hey i`ve been contemplating on which prosax to get and i need some help deciding. i play the tenor sax and i would like some opinions from u guys on which is better for me.
PS. if u know of ne better brands that would help me out as well thx.
(goin for a more jazzy sound btw)

I have a Selmer Series 3 its great because it gives you all of the different styles of music in the one instument. Both of those saxophones are great and you can always get different mouth peices to suit your style of music.
Hope that helped Todd,
Matt.

It really doesn`t matter. Either of the saxophones are in the beginning very good but there are bad examples also.
Just go to the saxophoneshop and try it for real. I have a
Mark VI and I`m very pleased with it but I tried also a Series 3 who was very good. So it`s hard to tell.
All Saxophones are all different.

if you can get your hands on an early mark 6 (5 digit), or a late one which you like as much (earlier ones are thought of as better by most), then take it over the series 3. I now have a mark 6 alto i got over a series 3. Mark 6`s are generally better sounding imo, well they are very deep, and have a very very smooth and beautiful, while the series 3`s are a bit more monotonal imo.

thx u guys relli helped me out.

One thing to consider is resale value.

Vintage horns (of the Selmer variety) general appreciate in value. A $3000 Mark VI you buy today might be worth $4000 in 5 years. That`s the magic--- they`re not made anymore and everyone wants them (as soon as they have enough money!).

New horns play really well, stay in tune, and generally don`t need as much maintenance... plus they look new and shiny.

From my own experience, I bought an 83,xxx Mark VI tenor a few years back and I think it was the best purchase of my life. The horn has a soul to it... and when you play it you feel like you`re playing on a work of art.

Other horns (Selmer S80 II/Keilwerth) also played quite well and focused, but it was more like using precision machinery.

Think of it as the difference between driving a fully restored vintage car vs a modern car. In all aspects the new car should be better, but there`s something classic in the old monster...

Isn`t whether something thats older, has a ...special...magic to it just a perception?

I know if i was in an old car it aint got ABS brakes! Nostalgias great but things have moved on. We`re all using Valve computers right?

If you try something and like it then Buy it... Let your ear decide by musicality not your Brain by a Thought of...yes its oldand has a magical quality too it. Theres as many C-rap old saxs out there as there are good ones.

Yes i love the Mkvi but i also think the new ones are JUST as good... if not better.

It comes down to personal choice.

Sorry, although I do agree on the quality of Selmers, my advice is of course to invest not in Selmers but Yanagisawas, they are the new supreme saxophone on the market, and can match any style perfectly. But of course the only way to find the right sax for you is to go and test them out at a local music store, and find which you like best. Remember, I own a Yanagisawa, and I think it`s the best in the world, so take my advice with a grain of salt. YANAGISAWA`S ARE GREAT

YAGS LACK THE QUALITY CONTROL THAT THE FAMED SELMERS ARE LEGENDARY FOR. OF COURSE, ONE COULD FIND A DOG AMONG ANY MANUFACTURER; HOWEVER, IN MY FORTY-ODD YEARS OF HORN PLAYING, I HAVE FOUND NOTHING THAT COMES CLOSE TO MY MARK VIs.

Peter King, Antonio Hart, Greg Osby & Vincent Herring are a few sax players who are using Yanagisawa. Rave reviews. I just purchased A VI serial 66XXX, should arrive shortly. I am also going to purchase the solid silver Yani. Interested in what I think, stay tuned at my new web site called band2day.com I am going to most likely choose one over the other.

Saxophone, Selemr, Yamaha, EM Winston, Mark VI`s, King, band2day.com Is definately up and coming.

MKVI hand`s down. I find, that while the Serie 3`s value drops, the MKVI keeps gaining value. The Serie 3 is a great horn, but I prefer the MKVI altogether.

Mark VI... besides having a magic and a story, they are the best horns ever made. Look who plays them; everyone. Check out michael Brecker, he has a VI, but his mouthpiece and emboucure make it reaaally bright and edgy. Then check out Joe Henderson, also a VI. VI`s are mad flexible horns and cover all styles of music. Also, don`t get caught up in the name, the tonal quality really lies in the player himself and the mouthpiece. If you take 20 of the best VI`s and 20 of the best Series III`s, the VI`s would be better. There are bad VI`s though. Every horn in different too. Play a bunch before you buy

Vincent Herring, Anonio Hart, Greg Osby, Peter King all play Yanagisawa. Phill woods praise of the new Yamaha customs was quite surprising. I Have a 57 VI which I love. But I believe times are changing and the quality of some new pro lines are on the rise. Peter King said he played Yani exclusively so he could evaluate it, then he Went back to his VI to find it couldn`t perform as well.
Antonio Hart was surprised because he had convinced himself that only the vintage horns could bring him the quality of sound he was looking for. He now plays a yani.
You can find Peter Kings letter at Yanagisawa.com I believe.

I agree, it`s all about personal choice. Try a lot of different horns with different setups and decide for yourself... not based on an advertisement or the latest sales pitch (no pun intended).

For me, nothing compares to the early Selmers... and don`t just stop with the Mark VI! It`s not about age, resale value, or myth. I would never sell my early Selmers - not at any price. The sound and response are simply superior!

Even with today`s technology manufacturers can`t match those older horns. The metals were different, the molding, the craftsmentship, etc...

Besides, if you were Selmer, would you suddenly re-issue the Mark VI or Balanced Action today, if you could? It would be marketing suicide... and that`s part of the reason why their values continue to soar. Why do you suppose the new horns are called "Reference"? They`re trying to refer to the old classic models.

Happy hunting!