1958 Selmer Mark VI alto saxophone, s/n 75,xxx. Here is an original lacquer, one-owner Mark VI with approximately 92% of its lacquer remaining. This is a rare medium bow, 5-digit horn, which Selmer only produced for about a year before switching to the long bow. Selmer eventually returned to the medium bow nearly a decade later, having found that this version had the best combination of intonation, sound and playability. These 5-digit medium bow altos have excellent intonation and playability, but have that killer sound that makes this year coveted for both altos and tenors. 

The sax is playing very well on a mix of new and older pads, having just been serviced by my tech prior to sale. The neck strap ring has been repaired because the previous owner used a neck strap with a metal hook. Also, the top B/Bb key guard foot has been resoldered. 

The neck is original to the horn and has a matching serial number. The previous owner decided to gold plate the neck in the 1970's, which was done for sound and response issues. Comparing this neck to several other Mark VI necks I have, the neck seems to even out the response in all registers and gives it a lush, open sound with some nice extra overtones. Gold plating a neck requires first plating the neck in silver in order for gold to adhere to the brass. Michael Brecker famously played with a silver plated neck on his 86,xxx tenor, which I think gives some credence to the practice of plating necks. 

The case is not original to the horn, but it's from the same vintage. I've been holding onto the case for quite some time, awaiting the perfect horn for it, and I think I've found it with this sax. Both zippers function perfectly, and the case is in immaculate condition, with a very cool vintage marching band sticker on the front.  

This is a great sounding Mark VI. It is not the brightest VI out there, but the sound is incredibly solid and even throughout all registers. It really responds well when pushing it, and the sound stays full and focused. The horn strikes me as very versatile, and could be at home playing anything from a Bach cello suite to angular bebop lines.