@Hear the sound By Darren Rahn

PMXT-500BX Custom Class Tenor Sax
(Warmer Contemporary Sound)

This stunningly beautiful horn plays just as well as it looks! The Black Pearl limited production tenor sax is made from solid nickel-silver with black nickel plating featuring hand-engraving which adorns most of the instrument, including the back of the body and the neck.

Vibrations travel more quickly through nickel silver making this an extremely responsive horn. Add to that the additional clarity provided by the black nickel plating and you have an exceptional sounding horn.

< Available with gold lacquer or silver-plated keys >

This model ships standard with the Super Jazz VI neck, a specially designed neck that blows very freely across the entire range of the saxophone.
Fitted with "smokey" abalone shell key buttons.

With hard case and basic mouthpiece.

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"I was recently asked to write about my experience with the new P. Mauriat PMT-500BX tenor saxophone, otherwise known as the Black Pearl.¨ It's no secret that I'm a big fan of P. Mauriat saxophones, but I must say that after playing this new model I am even more hooked! This stunningly beautiful horn plays just as good as it looks. The Black Pearl limited production tenor sax is solid nickel-silver with black  nickel plating, and features hand-engraving which adorns most of the instrument, including the back of the body and the neckpipe. This model ships standard with the Super Jazz VI neckpipe, a specially designed neck that blows very free and easy across the entire range of the saxophone. The Black Pearl has a smooth, luxurious sound that seems to magnify the personality of a player. I have had the privilege of listening to several other saxophonists play this new model and it can sound drastically different depending on the player and the type of mouthpiece-reed combination they use. Regardless, this is one very expressive and soulful saxophone. The PMT-500BX produces an even, balanced sound and is just slightly darker than it's sibling, the PMXT-60NS nickel-silver tenor. It has a brilliance to the sound without being too bright, and a full, fat sounding resonance while maintaining a focused core. I notice that when I play at soft volumes the sound is very mellow and expressive, and when I play louder I get a very gutsy sound with lots of character. Just as a black pearl in nature is precious and rare, so too is this saxophone. I can see why they named it the Black Pearl. This horn plays gracefully and has the look and feel of prestige written all over it - truly one-of-a-kind!" - Darren Rahn

"It's a great pleasure for me to write about the Paul Mauriat black-pearl tenor, model PMT-500BX. Having played Conn, Selmer, Yanagisawa and Yamaha saxophones before, I can objectively say that this horn is definitely in the same league with if not more innovative or improved than them.

Physically, the horn is a well-built, customized, hand-made beauty. Besides its solid body, its joints, bolts, springs, pads, and other accessories are of fine quality. Compared with horns of other brands, this sax has a lot of innovative technologies, particularly in its ergonomics. The key works of this horn are responsive and innovatively structured.

What's more, the black plating of the body is unique. In addition to making the horn look strong, cool, and attractive, the black plating makes this horn easy to maintain because fingerprints for some reason I can't explain are not left behind on the horn after one plays or touches it. This, however, is not the case with the keys since they are silver-plated, which is a customized option I have requested from Paul Mauriat. Adding to the beauty of the black plating is a set of engravings on the bell, body, and neck of the horn.

Sonically, this horn is as beautiful as it looks. The conventional term with which to describe the sound of the black-pearl tenor is "warm and contemporary". In other words, the sound you get from this horn is neither dark nor vintage, which its sister models, the 76, 66, and 66R, produce. As such, it does not have a bright and edgy sound.

Because each model produces a distinctive sound, Paul Mauriat saxophones can be chosen on the basis of a player's preference. And this is one of the features that distinguish Paul Mauriat from other brands.

This does not mean, however, that this horn cannot produce a powerful if not mean sound; all it takes is some more air and a tighter embouchure. At the same time, it can make a sweet, heart-melting sound, particularly on such slow standards as "Misty" or "The Shadow of Your Smile".

Moreover, the sound of this horn is even across the registers. This is not the case, to be sure, with all horns. In other words, if a horn sounds great in one register, it may not in another. With the black-pearl tenor, however, one can run a long phrase from the high F# down to the low Bb easily, and the only difference one notices is you guessed it the different pitch between registers.

Now that I have played the black-pearl tenor, I am convinced that Paul Mauriat saxophones are here to stay.

If love is the word, I am in love with the black pearl." -  Thang D. Nguyen

PMT-500BX ‘Black Pearl’ Tenor Saxophone.
Test Report by Adrian ‘Groove C’ Chia. Saxophonist and Educator, Singapore

In this competitive world of modern saxophone manufacturing, we are witnessing the gradual and steady rise of the Asian-made horns.  The high-tech manufacturing process and quality of their saxophones are evident in their playability as well as ‘cost-effectiveness’.  No longer viewed as inferior to their European or American made counterparts, these modern Asian horns are already making great inroads into the European and American markets.  In this regard, the P Mauriat saxophones are truly a class of their own.

These horns are truly unique in that they offer the player the choice of sound they hope to achieve (given a fixed mouthpiece/reed/ligature setup, of course).  The P Mauriat ‘Contemporary Series’ saxophones provide the player more of the ‘modern’ sound, suited to contemporary playing settings.  The PMT-500BX ‘Black Pearl’ is a really warm-sounding contemporary tenor saxophone to play.  The body is nickel-silver, with beautiful black plating.  The entire horn (bell, bottom bow, body tube and neck) are engraved.  The aesthetic value is already evident. 

I played my first note (a middle G) and was immediately blown away.  With minimal effort, I could produce a strong and gutsy sound on the horn.  Intonation was also spot on.  When I ventured down towards the low register, I could feel the positive vibrations of the horn as I effortlessly subtoned my low C and below.  The P Mauriat horns (esp. their tenors) are well-known for their big, rounded lower registers.  However the Black Pearl’s low notes seem to have a character of their own: the sound was big and strong, yet warm.  I felt so good down below that I lingered around there much longer than I would with another horn.  The black plating should be the reason for the slightly warm tone of this contemporary tenor.  I was playing on a high-baffled metal mouthpiece, and I thought it was a good match with the horn.  My tone was bright but never over-powering treble-wise.

Altissimo was effortless and clear.  This really adds to the confidence of the player.  The high ranges speak rather cleanly and effortlessly.  The transition between notes was smooth and resistant-free.  This could be due to my mouthpiece but I think it also has to do with the excellent and comfortable key placement ergonomics of the horn.  I do not have big hands and yet I felt much ‘in control’, if that means anything.

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