Klarinet Archive - Posting 000304.txt from 1995/07

From: Andrea K Hakari <hakari@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Selmer Model 37 bass clarinet and Prestige bass clarinet
Date: Fri, 28 Jul 1995 19:47:48 -0400

On Thu, 27 Jul 1995, CLARK FOBES wrote:

> Selmer dicontinued one of it's best bass clarinets ever in the early
> '80's when it brought out a revised version of the model 33. I don't
> know why they continued calling it a "33" when it had virtually no
> resemblance mechanically or acoustically to the previous model. The
> most obvious change was in the design of the extended mechanism which,
> IMHO, was a rats nest of keys and poor design. With the radical change
> in design Selmer had the opportunity to correct the one glaring problem
> with the old "33" design - a very sharp 3rd line B natural. However,
> they did not correct it and changed the overall tonal quality of the
> instrument drastically. I was very unhappy about this change and wrote
> to Selmer about it at the time, but they were extremely non-plussed.
>

I've had the opportunity to play both the old and new designs of the
Selmer 33. I can say that I much prefer the newer 33. My big problem
with the old 33 is having to depress the low Eb key in addition to a RH
thumb key to play any note below low Eb. I find this very awkward. I
agree, the old 33 is a "rat's nest" in design. I loved having the LH low
D on the new Selmer. I must disagree on the tone quality between the 2
designs. I loved the tone and sound on the new 33 more than the old 33.
The new one was a much more comfortable instrument to play and to listen
to. The response and overall quality of the new design instrument I
played was superior to that of the old 33 I'm playing now. I miss my
previous bass @-----.

Does anyone know of anyone who's selling a used but GREAT condition
newer-design Selmer 33? I really should be buying my own instrument
(should have a looooong time ago...) Something in the $2000-2500 range.

Another point while I'm here, just a little one that's sort of been
bugging me. Has the general profile of the Selmer C* bass cl. mouthpiece
changed over the years? The bass I'm playing now came with a new-looking
C* that was shaped basically like a blown-up Bb mouthpiece. The C* I
used to play on had a fairly long beak. The response from the long-beak
mpc was great! Would this have been something the repair dude would have
done, or did the long beak originate at the manufacturer's? I need to
buy a mpc soon, but would prefer getting a mouthpiece with a longer beak.

Thanks for listening to my rambling...

--Andrea