Selmer Super Action 80 Alto Saxophone, Just Serviced, Video
Selmer Super Action 80 alto saxophone, s/n 381,xxx. Here is a 1980’s vintage Selmer that was made shortly after the Mark VI and VII horns. Some refer to this model as a Series I, but its official name is a Super Action 80. Interestingly, the previous owner sent the sax back to Selmer about a year after he purchased it because there was a flaw in the lacquer, which I presume was an acid bleed caused by grease that was trapped under the lacquer. Selmer relacquered the horn to fix the flaw. My repairman just serviced the sax, replacing one pad and one cork. The sax is playing great top to bottom.
These are fabulous horns that are a bit overlooked, since relatively few were made. It’s an interesting playing horn that is unlike any other Selmer model. They tend to have a more focused and compact sound than a Series II, and are on the darker side. For this reason, I think they make a fabulous crossover horn that can do both classical and jazz equally well. It’s as easy to make this horn sing with a New York Meyer as it is with a Selmer Concept mouthpiece. Few horns can do this as well as a Series I.
