 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2022-09-22 02:28
Attachment: r4430.jpg (330k)
With that serial number, that's a Centered Tone (or 'CT') you have there from the early to mid '50s - it should be identifiable by the large hexagonal speaker bush on the back of the top joint.
They normally have 'Centered Tone' engraved on the top joint (between the Selmer logo and the throat A pad cup) but some don't which is rare - I have one without it myself which I recently sold to a former Royal Marines bandsman who drove all the way from either Devon or Cornwall to buy it off me (in West Sussex) there and then without even trying it first.
The HS* mouthpiece was the stock mouthpiece that was supplied with them and is an excellent mouthpiece (as is the rest of the clarinet). Yours is complete with the original stock case they were supplied in for the US market and has the export engraving on the bell - the ones sold in the UK and Europe only have the Selmer logo and 'Made in France' on the bell without all the extra info engraved in between.
The keywork and fittings on yours is all unplated nickel silver and that can either be left as is or can be polished to a bright finish should you want to when it's being fully overhauled. Unless the keywork is heavily tarnished and all manner of shades of green, orange and red, then I'd personally leave the aged patina it has as that's part of its character. Unplated keywork can always be cleaned by washing or ultrasonic cleaning as part of an overhaul to remove surface dirt, grease and grime while still retaining the aged patina if you prefer. I'd fully restore your clarinet in a heartbeat if I had the opportunity!
At some point in their production run towards the late '50s, Selmer replaced all the steel screws (which can rust up solid in the key barrels) with stainless steel screws which don't rust. My first set of early '50s Selmers was found in an attic and all the screws had rusted, making some of the rod screws near impossible to remove without resorting to cutting the keys off and drilling the rod screws out. A later CT of mine (see attachment) has stainless steel screws throughout which was fortunate as that clarinet was a right mess when I bought it, having previously been kept in damp conditions and I'm glad it could be transformed to the beauty it is now.
I've had several Selmer CTs over time since the late '80s and they are by far my favourite clarinet - some I deeply regret selling, but the buyers were insistent and I very reluctantly gave in. They're excellent clarinets and have a devoted following and while mostly favoured by Jazz and big band players, they are perfectly suited to any style of playing. My clarinet teacher was a Buffet player, yet he admired how easily the altissimo register pops out on these old large bore Selmers. Attached is a photo of my favourite Selmer CT which is a 1958 full Boehm which I completely rebuilt and had all the unplated nickel silver keys and fittings all silver plated by the company that does silver plating for Buffet.
Selmer only made the one model clarinet at that time which is a professional level clarinet and it wasn't until the early '60s when they offered more than the one pro model which was the Series 9 and Series 9* (with a much smaller bore than the CT and Seires 9), both of which replaced the CT. Then the Series 10 and 10G (with even smaller bores), then more and more different models after that - the Selmer Recital from the '80s onwards being a unique clarinet having very wide diameter (and perfectly cylindrical) joints and by contrast, a very narrow bore by modern standards. Selmer then began making intermediate level clarinets in the '90s with the Prologue which was in direct competition with the Buffet E13, Yamaha YCL-64 and either the Leblanc Esprit or Sonata (I forget which, although they're both perfectly decent clarinets).
Read up more about them here:
https://www.woodwindforum.com/clarinetperfection/selmer-paris/#CT
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2022-09-22 16:46)
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Author: Griffsdad
Date: 2022-09-22 17:37
Thanks so much Chris, that’s so interesting! I know this hasn’t been touched for close to 60 years and always wondered about its history. Can I ask what you’d guesstimate a restoration to cost?
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2022-09-22 19:40
I don't know what the prices would be in your area, but I'd only recommend having it fully restored by the most reputable repairer and clarinet specialist who will do it justice. At a rough guess it'll probably be a minimum of around $600 for a full restoration done by a US based woodwind specialist and I'm sure there are many on here who will recommend their favourites.
As far as insurance/replacement value goes, it should be insured for around $4500-$5000, although the actual purchase price will only be a fraction of that. I sold one recently for £800 (which I think is around the $900-$1000 mark) but that also had some crack repairs done to it so would've sold for a much higher price if it didn't have any cracks.
Even so, cracks shouldn't impact on the integrity of the instrument if they've been repaired successfully - most Selmer CTs that cracked early on and had the top joints replaced by Selmer themselves had a * stamped above the serial number on the replacement joint. Then there are some with ** meaning they were on their third top joint.
To be honest, it's much better to repair a cracked top joint than to replace it with a brand new one as the new joint will need to be played in like a brand new clarinet and there's also the risk it can crack again as well as it may not play like the original joint which was why the instrument was chosen on the basis of how the player liked that particular one out of a selection.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2022-09-25 18:09
Bumpy bumpy bumpy.
Any others care to chime in?
Or is this a Buffet only group?
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: kilo
Date: 2022-09-25 23:06
My '50s Centered Tone, with its "alligator" case, was stolen in 1970. I "replaced" it with a Series 10 – which never gave me much satisfaction. I bought a Greenline R13 in 2006 which has given me even less satisfaction. I'd buy a good CT in a heartbeat. Luckily I have a Model 30 bass that provides the sort of tone and response that was missing in the two sopranos.
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Author: Griffsdad
Date: 2022-09-28 23:53
I’d love for this to go to someone who appreciates it and will play it! If you’re interested please let me know and we can discuss. No one I know plays, and I’ve not got time to try and learn now.
Thanks,
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Author: Reese Oller
Date: 2022-09-29 01:22
Well, I've needed a new clarinet for years. It depends on the price, though. I am a junior in high school, so I don't have any money. Given time, I would! Is it urgent that you sell it or would you hold it for a few months? Or are you planning to give it away?
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