Selmer Mark VI Tenor Saxophone 85xxx Original Stohrer Overhaul

Description

This is one of my favorite VI tenors ever, and I have been holding onto it for months since it got overhauled trying to decide whether even to list it for sale. It is the kind of horn that will make your career if you are a full-time musician, and/or assure you that a better vintage Selmer cannot be found for love or money. This horn has just been overhauled by Matt Stohrer, who is one of the best saxophone repairmen around, and it is now playing its very best. It has reusable hand-machined, domed brass resonators that ideally complement the basic tone of the horn. The pads have a nice, firm feel, and the horn really could not be any better setup.

This is original lacquer, and this horn came to me with original pads still intact as well. You can’t tell now, but the thumb hook was pushed slightly in when I got the horn, and it has now been fixed without leaving much of a trace. The bell flare has also had a dent removed from it, and it is set right again now, leaving a line of lacquer missing. (Vintage nitrocellulose lacquer is fragile and fractures when stressed even a little.) That’s it to mention as far as past repairs go. The horn is beautiful and remarkably clean for a 55 year old instrument. It ships in a new BAM Cabine tenor case, which is the ideal case for this horn, with a perfectly form-fitted, ideally padded interior, and strong, protective exterior. You can also have the original case shipped separately if you like, but I do not ship high-end horns in original cases anymore.

Playing wise, this is a very satisfying, do-it-all kind of tenor. It has a medium-dark, complex tone that is fairly focused and flexible. It has good intonation, an even scale consistent throughout the registers, easy altissimo. It’s the kind of horn that makes you want to play and play. This is sold with my highest recommendation.