SML Tenor Sax

Serial Number 17519 (1960-65)

Sorry, No Longer Available.

The owner is going to Europe at the end of the school year, so he has asked me to cut the price further, down to $1599.

The horn is an SML "Standard", original gold lacquer.
The French "Standard" models don't have the same connotation as in English. The meaning has more a 'Standard of Excellence" or "set the standard" sort of meaning. The Standard is not a second line horn or student horn. If anything, the "Standard" might be an even rarer horn than the Rev. A-D horns.

SML horns branded "Standard" used the tooling from the model immediately prior to the current one. Thus a "Standard" with Rev. D serial number and made contemporaneously with the Rev. D's would essentially be a Rev. C horn.
This one is from 1961, a time when their flagship model was the "Gold Medal I".
It is in fact a Rev D with no rolled tone holes, no stack adjustment screws, no pants guard and simpler engraving...art deco style--leafy rather than floral, reminiscent of SML's "Super Standard" flagship model.
Anyway, if the Standard was a car it'd be like not having a sunroof or heated seats on a simpler limited series... it would drive the same, just fewer cosmetic flourishes.

Rev Ds and Gold Medal are pretty close in terms of specs.... because the 'Gold Medal' was a 'perfected' Rev D which won the eponymous Gold Medal in the Hague in the late 50s. Thus they engraved it on their horns from that date on.

This horn ia a player's horn -- most of the body-to-bell brace has been worked on. It was bare brass when I received it. I polished it and spot lacquered it. It is consequently shinier and does not have darker amber color of the original lacquer of the rest of a horn. I didn't get the best picture of this.

Another proof it was well played is that an additional strap hook ring was soldered on. It would be up to you to try the horn and see which you prefer. When used, the upper, original ring puts the horn in a more vertical position at rest,
whereas the added on ring lets the horn balance in a more horizontal position.
The SML is a substantial horn, with good heft and many players have experimented with having an additional strap ring installed where it works best for them.
Either one is workable, but I liked the upper, original strap hook.

A squarish, metal LH thumbrest that can be adjusted with a screw.

If anything, this horn is perhaps best for someone who has medium to larger hands vs. someone with small hands.

This horn doesn't have the problem of some SML tenors: namely altissimo.
Some people find they need to use special altissimo fingerings for SML tenors to play in tune up there, but not this one! Everything comes out with "Selmer MK VI altissimo fingerings".
The horn has a even, rich/complex tone with lots of power as befits a large bore horn.
A very good example, representative of SML craftsmanship.

Here is a sound sample of the of this SML (click the "Play" button) recorded May 25, 2010:



Pads are mostly recent, seal well (a couple are new) so it's ready to play. The pads have brown seamless domed plastic resos.

Aside from the bellbrace work mentioned above, there has been dentwork to the bow. The neck brace is very slightly dented into the neck right about the tenon.

SML info from Peter Hales
SML info from Fred Cicetti