Selmer MK VI 115xxx mint original US Lac. NEARLY NEW!

Here we have a rather rare find; a 1964 Mark VI tenor that is in nearly new condition.  The pads are all original with lacquer rings outside the toneholes.  The finish shows some water spots and a tiny amount of speckle but almost no wear of any kind, even on frequently touched keys.  The neck has matching number and is in beautiful un-flexed condition with not really any wear.  The bottom bow and bell flare are both structurally spotless.  The body in general only has a few tiny scratches.  At a careful review of the photos you can see the kind of freckling of the lacquer with darker and lighter spotted areas; this is a slow aging or darkening process of original Selmer lacquer. The horn also needs a basic cleaning and will look even more shiny and new.

Given its original condition after so many years it really will need an overhaul. That said, I have been playing it and it IS playing, pretty well.  It has the fast and nimble response that is associated with the 110k-120k model period.  While these would normally be slightly on the focused/centered side of response when the pads get old and dried out that is hard to discern.  In this case what I can say is that it is bright and sparkly juxtaposed with really utterly huge and booming, in a way I was not prepared for.  This is a BIG sounding horn, like a mid-80k might be. With an overhaul it will likely be both fast, AND huge.

It feels excellent under the fingers and is pretty much at the apex of Selmer positive engineering before they brought in the ball joint side keys, which no one really loves. This is as close to a brand new Selmer MK VI from 1964 as anyone can expect and it just happens to be a super promising horn as well.