Timestamps for demos Buescher Top Hat and Cane: 2:27 Couf (Keilwerth) Superba II: 4:13 Yanigasawa 990: 6:03 Martin "The Martin Tenor": 8:00 Conn Pan American (10m): 10:03 Selmer Mk VI: 11:53 Imo, they all sound really similar, but I think that's because of the player and the fact that he's playing a ballad.

I loved the "The Martin" nice thick sound, and the low end was amazing. It was the best of them all as far as I am concerned. Thanks for the vid.

i liked the buescher the most. it had that perfect balance, and sounded perfectly even all across the range. really nice.

I’m so glad to see all this love of the Martin in the comments section there really is something special about them, I just picked up a Martin handcraft stencil for 350 dollars with little to no difference from the regular Martin handcraft!

Time break down for those looking to hear a particular horn again. Buescher Top Hat and Cane @ 2:26 Couf Superba II @ 4:12 Yanigasawa 990 @ 6:03 Martin "The Martin Tenor" @ 08:01 Conn Pan American (10m) @ 10:04 Selmer Mk VI. Mouthpiece @ 11:53 Great comparison video. I enjoyed it

The Martin is the best sound ever. I recently buy a The Martin Tenor Committee and the sound is amazing!! Thanks for the comparison!!

Thanks for that, it was good to hear the comparison between such a wide variety of horns using the same tune and mouthpiece.

Buescher for the win! Wow that thing has a nice sound! I just feel like its a little more open and speaks clearer (more focused) than the others

Really like the Buescher, Couf and Selmer which bought out Buescher in 1960's. All really good sounds overall

" Body and Soul " My heart is sad and lonely, for you I cry, for you dear only. The Buescher oddly

Your playing does not suck I am a 41 year old sax newbie and If I could play a 1/4 of what you did I would be very happy. Your playing is great and thank you for the comparison. BTW the Martin is outstanding to me

I love the vintage horns, they all sound great. I first got hooked on a Martin Indiana alto I bought off eBay. After getting it worked on I was fascinated by the lush tones of the Martin. Followed up with a Martin Indiana Tenor and just recently a Handcraft Committee 1 Bari. Paired up with a vintage mpc these horns are heavenly. Thanks for the video.

loved your video. my Mark VI from ~ 1964 is the the closet. time to get it out. i may need to get the pads replaced as i haven't played in 10 years! thanks for the motivation

The martin was definitely my favorite!

I thought you might appreciate a comment from someone who has a most strong preference after hearing all of the tenor saxophones. For me, the clear winner by miles is the Buescher Top hat and Cane. It is so dense and intense I rate that above anything else, and vibrancy could also be used as a synomym. It is the opposite for me to the Yamaha tenors, in that the Yamahas have as thin tone as they are superb ergonomically. But for me the tone is almost 100% what it is all about.

We liked the Martin. Thank you for this video!

The MARTIN SWEET SOUND ! ...I LOVE IT.

Thanks to this video is that I decided to get a Martin! Now I have one in my hands and is an amazing horn, the sound really blows you away!

Selmer has the best tone overall. However, I was very impressed with the Martin. Nice sounding horn. Like you mentioned, souped up it would be great for rock/blues/funk, etc. Would probably be really crazy with a high baffle mouthpiece! Thanks for the demo. 👍🎷🎵

Great video Pete. I know I am pre-biased because my main tenor is a '45 Comm III but that Martin of yours tops all the others. Richer, fuller tones....with more partials, the upper range can handle a lot of air without getting thin and stays full all the way up, and the bottom end? Well sir that is the one thing that these horns have over all the others, the low Bb and B beat all comers. That one honk you played knocked all the others out of competition. The bottom end of a Martin tenor can blow the people in the front of the club out the door when you really go for it. No contest IMO.

I really like the Buescher and the Martin! Thank you for sharing.

Definitely the most interesting and useful comparison I have seen. I wish I could get my hands on a nice vintage horn. Right now I'm stuck with a Vito student model my parents bought when I started learning sax.

Thanks for posting this!! I am only a weekend warrior and have learned pretty much on my own, I have always wanted to "test drive" a number of different horns to see what they felt like. I really like the tone of the Martin the best in this recording. I have a Selmer USA "Omega" from 1983-84 that I love. I also own a Buffet SDA alto from 1960 that I also love. I just wish there were somewhere that I could play around like that!! Again, thanks for the video!

Thanks. I thought the Buescher until I heard the Selmer but pleasantly surprised by the Conn. I liked this side by side demo, you got some good sound out of them all

I liked Selmer,Conn, Martin, Buescher, Yani,Couf, great review

the martin and conn were my favorites :D

Thanks for this video. It was very educational to hear all of these horns played side by side. Each one sounded nice, but I think I liked the Couf the best, which surprised me. Just goes to show that the sound coming out of the horn is more important than the name on the bell!

You play very well. Martin fan here, but a close second is the Buescher 400 and those have a lot of "intrigue" about them with innovative design and screw-in Norton gold-plated springs. Thanks!

Love the Martin, and of course the Selmer. I also liked the Top Hat.

Your playing is Damn Good!!! I have a 6, 66,XXX. Very lucky to have it. Playing 5 years and am, old! So, I keep going. Nice comps! Gee, the 6 is best.

yes i agree the Martin as an awesome sound i choose martin for my next tenor

You have a great sound man, especially with the softer ballady feel.

“United Nations of Saxophones”! 🤣LOVE IT!

I currently have a Yamaha custum 82z (in which has been disconnected in the past few months) and it has a nice rock and roll sound much like the Buescher. I personally like the Conn and Mark VI. You're selction of music describes the horns very well! Thank you for the video!!

1. Mark VI 2. Martin 3. Couf 4. Buescher 5. Conn 6. Yani

Wow The Martin blew all others away

They all sound good in their own right. I had the impression than only the MKVI gave an immediate response to the lowest Bb. The Buescher would be my favored sound-wise.

I own a six tenor and a Martin "student" tenor, plus a Martin "Searchlights" alto. I love the six signature sound--there is a core to each note that is hard to explain...the student Martin sounds as good as the six in the low register...but has serious intonation challenges. As for the searchlights alto, it is the sweetest sounded alto sax in the history of mankind. Like Paul Desmond dipped in honey....and BTW, your playing doesn't suck!

I had to listen carefully, two times. I loved the ballad; all of the horns were up to task. It's easy to see why the Martin sold quickly. Kind of a player's horn, so the musician needs to be used to the horn. Sometimes the horn is better than the musician can play, so you have to be used to the way she wants to be used. She was bold, and wanted to be played... all day. There were no inferior instruments that day. The Yanaguisawa was in same realm. The Selmer was superb. My favorite- the Martin. BTW, I like the vintage sound too. Tom Kipfer

I liked all the sounds of these super horns and thought that the Buescher is my favourite because it has got an in - built character to it, a lot of body to it as the presenter agrees. It feels like I'm listening to Coleman Hawkins or Don Bias. Yanagisawa has also good sound and speaks very well with a clear character. But these are all professional horns they fit the type of music one is playing. Selmer mark 6 is a favourite for modern musicians. Thanks

I have been Blessed to have the best of Buescher, Conn, Martin and Selmer. Which is best? Which ever is closest to my hands at the time and what I'm in the mood for. Thanks for your posting.

Thanks for that honest piece of advice.All the best with your learning.Thanks from Guyana.

Mikey, I sold the Martin a while back. I think I got 1900 for it. The buyer got a fantastic deal, IMO. The Martins are undervalued and one of the best options out there I think.

I liked The Martin Tenor. I just may have to buy one. A move up from my LA Sax BL

Gotta love that little snippet of 'Pick Up The Pieces' at 8:49 ;) Great video by the way, big ups.

Hi, thanks for the vid. I liked the martin and the Pan-am. The Martin I can tell is hot rodded, but the Pan-Am is rigt in the middle. The Beuscher was good to.The Yani sounded a little thinner. The American horns seemed to be right in the middle. You have a nice touch. But the Pan-Am you describe well. Black Sunshine

Great vid. Great idea. Thanks for posting.

I prefer the conn-selmer tenor saxophone it has a beautiful bright rock and roll sound I love it.

They all are great horns. I love yani.

I like the Martin and the VI.

I lean towards the Conn Pan American, nice full sound!

Great Video. Thanks for posting.

I myself am not an expert saxophonist yet by far, however on couple of gigs I've lent my friends my Tenor which is an E. F. Durand. Search up reviews and everyone will call it a piece of junk; ask the people who have seen or played one, and they'll say they are great intermediate jazz horns (the lacq;nickel ones) The run about $300 brand new, Good luck on pursuing the saxophone, of course if you learn you love playing get your hands on a sax brand you love in the future!

All of those saxes sound great. I would like to point out something about the different resistance of different sax necks and different saxophones. Depending on the different inner dimensions of necks, the resistance can vary greatly (even on the same saxophone). If you try different makes of necks on your sax you will feel the different resistance. This will affect the strength of the reed needed with that neck. So it is not always a good idea to use the same reed when trying different necks, since you need to match up the resistance that you are use to when playing. Also, the different inner dimensions on different makes of saxophones can greatly affect the resistance of each saxophone. I know you can make the saxophones in this video sound even better, if you choose a little harder reed on the saxophones (or necks) that have less resistance. I have two different necks that I use on my sax, so I can match up different mouthpieces I like to use. My more resistant neck (Phil Barone neck) is great for my bright mouthpieces. It helps to make the sound of my bright mouthpieces have a little more spread sound and more depth and beauty but I also can get the needed brightness. I get a great balanced sound with that setup. I use my more bright neck (Yamaha F1) for my more mellow mouthpiece. This neck livens up my mellow mouthpiece and I get a greater range of sound with that mouthpiece. I get a nice balance of mellow and brightness with that set up. I point this out, because sax players can save a lot of money, if they realize how big a role the neck plays on the sound of your sax. You can buy a different neck instead of a new sax, if you are looking for a different sound. I always surprise sax players, when they come up to me at a gig and see that I am playing a Yamaha Custom 875 tenor. They always think I am playing a Selmer because of the great sound I get with the Phil Barone neck. I just wanted to point out that the different resistance of different equipment, makes a big difference in the reeds and mouthpieces you use.

Selmer, then Buescher, all nice.

I liked the buescher and the mark vi the best. I am really starting to like those old bueschers!

Thanks, excellent video. Seems like you get a similar sound out of all the horns. An excellent sound too.

Good job on the comps, it was interesting to hear the very subtle differances of the Tenors. The lyrics to "Body and Soul" start out with ; My heart is sad and lonley. You need to play it with that emotion in mind. I was most impressed with the Buescher, I have never tryed one.

Great comparison! I was on a hunt for a vintage horn a year or so ago. This video would have been very helpful at the time. I was torn between a King Zephyr and Martin...though I kept coming back to Buescher. Had I heard this...I'd have probably gone with Buescher. As it is...I'm now playing Martins (Alto and Tenor...and a C-Melody project in the works). No complaints.

Hey, that was fun! They all sound great - or maybe I should say that you sound good on all of them - but I was especially struck by the Martin, it seemed to have a real "crackle" to it, I can see where it would be great in a rock setting. Thanks for this effort.

The Selmer Mark VI is my favorite, I also like the Conn Chu Berry models as well.

I will have to side on the Martin as well,I just bought one on SOTW the "Tone Monster" I think for 900 is a super buy.Granted I will have to de lacquer and re pad,doing myself so even more economical.I think it has screw in resos,leaning towards Musicmedic roo pads.Great video all great horns,what MP/reed do you use ?

Most of the Taiwanese horns I've tried have been plated, and you're spot on. They're built like tanks. The bare brass Kesslers I've come across were only slightly heavier than my Selmer. Good to know that they're building these less expensive horns to last. My only problem is that many of the Asian horns are still using sand molded rods and screws as opposed to forged. The problem? Sand molded metal can split and break far easier than forged. Not an issue you want to have.

Yani is my favorite one :-)

Amazing comparison! Thanks man!

Thank you for initiating this. Great intro to some legendary vintages... Buescher THC - it speaks eloquently - I like best! Couf Superba II - quacky Yani992 - more modern sound - brighter - what a squealer! Martin - ditto Buescher except this marginally nicer (even more best) - except that the top register squeaked! what's with the low wobble=( Conn Pan Am - Like! oh some wobble, high reg prob? dry reed Selmer - more present, less detached & nonchalant than the vintages

Always loved the fat dark tone of the Couf Superba tenors. Played one in college while my Selmer was in for repair. The Couf had tremendous personality and spoke so easily. Action was slow and sloppy compared to the Selmer. I thought the Mk VI you play was impressive in how well it spoke in transition (no muddy notes at all) and showed why it is held in high esteem. The Yani sounded thin and bright for my tastes. Appreciate the comparison!! Thanks!!

They all sound great to me, far better than cheap ones or student make. But I like mark 6 as the best of them all when it comes to sound and action. I'm an upcoming saxophonist but I never had an opportunity to play on all those saxophones. In the near future, I'd like to have a go on them all. Thanks.

All realy good, close and near. 1 SELMER 2 BUESCHER 3 KEILWHERT 4 YANAGISAWA 5 CONN 3 MARTIN (no so good high notes.. to bright and less body) but is great too. All this can change with other setup in same cases.

Thanks for confirming its more to do with the player than the horn (as long as its in good order). Can't help but notice that with all of them it takes a little while to adapt to each of the horns. Yes, shame there wasn't a King Super 20 Silversonic in the test.

Yes, it is pronounced "cuff," as in "handcuff." I have a Couf Superba !! tenor which I purchased directly from Herb Couf in the Detroit suburb of Royal Oak back in 1969. Herb was the principal clarinet in the Detroit Symphony at one time.

Excellent video - thanks

Mannn, loved this video, very informative. You sound good man. I really was surprised how well the Buescher sounded.. I had a chance recently to get a buescher but I actually picked up a Conn 34m not thinking the Buescher would compare.. All in all, I think they're all great sounding horns but the one I liked least would be the Couf Superba.. I didn't feel it had enough body to the tone. Great job on this video, and thank you

Great Video! I love the Mark Vl ,

Sounding wonderful Pete. I really liked the Buescher it seemed to have a little more character to the tone especially when you pushed it more.

Thanks for the effort. 990 sounds a bit like Mark VI just a bit tamer. Couf is so bold. Top Hat, Conn, and Martin sound right in the middle. I think Martin might have sounded a bit more focused. Not too bold, not too bright, but with a nice character. Selmer sounds a bit more tubular or focused. I think it is probably more defined than the tone of the American ones. I think the metal resonates more than Yanni so it makes it a tad bolder which I think is useful for some situations.

Thanks for doing this...and you play VERY well too! I too, have a similar stable of saxes. The "vintages" have the sound, even though it's hard to beat my Ferrari of saxes, Henri the V1 th. I customize saxes as a loving hobby (oops-just had to dodge a vintage purist's bullet). When I finished my Martin Comm 3, I was SO impressed with its capabilities, that I immediately did a KZfaq demo of it....deolsaxmanDon (Harlem Nocturne - listen to "remix" and "smooth". No Buescher yet, but looking!

Just got a Buescher 400 (because of you and many other friends). It's got the same great kicks as my Martins, but betterergonomics (I think). Put a Super 20 in your arsenal....On 2nd thought, buy more mouthpieces. Thanks again for your comparison video.

I like the sound of the "The Martin" best.

interesting video, thanks. The Mark 6 sounds the best....amazing horn,

The mic here is a Rode NT2A into a Line 6 UX2 box, with all effects turned off. I bumped up the gain when I was talking obviously, but the horns were all recorded at the same level, and I tried to be about the same distance from the mic. Nice to see that this vid has gotten so many views! I should do a mouthpiece rundown now, it's embarrassing how many I've accumulated...

Love the Buescher! (I'm biased--I have a soprano, 2 altos & a tenor) But there was nice stuff in all of them! Your playing does NOT suck! I only wish the intonation on my horns was as good!

To my ears, the Selmer has better intonation. I also believe that the biggest thing you can do for your sound is breathing exercises. Comparitively speaking, everything else is a minor tweak. My setup as follows: Selmer Mk 7 Tenor.with levelled tone-holes by Freddiie Gregory. Setup and kangeroo skin pads by John Clarke. Mouthpiece: B&S roughly a 6 lay.Refaced by Jeremy Lowe. Reeds: Vandoren ZZ No 4. Pretty much gets what I;m after.

And thank you very much for the video I really enjoyed it.

@piemaker13th ergos on the Martin were very good for the most part - it benefitted from risers on the palm keys, and the LH pinky table was non-tilting and took some getting used to. But the key placement was fine for me, and the action was super-quick, the fastest of all the horns.

I played a mark vi with an otto link 7* for a decade and then moved to a New York 9. Six months ago I bought a bundy/buescher for $125 and spent $160 fixing it up; playing it with a Selmer S-80 G it changed my life. What a sound. The design of the side Bb key was stupid. On this video the selmer sounds best; I wonder how I would sound on one with the selmer mouthpiece....

So true. I'd maybe give a higher % to the mouthpiece and reed combo. The sax itself is more than 1%, but I get your point. The sax affects the technical side of the playing (ergonomics, quickness of action, intonation too). I haven't played as wide a variety as you, but I agree that much of the sound depends on a player's physiology (mouth shape, teeth, size of oral cavity, tongue, resonance of face/head)...

That Martin though. There is a reason why it is also known as the Poor Mans Mark VI

Some really nice horns. The Martin was really sweet. None of them made me want to sell my 161,xxx MK6 but I think any of these would work for me. I play mostly blues and need the low, dirty sound for what I do.

I think all of them have a good sound, but I tend to go with the con in the summer

To my ears, the Couf and the Mk VI sounded best.

great video! Next video maybe play the same thing for each horn. Take like a big band excerpt and play that for each horn. Might be more effective in hearing the difference between horns.

Buesher and the Martin

The Martin ..... i love sound The Martin :)

Man -- don't sell yourself short -- I think you play great -- nice comparison to. I have a 42XXX series SBA that I love but always good to know how other horn's compare. I liked the fact that basically played the same stuff on each horn -- made the comparison's much easier for the listener.

I like the S20 and The Martin. They sound gutsy, thick and dirty. All other saxes sounds boring to me IMHO.... But i would still give an edge to The Martin... ;) I have one and absolutely LOVE it!!!

Nice comparison. Problem with things like this on KZfaq is that a sound that is great in person might turn to crap when it goes through the little camcorder mic. And vice versa. I found the Couf, Yanigasawa and Selmer sounded best.

own a silver the Martin tenor 1952. so I'm biased. Lol also have a Conn stencil,silver also, it's called Sherwood Master. the Martin is responsive fat monster.

I loved this comparison. I am, however, surprised that the Selmer Reference 54 tenor and the Yamaha YTS62 were not included. Perhaps an idea for next time. To my ears, the Yanigasawa 990 and the Selmer Mk V1 sounded the best. Purely an opinion. Thank you for sharing this with us.

That's the first time I've ever heard a Yani in a comparison like this. My first thought was, "Wow, that sounds like a Selmer". Now the passages you were playing with the VI were a little livelier, but the core of the sound was the same to my ears, compact and even. I'm find of all of those vintage horns, and they all have traits that I like, particularly the low end on the Buescher, but I found the comparison of the VI and 990 to be the most interesting.