Selmer Mark VI Alto Saxophone Review [Worth 10k]
I was given this high quality Selmer Mk VI Alto Saxophone by a generous family-friend of mine who was the original owner.
I invested about $1,250 into this fantastic horn to have it overhauled at a prominent repair shop in NYC, namely Perry Ritter.
Selmer Mark VI Alto Saxophone Price
Now, the retail value of this Selmer Mark VI Alto Sax is easily valued at $10,000. (No, I'm not selling it so please don't ask, though I'd love to talk about the horn!)
In my view as a sax player, it was entirely worth the money to get the instrument overhauled, in addition to the increase in retail price.
How do you identify a Selmer Mark VI Alto Sax?
The easiest way to identify whether a saxophone is a Henri Selmer Paris saxophone is to look at the bell of the horn.
Reading through the visible engravings should help you determine the brand, make, model, serial number, which country it was made in, and other information specific to your horn.
Some of the words on the saxophone say:
“Brevete France & Etranger”
“Henri Selmer Paris”
“Fabrique en France”
“Selmer”
“New-York Elkhart”
“London”
“Made in France”
Finally, the engravings near the bottom of the bell on the front are engraved with the model of this Selmer saxophone:
"Mark VI"
Is the Selmer Paris Mark VI Alto Sax worth it?
Yes! This is a great saxophone with amazing tonal quality! It may even become my main instrument.
The thing that stands out about this horn is that it easily resonates in terms of sound when played.
This horn is built for “belting” out the sound!
==> Listen to me play this horn on YouTube
Additionally, I learned that this saxophone had the best “action” or key mechanism for a saxophone of its time. This makes a little more sense to me as a piano technician since the saxophones available now at Selmer are so reasonably priced.
How Much is a new Selmer Alto Saxophone Worth?
Order a new Selmer Alto Sax HERE for the lowest price available (Do NOT pay retail).
At the time of this writing, a brand new Selmer Paris SeleS AXOS Series alto saxophone costs $3,590. That's $6,410 lower than my vintage Selmer Paris Mark VI alto sax.
How Much is a used Selmer Alto Saxophone Worth?
At the time of this writing a used Selmer Alto Sax costs $3,000 Save over $590 with "Like New"
The Bell
The bell on this Mark VI looks absolutely beautiful. The engraving embodies a royalty of its own, yet matches present day professional horn engravings as well.
You’ll notice that the overall size of the bell is consistent with other saxophones. Some professional horns of today have a larger bell, like my high school saxophone, my Keilwerth Shadow.
How do I know where my Saxophone was made?
On the front of the bell we find serial numbers, engravings, and old scratches from long ago.
Here we can see that this saxophone was Made in France, along with patent information and its serial number.
It always feels good to know that your instrument was built in a European country. I can’t explain it, but it makes it really special.
Made in France
Brev-SGDG-920653
Eng. Pat. 632799
U.S. Pat. 2940640
U.S. Pat. 2710558
M 90312
The inside face of the horn looks very typical from an untrained eye. This pulls the attention towards other portions of the horn that hold greater detail.
Like many other horns, the pads themselves are yellow/orange in color. This is the standard color for all saxophones.
The exception is to find a saxophone with different color pads, such as the pads in my Keilwerth Shadow that are black.
The outer facing portion of the horn is decorated with green felting, key pearls, Selmer logo engravings, key gaurds, and the classic characteristic of the Mark VI.
Additionally, the horn was in great need of cleaning. Further deterioration was prevented by shining up the horn sufficiently to prevent further decay.
After warming the horn up, it plays nearly effortlessly.
Pros and Cons of Selmer Mark VI Alto Saxophone
Pros:
“Modernized” action - like modern saxophones
Vintage classic collectors item
Distinct and unforgettable character of sound
Good for “belting” out sound
Has a low b flat
Cons:
No high F Sharp Key
Fingering always takes a little while to get used to
It makes you fall in love with the instrument!
Should you buy a vintage Selmer Mark VI Alto Saxophone?
Buy if:
You are a collector of vintage Selmers (seriously, how could you give one of these up?)
You are lucky enough to have the money! This alto saxophone is worth it!
You need a vintage horn that has character, resonance, and style
Don’t Buy if:
You don’t play saxophone
It’s out of your price range
Retail/Market Value $10,000+
Thankfully, modern horns made by Selmer are available for a better price.
Check out the newer models of Selmer Saxophones like the SAS711 alto sax conveniently available on Amazon! It’s amazing that it’s possible to get such a great horn on Amazon these days.
How Much is a new Selmer Alto Saxophone Worth?
Order a new Selmer Alto Sax HERE for the lowest price available (Do NOT pay retail).
At the time of this writing, a brand new Selmer Paris SeleS AXOS Series alto saxophone costs $3,590. That's $6,410 lower than my vintage Selmer Paris Mark VI alto sax.
How Much is a used Selmer Alto Saxophone Worth?
At the time of this writing a used Selmer Alto Sax costs $3,000 Save over $590 with "Like New"
How much is a Selmer Paris Mark VI worth?
Not all Selmer Mark VI alto saxophones are the same! The valuation of a Selmer Pair Mark VI depends on a variety of factors like year it was made, current condition, and local market.
The Year it was Made
Interestingly, within the production years of the Mark VI alto sax, there were modifications and improvements to the design that have been known to cause variations in outcome quality.
Having said this, Selmer connoisseurs are careful about which year of Selmer Mark VI is being considered for sale. The build quality evolved overtime for this specific model of saxophone.
Current Condition
Overhaul - The saxophone in this article was completely overhauled. This is the maximum amount of work you can put into an alto saxophone without refurbishing the horn case. This work that cost $1,250 won me a $10,000 valuation of the horn.
Touch Up Maintenance - If the horn hasn't been maintained for a few years, it's best to spend a few hundred dollars to have it in for maintenance repair to spruce it up for retail sale.
No Maintenance - Without doing maintenance on the horn, it may place a limit on the asking price of the horn because the customer will then have to invest a sum of money to have the work done.
Local Market
Saxophones can be sold privately, sold through consignment at repair shops, or sold through consignment at a retail store.
Private sales are time costly and if you're not great at negotiating, you will likely lose money.
Consignment sales of saxophones are likely the best choice for those looking to sell their saxophone, as the saxophone will generally be sold at a repair shop
Retail Music Store Consignment sales depend on the willingness of the music store to understand the value of the horn and setup the sale on your behalf, which is similar to consignment but
How much money is my alto sax worth?
Determining the value of your alto saxophone depends on a wide variety of factors such as condition, geographic market, and brand recognition.
The Selmer Mark VI in this article is easily valued at 10 because it had gone through a complete overhaul (condition), appraised in New York City (geographic market), and Henri Selmer is a famous line of saxophones (brand recognition).
The local music store or saxophone repairman will figuring out the appraisal value of your horn by considering all 3 of these factors.
Why are Henri Selmer saxophones so expensive?
Internationally recognized brand name.
Much like other products that carry big brand names, the primary reason why Selmer saxophones are so expensive is because of the good reputation of the company.
Beyond cherishing Selmer vintage horns, Selmer is a reputable brand that carries its weight in its new products to this day.
Selmer Mark VI Design Changes
Selmer made slight modifications overtime within the lifespan of the production of Mark VI Saxophones.
As the years went by, Mark VI saxophones evolved, and even within that timeframe each model was not exactly the same.
Typically, instrument manufacturers save product evolutions for each subsequent model/version. Intra-model improvements are known to have occurred for Mark VI saxophones.
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