P.Mauriat
PMXT-66R by
Jules@sax.co.uk
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.
News - May 2007. 18k gold plated
PMXT-66RG tenor just arrived!
That great sound but even more so - and only £200 extra!
"This
gold plated version takes the sound to an extra level. The gold plating adds
an extra layer of clarity and crispness, with an overall sense of more power
at your disposal. It offers more of a contemporary sound but the key thing here is that
it still retains the body and breadth of tone that Mauriat have become well
known for.
Gold plating can often double the price of a quality sax so the fact that
they've done this for only £200 extra is amazing. Without doubt this model
does give you an extra resonance, but it is not so much ‘bright’ as it is
rich. A wonderful addition to the Mauriat range!"
jim@sax.co.uk
Excerpts from a
review in Jazz Improv. magazine Spring 2007
P.Mauriat System 76 Alto and Tenor Saxophones
(Reprinted with permission from
V7N2, Spring 2007)
We can now add the name P. Mauriat to the list of manufacturers of fine saxophones. For the last several weeks, I have had the pleasure of playing the newest entries to the P. Mauriat product line, the System 76 alto and tenor. I played the System 76 soprano for a couple of days, but I had to return it well before I was ready to part with it. These horns were intentionally designed to duplicate the sound of the vintage Mark VI, but with modern improvements in key design and placement.
The System 76 features straight drawn tone holes, a P. Mauriat super jazz neck VI, a slightly larger bell, high F# key, double arms on low C and B, metal resonators, custom engraving, and multi-coloured abalone key pearls. It is available in two finishes, gold lacquer and an antique brushed dark lacquer. The metal is French brass which is a yellow brass made of 85% brass and 15% tin.
Each of the horns that I am playing has the antique brushed lacquer finish. I have never seen a horn that looks like this, and I like it very much. It is a very distinctive look. The engraving feels like it was done after the lacquer was applied; you can see the brighter brass colour in the engraved metal. When you run your hand over the bell, you can feel the edges of the engraving. The abalone key pearls are a nice touch as well, an unexpected bit of colour.
As you might expect with a new horn, the feel of the keys is a little tight and springy because of the newsprings. Key placement is generally good. Now, on to the sound. I play a Mark VI London model alto and tenor. Both of these horns have been overhauled by master saxophone technician Ken Beason, so to me they sound better than the standard Mark VI. The P. Mauriat sounds as close to my VI’s as any horns I have played. I can hear a "tightness" in the sound, but after playing for a few minutes that aspect disappears and I just hear the sound of the horn. From behind the horn the Mauriat seems slightly darker than the VI, but there is no lack of resonance and colour. The Mauriat’s straight tone holes give the sound the same focus as the VI, which also has straight tone holes. The air moves through the Mauriat comfortably and the pitch of the horn is very good. The middle D is a little dead to me, but after acclimating to the instrument that might be less of a problem. The altissimo responds beautifully as well. I did notice on the alto that, in order to tune up, you have to push the mouthpiece pretty far up on the cork. I don’t know whether this is an intentional design aspect or just a coincidence.
If there is a dealer in your area that carries the P. Mauriat horn, you should make an effort to check it out. I think you will be glad that you did; it is a fine instrument made even more attractive by its relatively low price.
— John Alexander
P.Mauriat
PMT-500BX ‘Black Pearl’ Tenor Saxophone
Test Report by Adrian ‘Groove C’ Chia. Saxophonist and Educator, Singapore
In this competitive world of modern saxophone manufacturing, we
are witnessing the gradual and steady rise of the Asian-made horns. The
high-tech manufacturing process and quality of their saxophones are evident in
their playability as well as ‘cost-effectiveness’. No longer viewed as
inferior to their European or American made counterparts, these modern Asian
horns are already making great inroads into the European and American markets.
In this regard, the P Mauriat saxophones are truly a class of their own.
These horns are truly unique in that they offer the player the choice of sound they hope to achieve (given a fixed mouthpiece/reed/ligature setup, of course). The P Mauriat ‘Contemporary Series’ saxophones provide the player more of the ‘modern’ sound, suited to contemporary playing settings. The PMT-500BX ‘Black Pearl’ is a really warm-sounding contemporary tenor saxophone to play. The body is nickel-silver, with beautiful black plating. The entire horn (bell, bottom bow, body tube and neck) are engraved. The aesthetic value is already evident.
I played my first note (a middle G) and was immediately blown away. With minimal effort, I could produce a strong and gutsy sound on the horn. Intonation was also spot on. When I ventured down towards the low register, I could feel the positive vibrations of the horn as I effortlessly subtoned my low C and below. The P Mauriat horns (esp. their tenors) are well-known for their big, rounded lower registers. However the Black Pearl’s low notes seem to have a character of their own: the sound was big and strong, yet warm. I felt so good down below that I lingered around there much longer than I would with another horn. The black plating should be the reason for the slightly warm tone of this contemporary tenor. I was playing on a high-baffled metal mouthpiece, and I thought it was a good match with the horn. My tone was bright but never over-powering treble-wise.
Altissimo was effortless and clear. This really adds to the confidence of the player. The high ranges speak rather cleanly and effortlessly. The transition between notes was smooth and resistant-free. This could be due to my mouthpiece but I think it also has to do with the excellent and comfortable key placement ergonomics of the horn. I do not have big hands and yet I felt much ‘in control’, if that means anything.
The ‘Black Pearl’ is truly an addictive horn to play. It seems to adjust itself to my sound the more I played on it. It is very flexible as it allows me the freedom to play hard and gutsy as well as soft and mellow, without affecting my personal sound concept. This is truly a contemporary modern tenor saxophone for the times.
Read other P.Mauriat reviews:
"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." Independent review by Jazzwise magazine
"as close to my VI’s as any horns I have played." - Jazz Improv. magazine on the System 76
"..soprano is amazing...the alto & tenor are a pleasure to play..." Jazz Times (USA)
"The sound is amongst the best I've ever heard..." Jazz Improv magazine
"the alto..sounded like my Selmer MarkVI.....The tenor sax is outstanding..." Downbeat magazine
"The PMXT-66R.....it is a monster sax that plays so effortlessly..." Jazz Times (USA).
Read Artist reviews of the P.Mauriat saxes
Visit the "saxontheweb" discussion forum to read more independent reviews and opinions of Mauriat saxophones