P Mauriat PMXT-66R DK Tenor Saxophone - Vintage Finish

Staff Review

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. Jules@sax.co.uk

Jazzwise Magazine Review

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.

1.On arrival, every saxophone is checked & adjusted in-store. This is essential as every sax requires some attention after it’s long journey from the factory.

2. Once sold, every saxophone is checked & regulated for a second time as the set-up can be affected by the new materials expanding & contracting according to environmental conditions.

3. New saxes purchased from us can be returned within a year for a FREE check over and adjustment.

UK Postage  -
Royal Mail First Class (Default Shipping) aims to deliver within 1 to 3 days of postage. All Saxophones are posted FREE via an overnight courier (excluding hire saxophones)

UK Special Delivery (Next Day) - 
If your order is placed before 2pm and is in stock we promise to deliver next day. If an Item is not in stock we will refund your additional postage costs and deliver as soon as the goods are available.

EU Postage  -
Anything under 2kg ships in the regular mail. Orders amounting to over about £50 ship using a signed for and, if necessary, insured postal service. Orders over 2kg ship with various courier services- again, usually UPS or Fedex.

Rest Of The World -
Any order under 2kg ship in the regular mail (unless otherwise requested at time of ordering). Higher value shipments go using a signed for and, if necessary, insured postal service. Heavier items ship by courier- again, we tend to use UPS or Fedex. Please note that, should you want smaller orders by courier (an advisable security measure in some countries) please specify clearly when ordering- this will, obviously incur a higher shipping price which we may have to cover by sending a paypal invoice.

Do note- any order which has shipped with tracking- the full tracking information can be checked using the ‘my orders’ section on our website (a link is on your initial order confirmation)

We deliver your order right away. Orders received before 2pm are normally shipped the same day. International orders are generally received in under 7 days. We have a massive selection of goods, although If your item is not in stock, we will back order it for you. You will always be emailed with the option to choose an alternative or cancel your order if you would rather not wait.

EU Returns Policy - Online & Telephone Sales

14 days cancellation, commencing from when your goods are received.

There is no automatic right of return where hygiene issues are relevant such as used mouthpieces & reeds. A full refund will be made including standard postage as stated on our website. The cost of any customer selected non-standard delivery option will not be refunded. Eligibility for a full refund requires that the returned goods must be received in a brand new and saleable condition. Deductions will be made from your refund where there are marks, damage, wear, missing or damaged packaging etc. The customer is liable for the cost and safe return of the goods. Please email help@sax.co.uk or phone 01892 662533 for an estimated return cost.

Refunds will be made within 14 days of notice of cancellation and only when returned goods have been received by Sax.co.uk

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