 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Susan
Date: 2001-07-15 17:47
Hi there,
I have an old selmer with serial # L3175 which dates it to the 30s. Beneath the Henri Selmer Paris logo on the upper joint there are two stars and between them are two letters of which appear possibly to be RI or something similar. The stars are there, but the letters are pretty faded. Does anyone know what this line stands for?
Thanks,
Susan
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Author: jbutler
Date: 2001-07-15 18:02
"Radio Improved". One of Selmer's marketing strategies for the US market. Preceeds the Balanced Tone, but I can't tell any difference between them. Used ones in good shape (newer pads etc.) sell anywhere between $450 and $900 depending on the market and how much time you have to wait for someone to pay the upper $ amount. A more realistic price is $500-600 IMHO.
John
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2001-07-16 14:20
I have a Selmer R I , no stars tho, L 1806, Full Boehm 20/7, which a pawn-shop friend let me have for $150, [a good buy?, J B?]. While it has a few problems, it may need your help, its still a good player, but I prefer my even-older Sel FB [no distinguishable ser #, believe its back in the '20's!!] for the poor to impossible fingerings for a 17/6. Sel made good ones back in the dark ages! [ and still do] . Don
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Author: Douglas
Date: 2001-07-17 13:46
Some interesting information on Selmer clarinets of that era: When the movie, the Benny Goodman story was about to go into production and Goodman was to do the clarinet playing for the sound track, he tried to locate his old Selmer used during his early dance band career. He placed an ad in the old Clarinet Magazine published by James Collis which was a forerunner of the present Clarinet Magazine. In the ad, Goodman listed his Selmer's serial number: L3682. This is a very interesting bit of clarinet history, in that we know what type of clarinet Goodman used in what is probably his most famous and sucessful time period. The Selmer being asked about in this enquiry is, of course, very close to the serial number of Goodman's clarinet. Goodman never did locate his old Selmer.
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Author: mw
Date: 2001-07-17 16:20
I thought (perhaps mistakenly) that Serial # L3682 was a "BT", not the Radio Improved Model. Very interesting. YES, anything closer to "3682" makes us dream that much more. Best, mw
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Author: jbutler
Date: 2001-07-17 23:16
FWIW my wife's BT is L3617 and mine is L4539. My BT A is L6080. I guess my wife gets the nod since her's in only 65 from Benny's-- if the legend is correct.
John
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Author: mw
Date: 2001-07-18 00:32
Very confusing how Selmer, Paris handled all this. I know, for example, that the "P Series" included (BOTH) "Selmer, Paris" as well as the "Centered Tone" series of clarinets. The "Centered Tone" was a North American aberration, created for the sake of Post-WW2 marketing. I am starting to think (unless someone can point out differently) that "Selmer, Paris", "BT" & "RI" we intermingled somewhat. The "RI" was a stamp, so was the "BT". I have found where some "N Series" were stamped "BT" and others very close in serial number were not stamped and merely said, again, "Selmer, Paris".
Perhaps someone can shed light on this stamping/naming conventions for Selmer soprano clarinets. Here maybe "BT" started at 3501, and "RI" ended at 3499 or 3500. (that still doesn't explain the "N series", unless "RI" & "BT" (as the "Centered Tone") were merely "figments of advertising imagination" created solely (again) fort North America or venues outside of Europe.
Interesting history,
mw
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