Selmer Reference 54 Saxophone?

Has anyone tried the Selmer Reference 54 sax? It's supposed to recreate the sound of a Mark VI, with more modern action and intonation, etc.

Anyone here had experience with it? How does it compare to Yamaha Custom Model, which is also supposed to re-create the Mark VI sound?

neither one can duplicate a MKVI...although i did a gig with eric alexander recently and he was tellin me about a ..believe it or not.. a sterling silver or silver plated borganni ..... tenor that he really dug.. more than his MKVI...also he said bob berg was playin one too..... i owned a borganni soprano like 30 yrs ago and it was cheap and it was awful!

Have you played one? By saying 'neither one' you already discredit yourself. The 36 is meant to duplicate the Balanced Action, not a VI.

My Ref54 plays better than any VI I've tried, and is a phenomenal instrument. It definitely has a VI 'sound' to it. It is also more responsive than any horn I've played, including Series II, III, and YTS-62 & 875.

Did a few gigs with a very good tenor player friend of mine .... a two tenor front line thing ..... he played a new 54 and I play a 59 six.

We swapped horns for a couple of tracks and I found the 54 to be a very nice saxophone. My fellow tenor player was ecstatic over my six, said he couldn't believe how good it was. Went straight out next day to swap his 54 for a six.