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Selmer #33 low

Author: Roger T
Date: 2001-01-29 02:14

Does anyone know anything about a Selmer model 33 (late eighties) low C
bass clarinet? I have an oppertunity to get one,( haven't seen or played it yet) and
wanted the scoop. I tried a new Buffet the other day and WOW. All registers spoke
well and in tune. I think the double octave vent had a lot to do with the eveness
all the way to the top. How would this Selmer compare?

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RE: Selmer #33 low

Author: HAT
Date: 2001-01-29 13:29

Depends on where that Selmer is coming from. There is one that has been on Ebay quite a bit recently which is actually a stolen horn.

But, the Semer 33 is an excellent horn which in most ways compares very well to any Buffet.

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RE: Selmer #33 low Eb

Author: Don Berger
Date: 2001-01-29 18:00

I cant speak to the low C model, but my Eb [31-32-33] is excellent, has the best chalemeau I've found and a quite good clarion, with no intonation problems that my ear-embouchure "linkage" cant solve! Don

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RE: Selmer #33 low Eb

Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2001-01-29 19:47

Roger -

All bass clarinets worth playing seriously have a double register key. Perhaps 40 years ago, Leblanc used a single register key, and some of those horns are OK, but even they were a compromise. All of the modern instruments have an automatic mechanism that switches from one vent to another when you raise or lower your right ring finger.

The current Buffet model is a significant improvement over the prior model in terms of evenness of scale and reliability of the register key mechanism, which was a dreadful problem on the earlier model. However, the basses with the best sound of all were the Buffets made in the early and middle 1970s.

Selmer basses have always been excellent. You make your choice between the better sound of the Buffet and the better response and keywork of the Selmer.

The stolen bass has been offered several times on eBay by someone calling himself "double-edge."

Basses vary tremendously. You should never buy one without playing it first, particularly a used one.

Best regards.

Ken Shaw

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