 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2012-11-16 00:03
I've been going through my drawer full of mouthpieces and came across a pair of older Selmer Paris mouthpieces.
I have one mouthpiece where the facing is engraved on the table inside an oval (an HS**) that I think is from the 1950's. I also have another where the word "table" is actually engraved on the mouthpiece table along with the facing name (B* in this case). I'm pretty sure this one is fairly early since the Selmer logo is lower down on the mouthpiece just above the tenon.
Sadly neither of the facings is in very good shape so they are really only candidates for refacing at this point. Can anyone speak as to whether these old Selmer mouthpieces are worth getting refaced?
Post Edited (2012-11-16 13:25)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Buster
Date: 2012-11-16 00:37
Yes...
The oval stamps can be exceptional, but can tune a tad sharp.... easily correctable with a slightly longer barrel.
The 'table' stamp likewise can be very good, but usually suffer from tuning issues on modern clarinets. ...many I've played have quite wide 12ths in the left hand and grossly low throat tones. Abberations likely exist that don't suffer these issues and very skilled craftsmen (not me) can work around some matters, but there are limits to what can be done.
But the 'table' stamps may be a good fit for the large-bore clarinets that they were designed for. Having a BT at hand currently but no functional 'table' stamps I can't test that hypothesis; alas.
-Jason
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bill
Date: 2012-11-16 00:42
Some people feel they are among the top vintage mouthpieces available (less for material than for design). The A-frame throat configuration was one endorsed by Ralph Morgan. Both the oval and "table" are very good blanks. And if you play vintage clarinets (especially Selmers) they're the shiz.
Bill Fogle
Ellsworth, Maine
(formerly Washington, DC)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2012-11-16 01:28
Bill wrote:
> And if you play vintage clarinets (especially Selmers) they're the shiz.
>
Nice. I tend to prefer large bore clarinets and currently play a Selmer CT Omega most of the time. I also have a couple other CT's, a K-series, and a Leblanc Dynamique.
Sounds like I may have to look into getting these refaced.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ed
Date: 2012-11-16 01:45
I have played a number of the oval stamp vintage that were excellent. There are a number of people out there who will reface these and do an excellent job. I think the material is quite good. They often require a bit of work to reach their full potential, but they are worth the effort.
You can often find some at
http://www1.webng.com/myclarinet/store.htm
http://www.kurtzweilmusical.com/vintagempc
and read the descriptions to get an idea of what work is done.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2012-11-16 16:14
I have a similar Selmer with HS** in oval on the table.
This was bought new in either 1961 / 1962 so late 50s early 60s seems the period.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bill
Date: 2012-11-16 16:18
If your "table" Selmer has numbers running down the side those are the facing measurements. They stopped that after while.
Bill Fogle
Ellsworth, Maine
(formerly Washington, DC)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2012-11-16 16:27
For a friend, I've been messing around with a Selmer 10B dating from about 1967.
It has a Selmer B* mouthpiece in the case. It has none of the unusual markings mentioned above.
Opposite the table, it has the Selmer logo between the upper and lower ligature band markings. Just below the lower band "B*" is stamped, and below that "Made in France."
Yesterday, a friend who plays a 10B and I spent an hour or so messing with the horn, using his preferred mouthpieces for his 10B and a couple of mine. The B* was pretty horrid. It was overly bright, tended to chirp and generally supported what I recall from trying to get a Selmer HS* under control.
The horn was much happier with other mouthpieces.
Bob Phillips
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2012-11-16 17:00
Bill wrote:
> If your "table" Selmer has numbers running down the side those
> are the facing measurements. They stopped that after while.
>
No numbers on the side of this one. I'm not sure if that makes it an earlier or later model.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Buster
Date: 2012-11-16 18:04
Earlier.
The facing numbers came a bit later into the game.
Correspond to Brand measurements: e.g. 10134= 1.01 mm tip opening with s 34 (17mm) length.
-Jason
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
