Review: Selmer Paris Signature Alto Saxophone

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!

Review: Backun Vocalise TM1 & TM2 Alto Saxophone Mouthpieces

Today, I’m happy to share my review on the brand new Backun Vocalise TM1 & TM2 mouthpieces! Many thanks to Meridian Winds for supplying the review copies.

These mouthpieces were designed in a collaboration with soloist Timothy McAllister, mouthpiece craftsperson Richard Hawkins, and Backun Musical Company. These mouthpieces were made to fit the needs of students and professionals alike and promise high consistency of manufacture. A point of interest is the custom chamber and throat design!

While the TM2 was more to my preference than the TM1, both were well-made and responded easily to air and articulation. Check out my full thoughts below:

Selmer Paris Supreme: Hands-On First Impressions

Howdy! Through an unexpected series of events, I came into possession of a Selmer Paris Supreme alto saxophone for a few days and was given carte-blanche to test it. So, as a followup to my initial thoughts blogpost, here is my hands-on first impressions! In this video, I directly compare the Supreme to my usual Series III and discuss the tone, potential for jazz, intonation, ergonomics, and more. I thoroughly enjoyed my brief time with the Supreme alto, and I could see myself considering it if I could not directly replace my Series III. In the meantime, I am very tempted to pick up a Supreme neck for my Series III, as I found it to bring some intonation improvements and make the sound very slightly warmer and more homogenous. If you have any questions that I did not address in the video, please leave a comment!

TLDW: An appealing sound that combines the more laidback and warm tones of older Selmer horns with the immediate response and ease of the Series III. Small intonation improvements mostly attributed to the neck. Mostly good ergonomic changes, with the exception of the round pearl chromatic F# key and the LH palm keys feeling slightly more spread than I prefer.

A note on representation and sexism: On a more depressing note, Selmer Paris continues to be woefully tonedeaf in their marketing of this instrument to a male audience. See the recent kerfuffle surrounding their marketing of various finishes “to suit him.” Major kudos are owed to great saxophonists and teachers Sarah Roberts and Ellie Parker for speaking truth to power on public forum and rejuvenating this discussion. The company have since updated the post and attributed the exclusive gendered language as an “unintentional translation error,” but I nonetheless believe that these convenient mistakes are a result of the blind spot in perspective within Selmer Paris’ development and marketing organization. For a company that positions itself as a global brand for musicians everywhere, this is a pretty egregious oversight and seems to be a holdover from “old-world” thinking.

Selmer, please listen to, acknowledge, include, and feature the women, non-binary, IPOC, LGBTQ+, and other players who want to love your horns. Your products will only be made more rich for your conscious efforts towards embracing inclusivity. Do better.