970’s Selmer Paris ruled the professional saxophone
market with their Selmer MKVI model. This instrument evolved in both the
qualities of the materials and details of manufacture sufficiently over this
long period of time to bring about ‘eras’ of particular interest among
collectors but it is fair to say that the MKVI model was the principal choice
of serious players, both jazz and classical, throughout these decades and
remains popular to this day. The ergonomics of the keywork operation, fleetness
of touch, standard of intonation and tone projection are the hallmarks.
Following this era (as a result it is said of worn tooling
needing replacement) the new MKVII instrument was introduced. Its design was
heavily influenced by Frederick Hemke who, being a solely classical player and
very large in stature, desired a heavier built instrument with a darker,
heavier tone and more substantial keywork feel. While this suited some players
it disappointed many and within a few years this model was dropped in favour of
the Super Action 80.
The introduction of the S80 in 1981 was an attempt to regain
the custom of both jazz and classical players but, while it is unquestionably
more responsive and easier to operate than the MKVII and the lighter keywork
feel and more ‘characteristic’ tone have being well received by classical
players, the S80 did not persuade many jazz musicians – incidentally opening up
the door for Yanagisawa to step-in and fill the desire for a brighter sounding
lighter keywork feel model. Other manufacturers have also based many of their new
introductions on the MKVI as well the current Reference 54, Cannonball and
Antigua saxophones all being examples of the ‘nominal Selmer’ design.
Selmer introduced the model we know today as the S80 Series
II in 1986 to try to improve on the original S80 and the biggest notable
difference is that the individual key rods are ‘spring loaded’ to try to
lighten and improve the key action. This model has been a huge seller to this
day and is successfully played in all manner of styles – with appropriate mouthpiece
selection.
The S80 Series III was introduced in 1996 following artistic
input from Claude Delangle, the present leading classical teacher and
performer at the Paris Conservatoire. He desired a pitch correction mechanism
for the stretched octave of middle and high C# and the alteration to achieve
this is the most obvious difference between the models. Further alternations to
the tone hole placement (mainly in the palm keys) and the crook have meant that
this model (Alto, Tenor and double crook Soprano) has appealed primarily to a
limited, primarily classical players and it should not be considered an
furtherance of the S80 Series II – rather more like a divergence to meet the
requirements of a specific market.
Finally, to meet the too long overlooked desires of jazz
saxophonists in 2000 Selmer introduced the Reference 54 (and for the tenor the
additional 36) models. While keeping the crucial aspects of bore and crook
taper the same as other models the Reference introduced a different weight
(density) and thickness of metal and a significant remake of keywork in an
attempt to recover the best and most favoured aspects of the MKVI model – the
standard Reference against which all their subsequent models were
being compared. In my opinion the current Reference offering is at least as
good as most of the MKVI instruments that I have ever played and, as both the
intonation and quality of manufacture are much improved over the worst examples
of MKVI manufacture, the Reference will usually be found to be superior to
almost all available examples of the now more than 40 year
old MKVI.
The significant differences between the current Super Action
80 Series II and the Reference are in the body tube material used and its
resonance (the Reference being the slightly lighter/brighter/more responsive),
the slimmer profile and reduced weighting of the keywork and the less important
finish options – Vintage ‘old gold’ lacquer being the most typical for the
Reference, with more traditional lighter gold lacquer finish being standard for
the S80 II. I do not attribute any significant difference in tone to the choice
of finish but it cannot be denied that the Reference finishes looks much more
like the original MKVI – so much so that it can be difficult to distinguish at
a distance.
To summarise – I continue to think in terms of the S80
II as a wonderful ‘all round’ instrument capable of meeting the expectations of
all playing styles with a reasonable favouring more to the Classical side, but
able to be used for Jazz. The Reference is more of a Jazz instrument perfectly
able to be used for Classical playing, as was the original MKVI (Marcel Mule,
to whom all saxophonists owe so much was involved in the creation and
development of the original MKVI). In my opinion the Series III is probably best considered
the domain of the strictly Classical player allowing for the exceptionally
musician who might prefer its tone quality or different intonation pattern.
Selmer has moved, since the introduction of the Series II
(now in the Jubilee version), the Series III, the Reference and now the Axos (introduced in
2015 to meet a more affordable price point) models to a period of
simultaneously offering more choice than ever before in their history. It is
fair to say that as a rule Selmer remains the most often desired and equally most appropriate model
instrument for the majority of professionals and aspiring students. The
combination of the great tradition the brand represents and the overall quality
of the product suggest that these instruments will continue to be used, preferred and appreciated for many years to come.
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The
tips and comments above are the result of many years of providing help and advice, my
personal interest and study, and the teaching that I have done during
my career. I have many colleagues and teachers to thank for
sharing their thoughts and suggestions on this and other topics. In addition I am
indebted to
Woodwind & Reed,
Cambridge ( www.wwr.co.uk ) where, in the
course of helping customers, many of these concepts have been refined and have proven helpful.
Thomas Dryer-Beers
