The Holy Grail of Classical Baritone Saxophones
The Selmer Paris 66AF Series III Jubilee Edition baritone is widely regarded as the Holy Grail of classical baritone saxophones. Its rich, opulent sound is legendary and its precision-crafted ergonomics provide the quick response you need to perform fast, challenging passages. The Series III baritone’s compacted keywork, close grip, and natural handling enable players to approximate the dexterity and speed one would expect to achieve on an alto sax. There’s also alchemy at work here. Instead of traditional brass, Series III saxophones use a brass alloy with a slightly higher copper content, which imparts a luxurious warmth to your every note. Featuring mini-ribbed body construction, treated leather pads with metal resonators, blued steel needle springs, excellent intonation, and splendid jeweler’s hand engraving, the Selmer Paris 66AF Series III Jubilee Edition professional bari will serve you well in your career and nurture your ongoing development as an artist.
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World-class responsiveness
As a class, baritone saxophones can be ungainly in the hands of all but the most seasoned players. Fortunately, Selmer Paris has lavished meticulous attention on the Series III baritone’s ergonomics to produce a horn that responds immediately to every nuance of your playing technique. The saxophone is a complex instrument with over 600 parts; for their Series III bari, Selmer Paris has reduced the size (and hence, weight) of several components such as the ribs and bow guards, resulting in increased resonance and responsiveness. With its lighter overall weight and peg system attached to the bell, the player is freed from handling constraints. The key positioning has been tightened up, because the less distance your fingers have to travel, the faster you can play. With its tight, responsive action powered by blued steel springs — the professional standard for durable, perfectly tensioned keywork — the 66AF facilitates double-time playing and virtuosic soloing that would present a challenge on lesser baritones. Given its exemplary tuning balance and even tonal color that extends out to the extreme registers, the Selmer Paris Series III 66AF is a bari player’s dream come true. Courtesy of the new Series III, the baritone sax finally takes center stage.
Handcrafted in France
Honoring the Henri Selmer Paris tradition of old-world craftsmanship, the 66AF Series III Jubilee Edition baritone sax benefits from premium materials and proprietary construction techniques developed over Selmer’s century-plus of wind instrument design expertise. This exceptional professional horn incorporates performance-enhancing details like specially treated leather pads with metal resonators that provide a leak-free, airtight fit while delivering a big, deep, authoritative tone that brings your notes to life. Not surprisingly, considering it comes from the company that perfected the modern saxophone, the Series III baritone offers superior ergonomics and playability, crisp intonation, and rich, precise sound that reflects every expressive nuance of your playing. And although Series III horns are the de facto industry standard in the classical music world, you’ll find the 66AF bari to be equally at home in jazz settings, thanks to the immediacy of its response to the subtitles of your embouchure and touch. It will elevate your technique and unlock new worlds of musical expression.
The Selmer legacy of quality and innovation
As all modern saxophone designs are based on the Selmer platform, it’s instructive to take a look at the company’s history to understand its considerable influence on the instrument as we know it today. Conservatory-trained clarinetist Henri Selmer founded Henri Selmer Paris in 1885. Fashioning reeds and mouthpieces in his small workshop, he soon took on instrument repair and modifications, which eventually let to the design and manufacture of clarinets. In 1900, Selmer opened a retail shop in New York (the beginnings of Selmer USA). In 1922, Selmer introduced its first saxophone: the Model 22. In the ensuing decades, Selmer released industry-leading designs such as the Balanced Action, Super Action, Mark VI, and Reference 55AFJ, which have set the standard for what a modern saxophone should be. Listen to any iconic jazz recording by John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Paul Desmond, (late period) Cannonball Adderley, Wayne Shorter, Michael Brecker, Branford Marsalis, or Joshua Redman, and you will hear one of these legendary horns in action. Delivering exceptional value at every level, from student to professional, Selmer USA and Henri Selmer Paris offer a full line of woodwind and brass instruments. Sweetwater is proud to bring you Selmer’s rich legacy of quality and innovation.
Selmer Paris 66AF Series III Jubilee Edition Baritone Saxophone Features:
- Acoustics: Series III body for rich, full sound
- Body material: yellow brass with extra copper
- Neck: Series III bore
- Construction: mini ribs
- Low A, high F# keys
- Treated leather pads with metal resonator tone boosters
- Blued steel needle springs
- Compact, ergonomic keywork
- Left-hand thumb rest: metal
- Right-hand thumb rest: metal, adjustable
- Water key: on upper bow
- Jubilee jeweler’s hand engraving
- Included S80 C mouthpiece with ligature and cap, neck strap, swab, cork grease, and flight case
- Handcrafted in France
