The Japanese Stake in Radio City Could Very Well Come in Handy
NEW YORK -- Former President Ronald Reagan isn't the only brass fetching big dollars for making noise in Japan.</br></br>U.S. musical instrument stores report that any time a used Selmer Mark VI saxophone hits the shelf, it is scooped up by Japanese musicians and dealers.</br></br>"It seems to have built into a frenzy in the last couple of years," says Stanley S. Garber, a marketing agent for the U.S. distributor, Selmer Co., based in Elkhart, Ind. "It has sort of gotten out of hand."</br></br>First introduced in 1954, the Mark VI was heralded as the product of thirty years of research. Jazz musicians consider the instrument superior to others in craftsmanship and metal quality. But only about 200,000 Mark VIs were ever produced by Paris-based H. Selmer & Cie. It hasn't been made since 1973.</br></br>When new, the Mark VI sold for less than $800. No more. Prices have jumped by more than $1,000 since 1985 to between $2,500 and $2,800. Shop keepers and players blame the inflation on the Japanese. In Japan, where jazz has exploded in popularity, Mark VIs often sell for over $4,000.