If you do want to do that, you can reach out to Charles for a lesson on his lesson bio page on our site here: kesslerandsons.com/las-vegas-music-lessons/charles-mcneal/
Thanks, Charles! You sound wonderful. Quick takes: The Series II, for me, just didn't have the presence or fullness of the other two. The Supreme and the Reference both had that midrange crunch I expect to hear out of a Selmer. Of the two, I'd have to lean slightly toward the Supreme -- it seemed slightly leaner, but it rang more. A little bouncier, if you will. I would love to hear both of them next to a great Mark VI!
Wow! You really made the SA80II sing, Charles, especially when playing the blues. Having said that, the Supreme and the Reference 54 outshine it. To my untrained ear, the Reference slightly edged out the Supreme in tone. I dunno, it has a slightly more vibrant feel to me. I guess the real difference between the two is the player's feedback. Which horn made it easier for the player to express himself or herself. Great comparison video. Had to watch it several times. 😁
Dave Kessler is my to go place for my saxophones. I have always obtained amazing service and the best Selmer horns I have ever had. About the comparison, I guess the Supreme is brighter, the Reference more of its own and the Series II, my favorite Selmer of all time, the darker but also the one that may allow anyone to develop a more personal sound.
Thank you my friend!! I find personally the Reference has the potential to be the brightest due to it's very focused tone, but obviously personal interpretation of these terms also comes in to play! I think the Supreme is probably the most "balanced" horn that Selmer has ever made. It has much of the broadness of the II but with more brilliance potential than the Reference. I too am a big fan of the Series II and especially love pairing it with a Series III neck. We did this in our Supreme Neck comparison video: th-cam.com/video/Q48wvmH1Uas/w-d-xo.html
@@KesslerCustom You run a serious business with kindness and absolutely client oriented. You have always been that way. And yes, I have to thank you for the advice on the Series III neck on a Series II horn.... it is just for my taste the best of the best. Hope to see you soon in Vegas.
There is a supreme tenor coming. There’s already a prototype but not many know about it. Jack Finucane from Boston sax shop has seen it and that where I got that from
Good sound demos are an art in themselves, and Charles is one of those rare people who has actually mastered it. Reference and Supreme are both lovely. SA80/II doesn't have quite the same character.
Nate, the II was originally designed to be the only Selmer that Selmer made back in the early 1980's. The III represented the first time where when a new model came out, the predecessor model was not discontinued. The III was originally designed in response to players who wanted a brighter, quicker responding horn with easier projection. The II was/is a solid horn but it is also a darker, heavier horn. So the III was given a tighter neck bore and lighter weight construction on the body to help improve the ease of response. This also brightened the horn. Today, many people view the III as a "Classical" horn because it is very easy to articulate and obtain a quick response at the lower volume dynamics. However, there are many that would argue and say that it is a "Jazz" horn because it is bright and powerful. In the end, the difference was about responsiveness. Now that the Supreme has come out, Selmer Paris has discontinued production of the Series III and the Reference 54 models. The Supreme has taken the various positive performance elements of those 2 models but taken away some of the negative elements of both models and put them in to one sax. The Series II is still being produced, but there is a likelihood that the Series II might be discontinued in the future once the Supreme production & line (as they will make the Supreme a full sax line with a tenor, soprano & bari) moves forward to full capacity.
@@KesslerCustom Thank you! That is about the best answer I have heard on this question. I knew they were discontinuing the reference but not the iii. I have a iii (pre jubilee) so maybe now mine is "vintage". Thank you again.
@@nhr27 Glad to help. Dont know if you can call a Series III "vintage" yet... but one day. The III also went through several changes, albeit smaller ones, throughout its life. MOST of these changes were in the weight of material placed on the neck. All of these changes were done to improve response. These include eliminating the octave key guide near the octave pip, going to a lighter weight brace on the underside of the neck (both of these were done before the Jubilee changeover) and eventually going to a lighter weight octave key mount & key with the Jubilee change in 2010.
Charles for me is not only a super saxophonist but a great character as well .
You'll get no argument on that here!!
I might fly to Vegas just for a lesson with you Charles. I've been following you for over 20 years
If you do want to do that, you can reach out to Charles for a lesson on his lesson bio page on our site here: kesslerandsons.com/las-vegas-music-lessons/charles-mcneal/
The best natural play test video on here .
All awesome. I think you were inspired to play your best on the blues with the Super Action 80 II. Thanks great idea!.....10:03 gonna try that today.
Great comparisson! All 3 sounds magnific..
SA II. SUPREME. R54
This is the demo Selmer should have on their website, Charles is a beast and so inspiring! 👏👏👏👏👏
Thanks, Charles! You sound wonderful. Quick takes: The Series II, for me, just didn't have the presence or fullness of the other two. The Supreme and the Reference both had that midrange crunch I expect to hear out of a Selmer. Of the two, I'd have to lean slightly toward the Supreme -- it seemed slightly leaner, but it rang more. A little bouncier, if you will. I would love to hear both of them next to a great Mark VI!
Charles, you always sound terrific! Love your playing.
Just coming back to this. Now this if a F******** review!!!! Bravo.
Wow! You really made the SA80II sing, Charles, especially when playing the blues. Having said that, the Supreme and the Reference 54 outshine it. To my untrained ear, the Reference slightly edged out the Supreme in tone. I dunno, it has a slightly more vibrant feel to me. I guess the real difference between the two is the player's feedback. Which horn made it easier for the player to express himself or herself. Great comparison video. Had to watch it several times.
😁
Good to see you again Charles!!!
The Reference has such a sweet sound to it. Love it!!!!
Dave Kessler is my to go place for my saxophones. I have always obtained amazing service and the best Selmer horns I have ever had. About the comparison, I guess the Supreme is brighter, the Reference more of its own and the Series II, my favorite Selmer of all time, the darker but also the one that may allow anyone to develop a more personal sound.
Thank you my friend!! I find personally the Reference has the potential to be the brightest due to it's very focused tone, but obviously personal interpretation of these terms also comes in to play! I think the Supreme is probably the most "balanced" horn that Selmer has ever made. It has much of the broadness of the II but with more brilliance potential than the Reference.
I too am a big fan of the Series II and especially love pairing it with a Series III neck. We did this in our Supreme Neck comparison video: th-cam.com/video/Q48wvmH1Uas/w-d-xo.html
@@KesslerCustom You run a serious business with kindness and absolutely client oriented. You have always been that way. And yes, I have to thank you for the advice on the Series III neck on a Series II horn.... it is just for my taste the best of the best. Hope to see you soon in Vegas.
The Reference and Supreme sounds so pleasing to my ears....nice dark tone
1. SA 80 2. R54. 3. SUPREME
Three COMPLETELY different horns! Good idea Charles!
Great playing. What would be better to get a dark lacquer or antiqued lacquer
Hands down, the new Supreme beats the other two. Much cleaner sound with very crisp intonation. Hope the new Selmer tenor follows suit. 👍
Is it Selmer's intention to produce a a full range of 'Supreme' saxophones, from the E-flat Sopranino to the B-flat Bass? Great hands-on video!
Selmer hasn't said anything publicly about this so I won't give a definite yes or no. It would make sense though.
@@KesslerCustom thank you
There is a supreme tenor coming. There’s already a prototype but not many know about it. Jack Finucane from Boston sax shop has seen it and that where I got that from
@@DanielR1-MIDI Thank You.
🔥🎷🔥
I like him !
I like the sound how much does a tenor saxophone cost
The Supreme is not yet available in tenor but they are working on it!
We have a large selection of tenors on our website at www.kesslerandsons.com/
I like the tonal color of the Supreme (dark).
Good sound demos are an art in themselves, and Charles is one of those rare people who has actually mastered it. Reference and Supreme are both lovely. SA80/II doesn't have quite the same character.
What is the intended difference between a ii and a iii?
Nate, the II was originally designed to be the only Selmer that Selmer made back in the early 1980's. The III represented the first time where when a new model came out, the predecessor model was not discontinued. The III was originally designed in response to players who wanted a brighter, quicker responding horn with easier projection. The II was/is a solid horn but it is also a darker, heavier horn. So the III was given a tighter neck bore and lighter weight construction on the body to help improve the ease of response. This also brightened the horn.
Today, many people view the III as a "Classical" horn because it is very easy to articulate and obtain a quick response at the lower volume dynamics. However, there are many that would argue and say that it is a "Jazz" horn because it is bright and powerful. In the end, the difference was about responsiveness.
Now that the Supreme has come out, Selmer Paris has discontinued production of the Series III and the Reference 54 models. The Supreme has taken the various positive performance elements of those 2 models but taken away some of the negative elements of both models and put them in to one sax.
The Series II is still being produced, but there is a likelihood that the Series II might be discontinued in the future once the Supreme production & line (as they will make the Supreme a full sax line with a tenor, soprano & bari) moves forward to full capacity.
@@KesslerCustom Thank you! That is about the best answer I have heard on this question. I knew they were discontinuing the reference but not the iii. I have a iii (pre jubilee) so maybe now mine is "vintage". Thank you again.
@@nhr27 Glad to help. Dont know if you can call a Series III "vintage" yet... but one day.
The III also went through several changes, albeit smaller ones, throughout its life. MOST of these changes were in the weight of material placed on the neck. All of these changes were done to improve response. These include eliminating the octave key guide near the octave pip, going to a lighter weight brace on the underside of the neck (both of these were done before the Jubilee changeover) and eventually going to a lighter weight octave key mount & key with the Jubilee change in 2010.