 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bill
Date: 2006-01-08 22:27
I've just had my second vintage Selmer (a P series) arrive supplied with a very short barrel (<64 mm). It appears original. My L series also came with just such a short barrel (I have to use a 66-mm from another Selmer). These clarinets need 66-mm barrels. Does anyone know why they were often supplied with hsort ones? As an extra "tuning" barrel I suppose?
Bill.
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Author: ghuba
Date: 2006-01-08 23:46
Is your barrel marked "-2 MM" or "2 MM S?" An early 1950s Selmer I own (a CT-based Omega, series Q) has three barrels with the set including barrels marked 2 MM S, 2 MM L, and a STD recommended barrel.
I do not know whether the three barrel set was standard package with many of these instruments or might have been an option. I have also seen Selmers of this era with barrels marked "short" and "long."
I suspect that these shorter barrels were included with the instrument but not necessarily used much (and hence have not cracked). It appears that many of the older Selmer barrels that show up in online auctions by themselves coming from older Selmer clarinets from the 30s--50s seem to be these shorter (perhaps secondary) barrels. I conjecture that perhaps restorers are "matching" these separately acquired shorter barrels to older clarinets that have cracked (correct length) barrels in order to be able to auction a clarinet "that has no cracks."
George
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-01-09 01:40
My Centered Tone pair came to me with three barrels - two 67mm and one 63mm, I shortened one of them to 65mm so there was one of each, but intomnation wise it played best with the 67mm pulled out a bit.
I wish I didn't shorten it as it seems 67mm CT barrels are rare - another CT I boought off eBay has a shortened barrel, and a bad job whoever did it.
I had a later P series CT which I bought from the owner who bought it new himself, and that had a 67mm barrel and original HS* mouthpiece (as well as the original Selmer London case and box of Vandorens from the same era).
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Author: Bill
Date: 2006-01-09 02:36
The barrel is indeed marked "6 mm. S"
Ghuba - interesting conjecture(s) about the barrels! It sounds right. Thanks!
Bill.
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Author: ghuba
Date: 2006-01-09 08:23
I have talked to several high end, after market sellers of after-market barrels about creating some custom barrels for older Selmer big-bore clarinets (BT, CT, K, L, M, N, etc.). The consensus seems to be that each horn will need to be custom fitted as the tenon sizes on 60+ year old tenons will be some what idiosyncratic both due to manufacturing issues then and changes in the wood after this amount of time. I am planning on having a couple of these older horns I own fit with such barrels in the hopes of improving their tuning.
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Author: ghuba
Date: 2006-01-09 08:27
My conjecture about restorers fitting "unused" period short barrels to these older Selmers to replace cracked standard length barrels is also supported by the fact that on the big Internet auction site, old Selmer barrels (of any length) are sold for what seems to be prices that are too high given the cost of whole clarinets of the same era. I think that this must be because of the attempt to matched Selmer clarinet barrels to Selmer clarinets of the same age in order to have "whole uncracked" clarinets, thus making the uncracked barrels -- even if "too short" -- relatively valuable compared to the whole clarinet.
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Author: saxlite
Date: 2006-01-09 12:39
ghuba: I am also in search of standard length barrels for my CTs- could you let me know (separate email, if you like) who you have spoken to regarding making them?
saxlite@comcast.net
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Author: Bill
Date: 2006-01-09 19:04
I have L, M, N, and P series Selmers. On all but the "N" (which has it's very oen barrel) I use the same 66-mm barrel from the M series instrument.
Good luck with the customization. I do not think it would be difficult, and a little tape can always make things fit together better (my barrels have newspaper beneath the rings, tape in the sockets, you name it).
Finding a mouthpiece for these old pipes is as hard or harder, IMO. I mean, you can use the old Selmer mpcs (I do), but other than them it's hard to find a mpc with an exit bore that matches the entry bore of the Selmer barrel. I realize some (many?) players do not worry about this match - I find it critical.
Cheers,
Bill.
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