 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: trinity97
Date: 2005-12-17 06:07
I've recently purchased a Selmer London Console clarinet. It has a serial number on it and I wanted to find out how old it was. I've tried the www.selmer.com website but they have only got numbers for saxaphones, so does anybody know where I can get information on how old this Selmer clarinet is? The website has no email address to contact anybody with this query!
thanks,
Jo
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Author: stevensfo
Date: 2005-12-17 06:57
Hi Jo,
I tried to date an old Selmer clarinet and got nowhere!
Mine has "Studente Console Selmer London Foreign #345703"
It's clearly a cheapish instrument, but the strange thing is, the outside is plastic, yet the bore looks like wood.
Steve
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Author: trinity97
Date: 2005-12-17 07:07
Mine has the same markings, but has a serial number of "4360", and the case feels pretty old! Should be nice when it's been overhauled, hasn't been looked after in a long while by the looks of it!
Jo
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Author: stevensfo
Date: 2005-12-17 08:21
Jo,
Is it all plastic?
I believe the markings 'London Foreign' mean that is was made by a subcontracted manufacturer for Selmer. There's quite a lot of information on the web about their old shop in London, but not much about clarinets.
Yes, my case is awful as well. I've actually been using this clarinet just for practising my own repairing/servicing. With a good MP and barrel, it's not too bad, but with the original, it sounds pretty lousy!
Steve
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Author: trinity97
Date: 2005-12-17 08:45
Like yours the inside looks more wooden than the outside. But I can see evidence of grain on the outside, so I'm really not sure what it's made of! There has been a crack in the small barrel which has been filled at one point. I'm investigating local repairers today to see if I can get it back in decent working order (the pads are lousy, it wobbles when you put it together as the corks aren't quite right and the bits of the metal have started to react to something)
From what I've found out Selmer London made their own brand clarinets and also sold the Selmer USA and Paris models. They appear to have been bought by an umbrella company who went bust and taken over again by Norin USA whoever they are!
As the mouthpiece is at the mo I can't get the top of my reed close enough to the mouthpiece to stop it sounding really airy, but I might try with the mouthpiece from my current clarinet when I have them both in the same place!
Jo
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Author: stevensfo
Date: 2005-12-17 09:21
>>but I might try with the mouthpiece from my current clarinet when I have them both in the same place!
That reminds me of something else. The Selmer MP and barrel that came with the clarinet are strange. The joints between them are narrower than normal. This means that although I can use other MP, barrels, I can't use another barrel with the Selmer MP and vice versa. Definitely a case of being 'made for each other'.
I've repadded it myself, but I'm having one hell of a time with the lower rh F pad! Sounds okay in the chalmeau register, but it just squawks and whistles in the clarion.
Steve
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Author: trinity97
Date: 2005-12-17 12:13
Clarinet has been left with local music shop for there repairer to take a look at it, but it probably won't be until after Xmas, which I can cope with! The man there (who was a woodwind player himself) said it was definately all wood, not like yours which you said was wood bore and plastic outer, which has cheered me up! (as I only paid £65 for it on Ebay)
Jo
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Author: stevensfo
Date: 2005-12-17 16:32
Hi Jo,
A wooden Selmer clarinet for 65 pounds? That's great!
I hope they don't rip you off in the music shop. If you do a search on Google, you'll see that there are many places that repair and service clarinets. The prices vary considerably. A full repad and service can cost anything between 60 and 140 pounds.
Keep watching Ebay. There are some amazing bargains out there!
Steve
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2005-12-17 16:56
Some Selmer London clarinets were made by Malerne (the 'Sterling' and 'Gold Seal'), some 'Console' models were Czech, some Italian and some were Chinese (Lark) - these ones were the 'Steel Ebonite' Consoles, but the others were wooden bodied, and sometimes with a plastic barrel and bell.
It depends where they were sourced from.
And some (the Czech ones) even had die cast mazak keys - and best avoided like the plague as replacement keys (or finding ones that fit) are very hard to find as they had longer key arms than normal.
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