 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bill
Date: 2008-01-03 21:21
It's not too hard to figure out what Selmer had in mind when they labeled an instrument "Balanced Tone." But I can't figure out what "Radio Improved" might mean. YES! I do realize it was senseless marketing hype. But do any old timers know what might Selmer might have been trying to say with that label??
L256x just arrived today, and so it's on my mind.
Thanks.
Bill Fogle
Ellsworth, Maine
(formerly Washington, DC)
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Author: LonDear
Date: 2008-01-03 21:32
Fred's link is the best that I could find after google and wikipedia searches. I had a Selmer "Cigar Cutter" alto sax that I always wondered about why it had that name. It was quite a nice horn from a pawn shop, and went for big bucks when I had to sell it about 23 years ago.
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Author: Bill
Date: 2008-01-03 21:54
Thnks Fred!
I get the importance of the radio then, but... "improved"? Makes me think the clarinet somehow was tuned (in an "improved" way) to radio broadcasts or frequencies.
A Fibber Magee concert A? A Lone Ranger open G?
Bill Fogle
Ellsworth, Maine
(formerly Washington, DC)
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Author: Fred
Date: 2008-01-04 00:34
The Cigar Cutter nickname had to do with the shape of octave mechanism. More info and pics here:
http://www.saxpics.com/selmer/sss.htm
BTW, if you peruse the site listed above and see the marvelous documentation that exists for saxes through the ages, it will make you jealous that something similar does not exist for clarinets. Pete Hales is to be greatly commended for putting Saxpics together.
Post Edited (2008-01-04 00:43)
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2008-01-04 02:01
My TKS also for all of that interesting info. My R I [1932] is a Full Boehm, my previous Sel F B , a 1920's model [given to NMM Vermillion], to me, was a better player, but less well in tune, but had much the same key work. The major diff the RI has is a metal liner for the barrel which externds into the UJ, prob. to avoid a "barrel step" when tuned lower, IMHO?. Any other explanations will be appreciated. I began to play cl and alto sax in the early 30's and experimented in early "home-garage" type crystal and vacuum tube equipment, so heard a lot of early "DJ" stuff. At that time I planned to study elect. engr. at Mich State College, but took chemistry/physics and fell in love with chem engr, still believe it was a good career choice. I heard [1935+] a number of the early bands BG, AS, GM !! live broadcasts via WJR Detroit, WGN Chicago and others. AH, them good ole dayze. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: jmsa
Date: 2008-01-04 03:55
Buffet had a professional model bass and alto clarinet in the 1950's which they named the Radio Model that was designed specifically for the French Radio Orchestra.
jmsa
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2008-01-04 16:35
I have a nice 1920s Holton "Rudy Wiedoeft" model alto sax which, I've learned, had nothing to do with Mr. Wiedoeft (who was apparently quite the virtuoso player back then). From what I've read he neither played nor endorsed the instrument, and when (in the late 20's) Holton finally decided to pay him some money for using his name, the Great Depression happened and Holton could not afford to pay.
Off-topic mostly, but the point is that the model name given an instrument may have little or nothing to do with the instrument, other than marketing.
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