Selmer Bass Saxophone SA80/II
Bass Saxophone
- Gold lacquer finish
- Hand-engraved details
- High F-sharp key
- Adjustable floor rest
- Leather pads with metal resonators
- Includes case and mouthpiece
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Available since December 2020
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Item number 146780
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Sales Unit 1 piece(s)
The low-end trend
The bass saxophone remains an unusual and demanding instrument. However, as the musical repertoire and scoring practices have evolved, the bass saxophone has increasingly been able to hold its own within ensemble settings. The Selmer Bass Saxophone SA80/II is specifically adapted to this shift: Its overall design and acoustic properties allow it to function primarily as a soutien instrument, providing rhythmic and harmonic support that reinforces and highlights the main melodic line. While earlier models in the series were already regarded as milestones in the history of saxophone building, the current SA80/II version has been refined in some detail and aligned more closely with the expectations and requirements of today's players. Improvements have been made in particular to the mechanism, response, and overall tonal character – inasmuch as such refinements are possible for a true classic like this.
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Controlled dynamics
For all these refinements, the Selmer Bass Saxophone SA80/II remains firmly defined by its traditional qualities. The instrument is made from brass, with the body finished in gold lacquer, and its attractive appearance is completed by hand‑engraved detailing. This B‑flat bass saxophone is fitted with leather pads and metal resonators, which reinforce its characteristically American sound. A high F-sharp key, a left‑hand table, and a fixed thumb rest contribute to the comfortable playability, while the low‑B key extends the range further downwards. Compared with the previous version, revisions have been made to the tone holes and the pads in particular. Musicians who have played the SA80/II can confirm that these changes have made this bass saxophone noticeably more responsive – lively, even – across all registers, and from the softest pianissimo to powerful fortissimo passages.
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Precise projection
As an updated successor to a model that has long been firmly established worldwide, the Selmer Bass Saxophone SA80/II is aimed at advanced players, right the way through to virtuoso professionals. One of its defining strengths is that it's impossible to pigeonhole in a single genre – and it makes no attempt to be. Instead, it can be used just as effectively in Classical music as in Jazz, Pop, Soul, Rock, and other musical styles, whether in full orchestras, brass sections, or more atypical ensembles. This versatility is underpinned by its open tonal character and broad sound spectrum, combined with its focused, reliable projection. The wide dynamic range, delivered in the characteristic Selmer timbre, is further supported by the finely crafted mechanism and the comparatively – for a bass sax – high level of precision it offers in performance.
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About Selmer
Henri Selmer Paris, founded in 1885 by Henri Selmer – a clarinettist and graduate of the Paris Conservatoire – is a legendary French manufacturer of wind instruments. Initially producing clarinet mouthpieces, the company soon expanded to full clarinets and gained global recognition for its craftsmanship and quality. Selmer became particularly renowned for its saxophones, which have been favoured by countless Jazz musicians since the 1920s. Beyond saxophones and clarinets, Selmer also crafts trumpets, trombones, and horns, continually refining its instruments through collaborations with leading musicians and the use of premium materials.
Hand-made by a single craftsperson
The Selmer Bass Saxophone SA80/II is handcrafted by a single instrument maker, one member of Selmer's Paris‑based team. As a result, the model most frequently chosen in the world of professional saxophone ensembles is defined not only by its musicality, playability, and aesthetics, it's also a genuine feat of craftsmanship. This bass saxophone consists of more than 600 individual components and is an especially complex instrument, requiring over 2,000 separate manufacturing steps. Owing to this individual, hand‑built production process, prospective buyers should generally expect a somewhat longer delivery time. The wait, however, will be well worthwhile: The Selmer SA80/II's design and acoustic properties make it more than a merely an accompanying instrument: It combines a level of technical virtuosity that is only underlined by its optimised ergonomics and characteristically voluminous, authoritative sound.