If you want the ‘chef’s kiss’ of Mark VI altos, then there’s a good case to be made that this is it. My personal Mark VI alto is this same version, only just slightly earlier serial, and this serial is more desirable than mine! The 140-149k altos (with probably 140-145k being the most desirable of those), have a special place in the hearts of Selmer aficionados because they are among the earliest Mark VI altos that have all the features one could desire in a Mark VI. I personally also love certain vintages of the earlier VI altos for their darker tone or more woody complexity – there’s lots to love in many of the vintages of Mark VI – but the reasons to get the 145k VI alto for sale here are as follows: Earlier VI altos immediately before this tend to play a little flat in the low register. This shows up more with a classical mouthpiece (small tip, hard reed) than with a Meyer, but it still can be a factor for jazz players. Starting at right around 1365xx, Selmer introduces a new tuning improvement so that the low notes slot in better. All the VI altos after about 138k have the new ‘medium bow’, and the low notes are fine. At the same time, the tone on the VI alto is warmer and more complex the earlier you go on serial, and also Selmer seems to have done some redesigning of the VI (at least soprano and bari, but probably also alto and tenor) for the 1967 model year, so that the VI alto from 67 and later has more punch and projection than earlier serials. It certainly plays differently from my personal 1966 VI alto that also has medium bow but predates these changes. If you spend any time at all browsing Selmer altos, you probably already know that the 140-149k altos are often called Sanborn-serial Selmers, after David Sanborn, who collected who knows how many of them over his long career. I have friends who went to his place and saw at least 25 of them at a time. He seems to have played 147 and 148k altos later in life, and 140k altos earlier in life, though they’re all pretty similar to each other in sound. He famously only played them on original pads, so he probably wore out the pads beyond repair on one before moving to another one. Why? I don’t know– he did it his way. To sum up the whole thing, you get arguably the most desirable version of the VI alto here, desirable for the above reasons (including the Sanborn mystique, and its basis in material reality as well). If you want to save some money, get a 150k or later serial VI. They play much the same. A little clearer and less complex, but sometimes easily just as nicely. The pair of 190k VI altos I have right now play a lot like this one, and also have good pads / overhauls, and are priced lower, so worth a look!
This particular Mark VI alto is in very good condition. It has most of its original lacquer intact and American engraving and assembly. No high F# (which is the more desirable version), and the original neck is in excellent condition with no past damage. There are no dents or dings on the saxophone, and I don’t see any signs of past dent work at all. The only past repair I see is a minor one where the foot of the low Eb keyguard popped loose and got reattached. This very commonly happens and is not a big deal. The pads are older but sealing well enough for you to play this and enjoy it for a little while before getting it overhauled or at least partially repadded. It will be a glorious alto overhauled, I can say with complete confidence. I just reduced the price to give you room to buy it and get it overhauled, and still be lower than these usually sell for. I’ll also include a nice original Selmer case with it, the grey zippered version from 1966 that is the same type that would have originally come with this one. Great deal!
Only one available!
