1963 SELMER Mark VI Baritone Saxophone, US version, low-A, 112xxx – Premium Overhaul

An authentic WOW Baritone Sax is what this 112xxx SELMER Mark VI is! Built in 1962 in the Henri SELMER Factory in Mantes la Ville near Paris, it was shipped in raw condition to Elkhart, Indiana and completed, that is to say, lacquered, engraved, fitted with springs and pads and assembled. The neck bears the identical serial number as the body and the bell. The lacquer has darkened attractively in the course of its 60-year existence and is largely still intact (roughly 98%). The floral, handcrafted gravure on the bell accentuates beautifully and shows a typical US flower with large leaves portrayed in detail.

The bow (the bottom curve of the bell) is still undamaged. This is extremely unusual, especially for Baritone Saxophones whose bow quickly disforms through its own weight if it suffers a fall. It appears that this lovely Mark VI Baritone Saxophone never fell at all in its long life! At any rate, absolutely no repair work is noticeable in the area of the bow. Only two of the low Eb key guard brackets were once resoldered at an earlier time.

The fact that this Bari has no damage on its bow does not mean that it was not played very much – signs of use can indeed be recognized: there are a few minor bumps that I carefully smoothed out a bit without harming the beautiful lacquer. On the lower area of the bell are scratch marks, likely from a stand (the earlier Saxophone stands had no rubber protection around the metal). Both bell and body, just like the upper bows, have maintained their original form, and this is extraordinary for a 60-year-old Baritone Saxophone!

When we got this SELMER Mark VI Baritone Saxophone, it was playable, and I could recognize the expressive character of this Horn. That is why I decided to treat it to a SAXOPHONIC Premium Overhaul. And a good decision it was, because I reworked the mechanics with our SAXOPHONIC outsize rods made of INOX which now enable it to run wonderfully without backlash while the coupled keys close practically torsion-free. High quality CHANU pads with domed INOX metal resonators guarantee a long useful life!

This Bari plays with pleasant ease throughout every tonal register with really good intonation. Its attractive, rather dark timbre fits wonderfully with its overall radiance. I’ve been saying again and again that Saxophones frequently sound like they look. This Mark VI Bari confirms that sentiment!

No two SELMERs are alike – this is something you surely already know. And it is part and parcel of our Passion to have many Mark VI, Balanced Action, Super Action and other SELMER Saxophones in stock to enable our customers to compare them with real accuracy. This is why the long trip to us is worth it! We normally have around 10 SELMER Mark VI Baritone Saxophones (low A) on hand. Feel free to make an appointment with us. We’re looking forward to your visit!

And for sure you can order this baby in our online shop, we’ll ship worldwide!