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I have been playing on the Selmer Series III alto sax for three years and I can say with confidence that it's a very versatile horn. I used it in Wind Ensemble and attained a classical intonation. Similarly, the horn proved very useful for solo work in Jazz Ensembles in High School and College. It does come with strengths and weaknesses. The strengths include excellent sound quality, great response in all registers (even altissimo), and versatility. In Jazz, I have thoroughly enjoyed using this horn for gigs and solo work. However, I have found some middle register notes to sound somewhat stuffy. How a musician wants to sound is up to the individual. If he or she has a clear vision of what they want to sound like, then they can choose the equipment to help them reach their goal. This horn can definitely assist musicians in attaining the type of sound that they desire. Believe me; the audience will be able to hear the difference between a pro horn like the Series III and a student or intermediate alto. As the title of the review has indicated, buying the Series III Alto Sax was an excellent investment.

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I purchased this horn several years ago. Let me get this out of the way now. I don't believe in perfection and therefore I would never give anything 5 out of 5 stars in a review. Thus I only gave this insrtument 4 stars. However I do truly love this instrument. I loved it when I first got and and I have only grown to love it more since then. This horn has a very focused but warm, bright sound. Obviously this sound will vary from person to person but the core sound will remain relatively constant. The Selmer Series III is also extremly responsive: almost telepathic. It readily responds to slight adjustments in pitch and dynamics. The intonation of this instrument is also very good. While no instrument will ever have perfect intonation, this instrument is close enough that the player can easily compensate for pitch tendencies. There are no extremely out of tune notes. The horn provides an extremely versatile tool for playing many different styles of music. I use this horn mainly for jazz, which it truly excels at with my MeYer mouthpiece, but my horn also sees extensive classical use. When using a suitably dark mouthpiece, such as a Selmer S80, the Series III also exceeds expectations playing classical music. The build quality on this instrument is very high. The lacquer quickly wore off of the lower (right hand) thumb rest. Other than that cosmetic flaw, which I believe was most probably caused by a poor lacquering job on that particular piece of the horn (this is a small piece that is attached to the rest of the instrument by a large screw so it was most likely lacqured seperately from the rest of the horn), I have had absolutely no mechanical issues with my sax. Also, as previously stated this is a cosmetic flaw which in no way affects the playability of the insturment. The horn is very solidly built. When you hold it, you can feel that it is sturdy and will not break easily. Also, possible as a result of this sturdy build quality this instrument is very heavy for an alto. It is easily the haeviest alto I have played (I tested almost every horn on the market before buying this one so I have a pretty good reference point). This doesn't affect how the horn plays but it is something to be aware of. Still, this is a small trade-off for how well this instrument plays. I would definitely recomened this instrument to any serious szxophonist; especially one who plays multiple styles and thus needs a versatile horn.

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I have played alto saxophone for 50 years. I retired a 1938 Balance Action Selmer for a Series III in 2005. I have made over 3 CD's now and all I can say is that this horn is all Selmer, all professional in quality, build, ergonomics. If you are a serious, or going to be serious alto sax player, this horn is the ticket. It will, like it has been mentioned, play classical very well, and with the right mouthpiece, its jazz power is hard to beat. Worth the money.