Selmer Super Action 80 Serie II: Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Baritone

I have all four horns in this Selmer model.

1) Let's start with the straight soprano. It plays very well in tune. Almost effortless compared to other older sopranos I've tried. The sound is even throughout the horn and all registers play well. It can get heavy on the right hand thumb even when using a strap. I know some will say I should put the weight on the strap and not on the hand, but I've done my best thinking about this and it seems that where I play comfortably, it hurts. It's also difficult to play sitting down for long periods because you have to hold the horn out in front and it weighs a lot more than a clarinet. All in all though, a very nice horn.

2) The alto plays well too, just not with a very open and singing sound. It is sort of resistant and muffled compared to a Mark VI. I fixed this problem very nicely though with a new solid silver neck made by Karsten Gloger. I just got it and when I put it on I couldn't believe the improvement in the sound. The horn is now wonderful to play and plays very well in tune. The original neck is a joke. A bad joke.

3) I have owned two of these tenors. The first was a new, brass colored horn and it was awful. The keywork felt like a student horn and the sound was weak. I sold it on eBay. The one I still have is wonderful! It is a silver model with no engraving, bought in Switzerland in the late 1980's. The keywork is comfortable and the sound is better than most tenors I have played. The intonation is a bit sharp in the upper register, but otherwise it is fine. I adjust as I play these notes and it isn't a big problem. The sound of the horn and it's comfortable action make up for it. It also improved immensely with a replacement solid silver neck made in Germany by Stephan Bösken. It fixed some intonation problems and brought the sound to life! Very big difference; enough for me to pay the steep price these necks cost!

4) The Selmer SA80 II low A baritone is a wonderful horn. It also benefited greatly from a Gloger silver neck. The new neck solved my only complaint, which was a sort of weak sound and some difficulty playing the altisimo notes. I have two Gloger necks for this horn: one with a SA80 curve and one with a Mark VI curve. Slightly different, but both amazingly great! The only note that seemed to be a bit weak on this horn is low Bb. The notes around it sound perfect (low A and B), but this also improved with the new necks.

Photos of all are forthcoming...