"Like most companies, P.Mauriat boasts of having the "vintage" sound for which people search. Unlike most other companies, I believe they might have just found it." - USA Jazz Times
PMXT-66R Custom Class Tenor Sax
(Vintage American Sound)
Rolled tone holes, dark vintage lacquer,
flared bell, abalone key touches, Super Jazz VI neck.
Fine engraving. Supplied with hard case, strap & basic mouthpiece.
Nice metal ligature and cap that matches
the saxophone finish.
"The P mauriat PMXT-66R is quite simply the most powerful and versatile horn i have ever played. The bell tones are warm and broad, like the side of a house, the middle register is fat and fruity, and the top register is bright and clear, with exceptional tone quality. This instrument is capable of a wide variety of tone colours, from a classic, Turrentinian blues sound to a brighter contemporary sound with pretty much everything in between.
On a
recent tour I played one set each night on the Mauriat and my MarkV1,and I
was very impressed by how the new horn measured up. the Mauriat seemed to
have greater sonic resources in all four registers, and was mechanically
very well put together. I found i could play fluent,wide ranging lines all
over the instrument with an amazing dynamic range, from all conquering
fortississimo to an intimate whisper.The complex tonal palate allowed my
imagination free reign, and i was able to draw on a wider range of
influences than ever
before,
from
today right back to Young and Hawkins.
Listen to Mornington play the PMXT-66R
The following is an independent review by
Jazzwise magazine (May 2007)
"With it’s antiqued lacquer
finish, abalone pearls imported direct from Taiwan and a superb overall
build quality, it looks (and feels) like a million dollars before you even
get to play a note. Look more closely and you’ll see that the instrument has
hand made rolled tone holes that come straight out of the body – there’s no
soldering. The bell has also been enlarged from the standard size, and this
gives some indication of what you might expect from the instrument. And boy,
does this live up to all those expectations! Handling is not dissimilar to a
Reference 54, with a very positive keywork and a relatively close action.
The rolled tone holes help to give a certain feel of solidity and offer
optimum contact to the pads, while the palm key action is a sheer delight to
play through the positioning is near on perfect and those top notes really
do ‘pop’. Intonation on our sample was exceptional, with a positive dynamic
range that is not too overpowering, even allowing for the large bell, which
gives the instrument a big, beefy bottom end. Tonally the 66 has a really
distinctive, dark centered tone that reminds you of the Selmers of the late
40’s and early 50’s. The mouthpiece supplied was a generic ‘C’, which we
understand will be shortly upgraded, although we did try a metal piece,
which naturally gave a brighter sound, with an interestingly different
palette of tonal textures. The 66 is clearly a horn with a big personality,
and if you’re looking for that full, big rich sound of the likes of Ben
Webster or Don Byas – then the 66 comes with our unreserved recommendation."
PMXT-66RG Now available unlacquered & 18k gold plated!
Our
own Jules Lawrence (jules@sax.co.uk)
has treated himself to one of these! Read on...
"For myself, and many other players, the holy grail of saxophones is a sax
which has a vintage sound but the ease of playing and robustness of a modern
instrument. There are a few candidates for this, but none that possesses as
authentically vintage tone as
the P Mauriat 66R. Yes, bronze bodied
Yanagisawa's may very well be more versatile, but if its the sound of old
American style horns you're after- you won't do better. This is the sound of
everyone from Lester Young to the R&B honkers of the 1950s - warm & rich
but, when pushed, it has an enormous amount of power behind it.
The tone of the 66R is enormous and darker than any other horn currently
available (or, at least, any that I've encountered). This is most
noticeable in the lower register where the notes, even subtoned, have a room
filling resonance. Compared with real vintage horns (and a fair few modern
ones too!) hitting the altissimo comes cleanly and easily. In the words of
some American reviewer- "so easy to play you might be fooled into thinking
you're a better player than you actually are" or words to that effect.
Basically these are saxes that play easily- free blowing, easy action, no
obvious weak points throughout the registers- leaving the player to get on
with the important stuff- like what to play next!
Yes, Mauriat are a new company and questions inevitably get asked about
build quality and reliability. The good news is that, from our experience, &
some thorough checking over in our workshop, these saxes are certainly as
well made as their competitors. Another interesting fact appears to be the
fact that Mauriat bodies are made from a noticeably harder metal than other
brands- good news for anyone in the habit of knocking their horn off its
stand.
Anyone looking for a horn for older style jazz, blues or rock & roll
should certainly consider a 66R as a viable option. Anyone who's idea what a
sax should sound like is- well, at one extreme Lionel Hampton or Count
Basie's saxmen through to the players who used to back Little Richard or Big
Joe Turner- Once you've tried the Mauriat, you'll probably find nothing else
quite fits the bill."
Hear the sound
By Andy Sheppard
Hear the sound
By Andy Brush
Hear
the sound
By
Eldon Jones
"The PMXT-66R is a monster saxophone that plays so effortlessly that you
might be fooled into thinking you are a better player than you really are.
The company has taken the best of yesteryear, modified it and taken it to a
whole new level of playing enjoyment. If you are smart you will try these
saxophones out - and you will be glad you did."
- Jazz Times
"At
last a new horn that sounds and feels really exceptional - just like a
vintage Mk 6 but new and with a big booty sound - the weight is great as is
the response - tuning is perfect and there is that woody/grainy thing in the
sound that I've only previously found in my old Selmers ... fantastic !"
Andy Sheppard - March 07
www.andysheppard.co.uk
<
Andy Sheppard playing his PMXT-66R at the Pizza Express, London >
P.Mauriat Saxophones Prices & Ordering
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From:
Philip Poulter
Sent: Thursday, December 06,
2007 2:54 PM
To:
Jules Lawrence ;
help Saxophones UK
Subject:
Thank You. P Mauriat PMXT 66R
Hi Guys, I'd just like to express my gratitude for all the help you have
given me over the last few months with your recommendations and expert
opinion on the Tenor Saxophones I was thinking of upgrading to from my TJ
"The Horn" Revolution II. I have fairly deluged you with emails about
virtually all the makes and models you carry and have found your responses
both prompt and full of excellent advice. I finally visited you today and
was really impressed with the service and the fact that you gave me all
the models from my wish list to try and let me practice with them at my own
speed. For the sound I wanted there was only one winner which was the P
Mauriat PMXT 66R which matched exactly the reviews you carry on your web
site. So a big thanks to you all and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend your
services to anyone who is really serious about Saxophones. Please feel free
to use this on your web site if you would like to, Best Regards, Phil
Poulter
From:
Benedict Branca
Sent: Saturday,
October 20, 2007 10:49 AM
Subject: Thanks (P.Mauriat PMXT-66R & Beechler mouthpiece)
I bought the P.Mauriat PMXT-66R from you last week as a backup to my classic
62 and it is beautiful I must say, and what an amazing player. I also just
got the Beechler 7 I ordered for tenor in the post this morning from having
ordered only yesterday. It is just perfect. I always played the bellite 7 on
alto and never changed my setup and wonder why I never bought the exact same
for tenor, but now I have and its everything I needed. Perfect. I want you
to pass on this message to everyone at sax uk to say thanks for a wonderful
job and taking the time to offer the absolute best service in the saxophone
business. Thankyou. Take care and Regards, Benedict Branca.
"I had picked out a 66R. They all played great but this one stood out in certain respects. Something about those rolled tone holes I guess. I am, like a lot of those guys, ditching the Selmer (1952 SBA Tenor in my case) I don't know what they've done exactly but they've come up with a gutsy free blowing Tenor that blows my SBA away. Top respect to them." Alex Nyman, New Zealand
From:
Belle
Designs
Subject:
Mauriat 66R - what a corker!
Sent:
Thursday, February 01, 2007 4:15 PM
What does every woman want? Something with guts
and gusto. This sax is an absolute beauty! BETTER THAN DIAMONDS !!! Thanks to
all at Sax.co.uk for your excellent service and knowledge/advise. Picked up
my Tenor at the weekend, and it has sound qualities like no other sax. A
happy Gall! Belle Walker
From:
iñaki echegoyen
Sent: Wednesday, December 06, 2006 9:31 AM
Subject: Paul Mauriat PMXT-66R has arrived
Hello, I received the sax yesterday (tuesday dec 5th) at 10.30 AM. I am
amazed at how fast it got to my home, what a great work! Thanks a lot for
everything! Setup is perfect for me, the sax plays really beautifully. I
played all day long and I am totally satisfied with it. I played some Selmer
series II and III before taking the risk of buying a sax I had never played
before and for me, there's no question about it, this is the one! I play in
a big band and I have to take some solos. Yesterdays, I had to blow full
power so I could be heard. Now I'm sure the Pablito Mauriat is going to
change this for good! Anytime I have to buy a piece of equipment or a new
sax, I will come to you first of all, every aspect of your shop is
excellent. Thanks!
PS I hope this e-mail could be added to the "testimonials" page in your
website, if you think it's suitable. My name is Ignacio Echegoyen and I'm
from Spain.
From: Ken
Tyler Yes - It's fine with me if you want to use my comments - no problem at
all as I feel that the more comments and feedback the better. More people
need to know about your standard of service, the support provided by your
team of experts and the qualities of this Mauriat saxophone. I've been
playing it again since I contacted you and it has qualities that are hard to
define - something to do with fluency and expressiveness. You know that
experience when you're playing and something just sort of happens and you go
"Wow! That was good. Was that me?" - well, that's one of the reasons I play
my old Conn because that just seems to happen more often than with other
saxes I've played. Well, the Mauriat has that indefinable something too -
plus it has the added flexibility of different tonal qualities with
different mouthpieces which is like another dimension. Ken
Sent: Wednesday December 20
Subject: Comments about the Mauriat PMXT-66R
The sax arrived this morning - thank you very much; it's great to get it
before Christmas. And it is truly amazing to play. Incredible sound, easy to
play and perfect intonation. A joy to play and full of surprises. Some of
the springs seem a bit strong but that's compared to my Conn Chu Berry which
has a really light action, and I guess I'll get used to it. One of the
things I've noticed is how responsive it is to different mouthpieces. It
took me ages to find the right mouthpiece for my Conn but the Mauriat will
play beautifully with any good mouthpiece - metal and rubber Links, Meyer,
vintage Conn, Selmer and Brilharts. And each mouthpiece seems to bring out
different qualities - it's so flexible and adaptable it's amazing - so much
to discover! So thanks again for your great service, and to Jules and Jim
for their knowledge and information which helped me decide on this sax.