Selmer Supreme Solid Silver and Gold Plated Alto Saxophone Neck Review

Today, I have a review and comparison of the new Selmer Paris Supreme alto saxophone necks in solid silver and gold plate! These necks are compared alongside my usual Selmer Series III setup. I talk about intonation, tone quality, and build quality improvements. Overall, I found that the new necks offer a slightly more focused and darker sound compared to the Series III and, most importantly, pull up some of the flatness of the lower register. Plating does not seem to make a significant difference in terms of playability, although the solid silver neck seemed to play with a little more vibrancy communicated to the player.

These Supreme alto necks were provided on trial by Meridian Winds, many thanks for making this review possible!

Do you really NEED a Selmer Mark VI?

Everybody knows about the notorious Selmer Mark VI saxophone, but who really needs one? How does it compare to other horns, like the Series II, Series III, and Reference 54? Does it live up to the mythology of, “best horn ever”? Emerging jazz saxophonist, Kyle Brooks, and I dive in to find out how the Mark VI and other horns work for jazz and classical and also discuss other equipment choices. We also talk about how our personal needs shape the equipment we buy, the value of not switching too often, and more.

This is one of my longest videos yet, so try using the chapter markers to hop between various sound demos for a better comparison experience.

TL;DW: No.

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.