This rare, all
original 56,xxx horn has 80% remaining lacquer coverage. Pads are plastic
conical design installed by Emilio Lyons of Boston's Rayburn Music about
two years ago. The sax has Emilio's custom risers on the palm keys, high
E, octave & low Bb keys. Other custom touches to improve playability
include leather bumpers in the stack combinations (instead of cork or felt)
and a special tab to assure the upper combo pad in the lower stack closes
firmly with the F key. The horn has the rich, dark tone associated with
the best Selmer tenors, and beau coup power.
The overall
'feel' while playing this sax is of smoothness, extreme responsiveness
& an indescribable finesse & sophistication you just have to experience
to understand. The lacquer loss is due to pitting during a long storage
period (this is truly a 'closet' horn), and is concentrated on the neck,
upper body & keys. The bell & engraving are lovely & well-preserved,
as the pics show. Inside the bell is an area of copper bleed that does
not show from the playing position. Playing this sax confirms why the early
Mark VI's are so highly sought, for such quality could only result from
the most painstaking care during production. This was doubtless the case
as Selmer launched their newest model in 1954, the first year of production
for this now legendary saxophone. This horn was among the first 200 Mark
VI's Selmer built. This rare treasure delivers on the promise of the Selmer
legend.
