 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: haberc
Date: 2007-02-24 22:40
What do you think of the Selmer Signet Soloist? I recently acquired one and really like the sound. Interested in educated opinions. Thanks
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Author: CEC
Date: 2007-02-24 23:13
An excellent instrument! One of the best intermediate clarinets made, IMHO. I liked it a great deal more than the Noblet/Vitos of the era. Sounded great with a Vandoren B45 and Bay MO-M. I still have mine from my high school days (bought it new in 1981). It's still in great shape (looks new, but badly needs a repad - carpet beetle larvae, don'tcha know). [snipped - GBK ]
Cheers,
Chris
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Author: EuGeneSee
Date: 2007-02-25 02:32
I second CEC's opinion on the Soloist. I find it nice and easy to play with the B45 and Taditional Vandys. That's comming from a retread starting over after 4+ decades of no clarinet playing, so I am giving my view from the "early student" level perspective.
Eu
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2007-02-25 13:17
My Signet is a "100", ser. # 22x541, fine wood, no cracks, plays well [somewhat dark], has a diff. "key-feel" from my CT, and Leblanc L7. I'm very glad I "rescued" it from our music store, for a song! It did take quite a few of my retiree hours to tweak it to my liking, well worth it ! Luck, Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Tony Beck
Date: 2007-02-25 17:34
Supposedly, the Signet ranking was 100, Special and Soloist at the top. Rumor has it that the Soloists were assembled in the US with French parts, but I have not seen substantiation of that. All three are very good intermediates. I recently rebuilt a 100, which turned out to be a nice player. My daughter now has the Special I played in the early '70s, in High School. If your Soloist is in good shape, it will last you until you are ready for a pro horn.
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Author: jimk
Date: 2007-02-25 17:54
My backup instrument is a Selmer Signet Soloist, ser #19xxx. My parents bought it for me in late 1969 or early 1970. I still like the tone, which appears to be unaffected by a crack extending the full length and all the way through the bell. I haven't needed a backup instrument for awhile, so I forget where it has intonation issues. It must be well-built. It survived three seasons of football games and Christmas parades until I learned to play other instruments outside, then a couple decades or so later took my daughter from a beginner to being ready for her own step-up instrument (including a couple more seasons of marching band). A couple comments from my local repair tech:
- The bell will not fit in his device for tightening rings. He is unable to tighten the lower ring to his satisfaction.
- The wood in the bell is too thin to allow pinning the crack. We talked about filling it, but decided just to leave it alone.
- The metal in the keys from this period is somewhat unpredictable. He thinks my keys might be chrome plated, which is why the rings are pitted.
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Author: Fred
Date: 2007-02-25 20:08
One of the nicest clarinets I ever played was a Soloist. True . . . that's one example, and one example does not constitute a trend. But it was a jewel. I bought one recently . . . we'll have to see how the new one stacks up.
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Author: susieray
Date: 2007-02-25 23:58
"Rumor has it that the Soloists were assembled in the US with French parts"
Every Signet Soloist I have ever seen has exactly the same keywork as the 100 and the Special, which is nothing at all like the French keys but pretty much the same as the keys on the resonite Selmers. The Soloist does have fancier plating (some are silver plated and others are some kind of very bright shiny chrome-ish looking stuff) and maybe the body is made from a little nicer wood, but otherwise there is not a huge difference between the three models.
Just my observation.
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Author: C2thew
Date: 2007-02-26 00:04
The selmer signet soloist is a great high end intermediate clarinet. I had one and it played extremely easy with good intonation. definitely the best clarinet to jump from a beginning plastic to wood. There are two versions according to the branded series. there is the selmer "elkhart" version with the older logo and the selmer "U.S.A." there's just the slightest of keywork differences, but both play the same. The elkhart versions are older and thus IMO are the better buy. i've owned both.
Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. they are but improved means to an unimproved end, an end which was already but too easy to arrive as railroads lead to Boston to New York
-Walden; Henry Thoreau
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Author: super20dan
Date: 2007-02-26 00:14
i played one for over 20 yrs proffesionaly and no one ever knew it wasnt a pro horn
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