Narrator: This is the moment a sheet of brass starts to take the shape of a saxophone. Handcrafted precision has been part of Henri Selmer Paris' production since 1885. But the use of Selmer saxophones by jazz legends like John Coltrane on his album A Love Supreme helped the brand reach icon status. Since then, musicians have chased the Selmer sound, making vintage and new Selmer prices skyrocket. Top-of-the-line, pro-level Selmers are twice the price of the company's biggest competitors, and the most expensive ones cost over $30,000. But do Selmer saxophones actually sound any different, or is it just reputation that makes them so expensive? The main body of a saxophone starts out as a 0.6-to-0.7 millimeter thick sheet of high-quality brass. Narrator: Thierry Oriez has been president of Henri Selmer Paris since 2021.

He says the company sources all of its raw metals from the same foundries in France and Germany to maintain quality control. Eighty percent of the manufacturing process is done by hand, and because of that, the Selmer operation is massive. The company has about 500 employees making about 10,000 saxophones every year in its workshop, each with over 600 parts. Each brass sheet is cut with a laser cutter, preprogrammed to get the most pieces from each sheet with as little waste as possible. These cutouts will form the four main parts of a saxophone: the neck, the body, the bow, and the bell. Selmer makes six types of saxophones. The four main pieces have different specifications for each type. After the pieces are cut and given a basic shape, the bodies and necks are bent by hand by a craftsperson called a boilermaker. The bell is also pushed through this ring,

made in-house from liquid tin, which gives it a more precise shape. The flare of the bell is then attached to a thin brass ring to reinforce it and hammered into place by hand. The necks are bent into their crook shape with this device. Bows and bells are typically made by pressing the sheet into a mold, creating two identical halves, which are then soldered together. The workers pore over every inch of the instrument, down to these mouthpieces, or beaks, which are molded from a vulcanized rubber called ebonite. Narrator: Each one must be perfect. Key parts of this production process were invented by Selmer and were adopted by the rest of the industry, giving the company a reputation for quality that goes back over a century. Take the way the tone holes are formed. Oval circles are first cut by machine into the body, and raised areas known as chimneys are pulled out using a method invented by Selmer in 1922.

A machine grabs a circular piece of metal inside the body and creates the tiny ridge you can see here. And these elevated chimneys help keep the instrument airtight by providing secure seating for the keypads. The sealing of a saxophone is crucial to its final sound. Selmer also pioneered a more recent innovation, improving the keys on its newest model. Narrator: The company spent 12 years designing the Supreme, named after Coltrane's album, working with dozens of saxophonists around the world. Selmer spent so much time on the keys because it's the most important factor in how the sax feels to the musician. Narrator: That's why quality control for the keys, particularly during final assembly, is a top priority. Narrator: Another way they test for quality is by placing a small light inside the body. This reveals any leaks or gaps that might have formed around the tone holes,

which could affect the sound. Narrator: The Selmer sound has been immortalized by jazz titans. The golden age of saxophones was between the 1920s, when Selmer introduced its first model, and the 1950s, when it launched its most famous one, the Mark VI. It's this saxophone that John Coltrane used to record one of his most famous albums, A Love Supreme. Many modern saxophonists are chasing this vintage sound, which is why they will often pay a premium for a Selmer from this era. Coltrane's soprano Mark VI sold for $70,800 at an auction in 2005. But for some, it's difficult to put a price on a piece of this legacy. So some of my favorite saxophones, you know, the instrument that has made a huge influence on me, I would say definitely names like John Coltrane,

Sonny Rollins, Charlie Parker, some names that I hold dear to my heart. So I first heard about Selmer by hearing my heroes. I did some research, and it kept appearing over and over. I see, Oh, OK, this guy plays Selmer. This one plays Selmer. Narrator: Lívio Almeida is a Grammy-nominated saxophonist from Brazil. He teaches at Brooklyn College in New York and is a Selmer ambassador. Selmer has a program called Rewind where it buys and sells refurbished Selmers for those looking for a more vintage sound. A refurbished vintage tenor Mark VI that's silver-plated, for example, sells for about $15,000, while some newer models may only resell for about $4,000. Lívio owns one of these vintage Mark VIs. He says there's something special about owning a piece of history. Lívio: And this is an ongoing discussion.

What is better, vintage or modern, right? And of course, this instrument here, the Mark VI, represents an era that many instrumentalists from the golden era of jazz had played this instrument, and sort of have, you know, this type of sound in their music. This instrument here, it definitely has a mellower sound. I love, you know, the vintage horns because of this character they have. I think a little bit more than the modern ones, they have this thing, each of them has sort of a unique history. You know, who owned this before? Maybe several musicians, maybe a great professional musician played this for 30, 40 years. Who knows? Narrator: Lívio says no matter which of his Selmers he's playing, as a professional musician, he can hear the difference. I really like all the Selmers I play. They have a sound, an identity, that is very clear from Selmer.

It has a center core that I like, so it feels like it has a lot of meat in it. And it has a certain, like, malleability, you know, that I can sort of, you know, play around with it and manipulate as I please. And it's also a broad sound. It has a lot of possibilities with, you know, like a good distribution of mid and high and low frequencies in it. Narrator: Lívio owns three Selmers. And his tenor Supreme is priced at about $12,000. But these instruments can get much more expensive, especially when you start adding on luxury finishing touches. Narrator: A saxophone goes through multiple stages of polishing, both by machine and by hand, to bring out the luster of the brass. Narrator: A special finish, while adding to the aesthetic, can affect the instrument's tone and price. For example, a tenor Supreme can reach about $30,000.

with a gold-plated finish. Selmer has also been engraving its instruments with signature designs since the beginning. Narrator: But the final step in making a saxophone, and one of the most important, is to check the sound. And the best way to do this is by playing it. Narrator: A play tester like Mattia Tomat will make sure everything feels and sounds perfect by playing each assembled saxophone. Narrator: Selmer requires its play testers to be high-level musicians, like its customers. Mattia is currently studying for his master's at the Conservatoire de Versailles. If something sounds off, he will go back and inform the final assembler, who will check for any leaks or flaws in key assembly. Narrator: Once a saxophone passes the test, it's packed up and shipped to customers around the world. Ultimately, Thierry says, Selmer's instruments are only as good as the musicians who play them.

Why Selmer Saxophones Are So Expensive | So Expensive | Business Insider

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