 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: SVClarinet09
Date: 2005-12-06 23:30
Is the Selmer Signet 100 a good clarinet? someone in my band class has one and they say that its a good clarinet but honestly i cant trust the person because they really don't know how to play. Lately I've been leaning over to getting a Leblanc Normandy 4 but since i started I've always preffered selmer even though today i absolutely noticed the horrible tuning issues my clairnet has. any suggestions on how to fix my tuning problems? my setup is a yamaha 4c with vandoren 4 reeds
Post Edited (2005-12-06 23:34)
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Author: bass9396
Date: 2005-12-06 23:44
Experimentation with your reed motuhpiece and ligature. It's pretty surprising to figure out how much the ligature affects what you're doing when you're playing your songs.
You may want to mess around with some other mouthpieces too.....some people will even ship you a couple and let you try them and send back the ones you don't want to buy.
However, definitely your horn could cause some of your problems as well. Were I you, I'd get with my director or teacher and let them guide me in the best course of action between reeds, mouthpieces, and horns. Sometimes a person who hears you play often can pinpoint your issues pretty quickly and lead you in the right the direction.
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Author: Bnewbs
Date: 2005-12-06 23:50
If you have $700-$800 a good used selmer pro horn (CT, 9, 9*, 10, 10S, 10G) would be my best recommendation. They will all be MUCH better than a signet, cl200 ect. in just about every way. Tuning on a student instrument is not going to be as good as a intermediate or pro instrument. Also a yamaha 4c is not a good mouthpiece, try Vandoren M13, M13 lyre and M15 for a good moderately priced mouthpiece. That will help more thab anything. All work very well with VD #4 reeds. If the tuning problem is you and not the clarinets, then get a tuner and use it every time you play and work on your emboucher.
Ben
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Author: bass9396
Date: 2005-12-06 23:58
Ben, thanks for reminding me. Charlesfail.com
He always has great stuff. And reasonably priced.
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Author: kenabbott
Date: 2005-12-07 13:06
I collect clarinets and saxes and when it came time to get my daughter her first clarinet, I did not hesitate to get a Signet 100. I think of it as a wooden Bundy. I had Jimmy Yan tweak it and it has worked out fine. For a beginner it would be OK.
For an intermediate player, I agree with Bnewbs. The older Selmer pro horns are a steal. I have a 9, a 10g, a CT, a Brevet and a BT and I love them all.
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Author: Gandalfe
Date: 2005-12-07 17:25
My wife played a Selmer Signet throughout high school. She was first chair on and off in her music career. After a 30 year break I decided to get her excited about music again. So I bought her a pristine Leblanc Paris clarinet. She asked me why she shouldn't continue to use her Signet.
So I had her play the full range of each instrument to a tuner. That was all she needed to be convinced to move to the professional instrument. The Leblanc was spot on from top to bottom. The Signet was all over the place. I'd recommend you try a couple different instruments using a tuner.
Jim and Suzy
Pacifica Big Band
Seattle, Washington
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Author: Tony Beck
Date: 2005-12-07 23:09
Since it's a Signet, is it safe to assume we are talking about a used instrument (as opposed to new/old stock for instance)? If that's the case, the price ought to be reasonable. If the price is right, play it and see what you think. If you like it then by all means pick it up. A Signet can get you through high school unless you're hot and going for the first couple chairs.
I played a Signet Special through high school and my sister picked it up from it from me when she got to high school. It is now close to 35 years old and my daughter plays it. It is a well made instrument with very good wood. It plays easily and it's not hard to get a nice sound. However, it does have tuning problems. One feature that makes progress a little hard when you get past lever 3 music is that some of the key throws are long. Good for learning, but not so good for trills and fast passages.
The key work and intonation can be improved, but if you have to do that right away, you'd be better off going for an older professional instrument, as bnewbs suggests.
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