#Selmer reference 54 alto fake how to#
#Selmer reference 54 alto fake serial number#

Any Selmer Paris horn thatРІР‚в„ўs being sold for $1,200, or even $1,800 is likely a counterfeit.YouРІР‚в„ўre not likely to get a real Selmer Paris horn for $1,200-unless itРІР‚в„ўs stolen-and you donРІР‚в„ўt want that one either.If something is too good to be true, it probably is.A second pair of eyes is always a good idea, and can be helpful in doing research while youРІР‚в„ўre busy play-testing the horn.

Take along a friend who plays sax, or your teacher.If something seems not quite right, it likely isnРІР‚в„ўt.Bring your smart phone with you and confirm things while you have the sax in your hands.

#Selmer reference 54 alto fake serial number#

Get the serial number of the horn ahead of time, and research what features the horn should have.Know A LOT about the brand and model of saxophone you want to buy.What can you do to protect yourself from buying one by accident? No matter where you live you can run into counterfeit saxophones. Source: sax.co.uk What can you do to prevent yourself from buying a counterfeit saxophone? It is not laser cut it does not have an oval around the Р’В® the font is different the laurel leaves are different. The sax below illustrates what real Selmer Reference 54 engraving looks like on an alto. Another thing that gives the Craigslist horn above away as a counterfeit sax is its engraving.

The Reference 54 alto below is SelmerРІР‚в„ўs antique finish. Therefore, it is up to the buyer to carefully research the model of Selmer in question, and carefully compare it to the saxophone they are considering buying. It should be noted on the later editions of the Reference 54 alto from Selmer, the chromatic F# key and high E high do more closely resemble those of the counterfeit saxophone. A real Reference Alto from Selmer Paris looks like thisРІР‚В¦.The high E key is also flat, and level with the other left palm keys *. The real Selmer Reference horn also has round chromatic F# key *, as well as a round, MOP front F key.The Reference horns donРІР‚в„ўt have double arms on the low Bb, B, and C keys.While necks might have been lost and replaced, what immediately jumped out at me was the double arms on the bell keys and some of the key shapes.

It should have one that has a Selmer logo on it like thisРІР‚В¦

There is no original Selmer neck with the horn.

The model only comes in antique and dark lacquer.

The finish is not one offered by Selmer for its Reference 54s.

The tenor is very easy to identify as a counterfeit: Counterfeit saxophone #1: fake Selmer Reference 54 tenor I just happened across these while perusing Craigslist to see if I could find a vintage sax bargain, but instead I found horns to illustrate my counterfeit article.Р”В«oth horns were sold by the same seller-ostensibly because he has throat cancer. There might be Yani and Yamaha fakes in the local market as well, but I wasnРІР‚в„ўt looking for them. It just so happened that the two saxophones for sale in Vancouver this summer, were both Selmer knockoffs.

#Selmer reference 54 alto fake how to#

Would you know how to spot a fake-regardless of the brand? Selmer, Yanagisawa, and Yamaha saxophones are often copied and sold as the real thing. Why? Well even if youРІР‚в„ўre like me, and donРІР‚в„ўt generally buy horns online, you could still encounter fake horns. Then of course I took off on holidays for over a month.Р”Р„ thread on the Woodwind Forum about a knockoff Yani reminded me about the in-progress article, so this morning I began nearly from scratch, to get my head around all the permutations that distinguish a fake from an authentic Selmer Paris saxophone.Р”Вuring the summer I came across a couple of ads on VancouverРІР‚в„ўs Craigslist, which should get all of us-regardless where you live-thinking. That article got so complicated to research, that I put it aside while I was playing in a musical. Yes, there are most definitely counterfeit saxophones in Vancouver, CanadaР”Р„ number of months ago I started writing a fully illustrated, updated piece on how to spot counterfeit Selmer Paris saxophones.