 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Jean1985
Date: 2019-10-09 22:45
Hi guys! I'm new here and hoping someone can help. Was cleaning out my dad's garage and I found what I believe to be a selmer 9* from when he played in HS in the 70's. It needs extensive work to bring it back up to par and I was wondering if anyone could tell me what the cost of that is and if its worth it. There are zero cracks. I believe the keys are silver
Post Edited (2019-10-09 22:51)
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2019-10-10 01:52
Maybe $400 to $1300. How good do you want the results? Personally, maybe just get it playing well with Some pad work and just the needed cork on the joints, don't worry too much about polishing the keys, because the horn doesn't resale very well over $1800 maybe in mint condition on a great day, probably includes a nice case and a well known mouthpiece. Players do buy them and it sounds like you didn't play it much. Check Ebay to be sure.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
Post Edited (2019-10-10 10:26)
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2019-10-10 10:40
Sure, I did check eBay, prices for you are all over the place. $1800 seems a bit high but if the case and the mouthpiece are in really nice condition you may get lucky because the horn doesn't have too much use. Also silver plating adds a few dollars, but not that much. $1200 to $1400 seems like the price to sell. I don't think I'd put too much into repairs. Do the least you can get away with to make it playable and sell it, unless you want to play again. Then it becomes a different project. It's still classified as a good pro horn so it might be worth making it last for maybe 5 years before the next service. Spend $600 or a shade more to get all new pads, maybe have a few tone holes tuned if the repair person is willing.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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Author: Jean1985
Date: 2019-10-10 18:58
You are SO kind to do all of that! Unfortunately the case is completley shot, I had it looked at at a local music store and they were not willing to buy it, saying it would take a lot of money to get it to playable condition. The years of it sitting untouched in a garage has not been kind to it. They said that to the right buyer who was willing to put the work into it it may be worth it but I was going to be hard pressed to find anyone interested unless it was for a collector or someone of that sort.its just a shame because it's a beautiful instrument
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2019-10-10 20:04
I've restored a few 9's and 9*'s. Generally the quality of the wood and the general fit and finish are excellent. As long as there are no major problems and no excessive wear they restore beautifully. That being said, and I can only speak about the Australian market here, I would expect to pay around $A1000-1200 (about $US 700-815) for a good one in playable condition. I have bought them for much less and I've seen them advertised for much more. They tend to not sell at the higher price. I'm currently restoring a somewhat worn 9 full boehm that I bought at a yard sale for $30.
Tony F.
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Author: Jean1985
Date: 2019-10-10 20:12
Good to know! $30, that's such a steal! It's funny how people will let things go just for the sake of moving them and not really look into the value of these things
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Author: DougR
Date: 2019-10-11 16:41
My suggestion is to keep watching auction sites for similar horns in your instrument's condition, so you can get a benchmark for what to ask.
I got a Series 9 full-Boehm off of "that" auction site for $800, in not-quite mint condition, that only needed minor tweaks to make it play. (This was an exceedingly lucky purchase price, due to the instrument's basic superb condition, although its case was missing the keratol covering on part of it and looks crappy but works fine).
There is a market for them, though--if you can do the minimum repairs to at least get the thing playable, and be honest about the condition, you should be able to move it; you don't say what's wrong with the case; if it's structurally OK but tatty looking, that's not necessarily bad.
As to what you should ask, keep checking the listings and see what the prices are; after a while you'll know.
PS, don't necessarily take the music store's assessment as applying to your valuation; they have to figure their costs of restoration against what they'd likely get for the instrument, and on a business basis buying your horn at any price wouldn't make sense. You don't need to worry about "store overhead costs" so that's something, anyway.
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Author: Jean1985
Date: 2019-10-14 02:21
Thanks so much for the input! The outside of the case is just a little rough looking but the velvet lining inside looks like it's actually starting to rot away
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2019-10-14 11:55
Relining a case is fairly easy if you're handy with basic DIY. Search here on case restoration.
Tony F.
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Author: DougR
Date: 2019-10-15 03:57
I'm not sure what you mean by "starting to rot away," but unless the case has a pronounced internal odor of some kind (mildew smell, or some sort of generalized off-putting "unclean grunge odor") I wouldn't worry about it. A potential buyer who would WANT a horn like yours would probably want the case it came in too. If there's a troublesome odor, there are ways of dealing with it. You did say, above, "completely shot", but I would maybe keep checking the online ads for similar horns, and check out the conditions of those cases as well, just to establish a benchmark of acceptability. It may or may not be as "shot" as you think right now.
You might also check the mouthpiece. If it's the Selmer mouthpiece that came with the horn, it might have significant (though probably not large) value too. The Series 9 I got had a nice Selmer HS** "table" mouthpiece, which I came to find out was somewhat sought after in its own right.
All this by way of suggesting that it's a respectable instrument that will be (once in playing condition) "of interest" in the market; what you price it for is up to you, but of course (I assume you know this) you start pricing it at more than you expect ever to get, and negotiate downward.
Good luck!
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