 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: thomas
Date: 2000-11-08 08:37
Hello alltogether,
I tried a Selmer Signature and for me it was the very best Boehm clarinet I ever tried. I live in Germany where Boehm clarinets are seldom used. I also have not the impression that in other
countries the Signature is very often used. My question: In Germany I could order the instrument and if I have luck, I can choose between two of them. How is the quality standard, that means: how many instruments must be tried to find a really good one ( more or less than Buffets?). How is the quality after a year (cracks, pads, keys etc?). For German Instruments
I can usually as well choose only among 2 or three Instruments, but they are handmade, high quality standard and you can tell direct the craftsman what you don't like and what should be
changed. Are there Boehm clarinets whith a similar sound colour and concept like the Signature on the market?(a little bit more resistance than usual, is convenient for me as german trained player)
Thanks Thomas
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2000-11-08 11:59
If that is a Selmer Paris Signature watch out for leaks under the low pads. Selmer have made larger diameter tone holes but have not made larger diameter key cups or pads. Therefore the pads are closing very close to the edge of the pads. And the pads are not of very high quality. This combination is very unreliable. I change the pads here for thin hard ones to INCREASE the reliability, but in my view Selmer have really done it lazy here and got things wrong.
Selmer Paris, Buffet, and Yamaha are the most common professional instruments in New Zealand. If you like wide bore you may like to consider Peter Eaton sold direct from the maker in England. It has evolved from a respected older model called Boosey & Hawkes 10-10. Some top players here are very enthusiastic.
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Author: mark weinstein
Date: 2000-11-08 15:13
The Selmer Signature has been well received by many professional clarinet performers & designers alike. I own one. I think its lovely. Its a premium instrument and it has a special sound & feel. I think that you could probably have one tuned at extra expense, but few clarinets in the U.S. go thru a process of voicing/tuning every single note.
Most pro's make adjustments for tuning through their setup & approach to playing specific notes & via resonance fingerings. When I think of hand-made clarinets today, I think of instruments made by Rossi, Chadash, etc. However, they are beyond the means of most clarinetists, as they are expensive in comparison to other professional horns. In the U.S., it is possible to try literally 30-50 clarinets at a particular store, in search of that one which has better intonation, pitch, etc. Of course, few people go to that effort. Unfortunately, the majority try a horn, maybe two, & buy one, not being informed about the selection process & thinking each one is like a Sony TV ("how could I go wrong"). NOT.
Good luck.
mw
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2000-11-08 16:09
Thomas -
I've played 6 or 7 Selmer Signatures and found them to be very consistent. They are machine-made, but I think they receive hand finishing work.
I prefer the way my customized Buffet plays, so I haven't taken a bunch of Signatures into a quiet room and made detailed comparisons, as I would if I were going to buy one. For myself, I would want to try more than 2 or 3 before buying. Perhaps you could go to the Selmer factory.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: gRAHAM gOLDEN
Date: 2000-11-08 22:11
Hi,
MY experience with Selmer is they are very consistent in quality. It would be best to try as many as possible but if you cant you would get a good horn. I am sure there are lots of horns out there that play like a German clarinet. I know Yamaha makes one. I have found that amati instruments have a germane type sound. They really just make a body and drill the tone holes and add the appropriate keys. So the Boehm system clarinets are very similar to the German models.
mark Weinstein,
Where can you find 30-50 clarinets in one store???
Here in New Mexico you are lucky if you can find 2 new wood clarinets in one town.
Graham
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Author: gRAHAM gOLDEN
Date: 2000-11-08 23:22
Hi,
Selmer advertises their small pad cups.
"Smaller cups and pads on the upper joint reduce weight and create a streamlined appearance." Copied from www.selmer.com
That is a "signature" feature of the signature.
Graham
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Author: mark weinstein
Date: 2000-11-09 00:27
Graham, OTTOMH, you could go to:
Brook Mayes, Denton, TX
Weiner Music, LI, NY
WW&BW, South bend, IN
IMS, Des Plaines, IL (nw of Chicago, near airport)
Muncy Winds, NC
RDG Winds, LA, CA
They all have ***bunches*** of Clarinets. However, when I spoke of the 30-50 I was actually thinking of Buffet R-13's, not Selmer, Yamaha or Leblanc.
mw
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2000-11-10 12:38
Graham, every new model has this sort of meaningless rave attached to it. It is called marketing and is aimed at the gullible. It seems that every maker's new model of instrument has some keys repositioned in a more comfortable place. REALLY!!! I reckon the changes go around in circles.
I was referring to the low keys, especially F/C and E/B which have enough seating problems on normal clarinets without adding to them. If 1 gram or so is so important then these cups should have been made from thinner metal rather than making them too small in diameter.
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Author: gRAHAM gOLDEN
Date: 2000-11-10 23:03
Gordon,
I know you were referring to the lower keys. Personally I cant even tell the difference between the pad cup size of the signature and of the 10G in the same catalog. I know things like that are advertisement. I don't think a pad cup a few 10ths of a millimeter smaller would really make any difference. I just thought it was interesting that they supposing made the pad cups ( on the top joint) smaller. It is just advertising. I am sure they didn't do that on purpose but needed an excuse.
Graham
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Author: jbutler
Date: 2000-11-12 12:57
Selmer has ALWAYS made their tone holes and pad cups with the afore mentioned problem, ie, large tone holes and small pad cups. They are great instruments, but are a problem to keep leaking. I use cork pads on them, except for the lowest four that Gordon mentions. Yes, they are a technicians nightmare. Three of four Selmers have to have the key arms tweaked in order to get them to seal properly (rough estimate through personal experience). However, even with that flaw I still play them and enjoy working on them! I am very partial to the older vintage Selmer clarinets. All of mine were made before 1954. My "newest" one is a Selmer Centered Tone made in 1953.
Have you tried the new Yamaha Custome SEV (or is it SVE?) I think it is a very nice instrument.
John
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