Today I am thrilled to share the latest alto saxophone model by Selmer Paris, the brand new Signature. The Selmer Paris Signature alto sax is a spiritual successor to the venerable Super Action 80 Series II (SA80II) model.
Contents
00:00 - Introduction
00:20 - Acknowledgements
01:03 - Selmer Signature introduction
02:02 - Selmer Signature features
05:34 - Why the Selmer Signature exists
06:27 - Testing info, comparison to Series II
07:12 - Signature vs. Series II Play Testing
10:47 - General observations
11:15 - Timbre, resistance, response
12:09 - Intonation introduction
12:33 - Series II Intonation quirks
14:57 - Signature intonation improvements
16:33 - Conclusions
17:59 - Other details
Learn more about the Signature alto: https://www.selmer.fr/en/products/saxophone-alto-signature
Saied Music: https://saiedmusic.com
Conn-Selmer: https://www.connselmer.com
Why is Selmer Paris releasing the Signature model?
Some additional info that is not in the video: the Signature makes a lot of sense from a purely business perspective. In Selmer’s mind, they don’t want to be losing effectively $3k every time someone opts for an older Series II alto over the Supreme due to being priced out or preferring the older traditional model. So, the Signature is made fit for purpose and threads the needle pretty perfectly. You can be frustrated by this, but remember two things:
Selmer Paris was acquired by a private equity firm in 2018. This allowed an influx of cash to invest in manufacturing, research, marketing, and people. Now, they must increase profits to pay for that investment.
Measures like this are necessary for the company to continue selling saxophones made in France. I have been told many times over the years that Selmer saxes are incredibly low-margin products; the lions share of Selmer’s profits is apparently in mouthpiece sales.
I hope this helps to better contextualize the Supreme’s place in Selmer’s lineup and why it was a necessary addition!