I know, I know…Some people on these sax discussion boards just can’t help themselves. Selmer-bashing (and Mark VI bashing in particular) is like the Sunday sport ritual for others. Get a freakin’ life people. How about this: go to your practice rooms and shed…Geez….
Oh, it all starts innocently enough. Someone asks a question like: Does anyone really not like Mark VIs? A number of people answer intelligently with things like: I’ve played a number of them, and I liked a few because of__________(fill in the blank), but some weren’t as good as others because__________. Or: I’ve played 4 altos, 2 tenors, and a bari, and liked all of them because of A, B, & C, or none of them because of X, Y, & Z.
Then a few slip into the fray with: IMHO, they’re not worth the money because new horn brand A, B, or C, is better, and cheaper (no further info is provided, and we’re just supposed to take their opinion like it’s gospel). Or: I’ve played some, and they’re OK, but not as good as my brand X horn. (Same comment as above, no further info provided.) But now these people are on a soap box. 
(Some people would say that I am too, but hey, it’s my blog, so I’m entitled.) 😉
Now the floodgates open, and the bloodsport begins for real with things like: The horns are over-priced pieces of nostalgia that pros today don’t play anymore. Or something like: I’ve played them, and they’re junky horns. Or even better: They’re nothing special: just over-priced, over-rated horns. Yeah….Right…At that moment questions go through my mind such as: How long have you been playing sax? You’ve played how many Mark VIs? What kinds (SATB)? What condition were they in? How much experience do you have on each (SATB)? Have you ever taken a private lesson in your life? Stop me now…I have to restrain myself from jumping on the keyboard and typing out a scathing retort telling these pseudo-“informed” people to stop spouting such uninformed bullshit.
Next thing we know, the Selmer lovers and the Selmer haters are duking it out at it’s looking a bit like this:
Next thing you know, the whole thread has gone 
A participant in a recent thread on this topic said this: “I get the general impression that those who express the strongest dislike for a MK-VI are those (like me) that can’t afford them.” Another said: “These dislike Mark VI threads always bring to mind the Aesop’s Fable of the ‘Sour Grapes’ “. One person had this to say: “Not everyone prefers a Mark VI. I learned on a student level Conn and then bought my teacher’s old VI when he bought a new one. I played it for years but ultimately sold it when I stopped playing for about 15 years. When I went back to playing I played a bunch of VIs and SBAs and ultimately went home with with a 6M (which I’d never played before) at 1/2 the price.”
This comment echos my own experiences, because I bought a 6M almost 4 years ago, and prefer it to my Mark VI alto for jazz.
I’ve got no problems with an experienced, high caliber player, who has put time in playing on a Mark VI and opted for another brand, or another model writing his or her negative comments about the horns they’ve played. You know they are speaking from personal experience. I too am honest about my Mark VIs’ short comings. I can do that since I own 4 of them: All in great condition, all in good repair, 2 of which are what are considered “killer” VIs. I do however have a problem with inexperienced players, or players inexperienced on a particular model of horn, dissing said model of horn for no reason other than jealousy, envy, arguing for the sake of arguments sake, or whatever other twisted little game they are playing in the anonymity of the virtual saxophone world.
People dissing Selmer Mark VIs that have no or only limited experience with them are simply being stupid. It is ridiculous to comment authoritatively on something you know very little about. (But people do it all the time in the “real” world as well, don’t they?) It would be just as stupid if I were to say “Yamaha Zs are junk. The company should have stuck to making motorcycles.” Since my experience with Yamaha saxophones is limited to play-testing a few that belonged to my students, that’s hardly enough to base an opinion on an entire brand of saxophones on.
The problem with the Internet is that it allows people to hide in relative anonymity, behind screen names, and speak authoritatively about subjects that they know very little about. I alluded to this on my blog post on May 26th titled Mark VIs, Post Modernism, Flamers, and the Kitchen Sink. As a matter of fact, I did more than allude to it. I started off that entry with a few paragraphs about this very topic. I guess today’s entry is the one I originally thought I was going to write in May.
It always seems to me that the Internet is a double-edged sword. As good as it is to connect with sax players in far away places (and sometimes even in our own backyard), it distracts us from time in the shed. With only so many hours in day, are we spending them wisely? Are we learning something useful on these forums? Are we participating in discussions that are actually helpful? Are we shedding as much as we should? Or are we taking part in inane conversations about whose sax is bigger? Oops… Freudian slip… I meant better… 
Maybe we should be like Lisa here, and just shed….
