The Clarinet BBoard

The Clarinet BBoard The C4 standard

New Topic | Go to Top | Go to Topic | Search | Help/Rules | Smileys/Notes | Log In

Newer Topic | Older Topic

Selmer bass clarinets S/N and production years

Author: m1964
Date: 2025-06-25 10:42

Hello,
I am thinking of buying a bass clarinet.
If looking for a used Selmer on eBay, I'd like to have a general idea how old the instrument is.
Sellers usuaaly have the S/N in the description but not necessarily know the production year.

Are Selmer bass clarinets numbered the same way as soprano clarinets?
If yes, then I can figure out the production year.

Thanks for your help.

Reply To Message

Re: Selmer bass clarinets S/N and production years

Author: ebonite
Date: 2025-06-25 12:54

They usually start with a letter of the alphabet, followed by a 4-figure number.
I am not sure about how the letters map onto dates, but I know that they cycle through the letters of the alphabet, and at one point they started again at A after reaching Z. My Selmer bass clarinet, D45** was manufactured in September 1986. I think this was on the second cycle through the alphabet.

Patrick

Reply To Message

Re: Selmer bass clarinets S/N and production years

Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-06-25 16:49

The letter prefix is the biggest clue as to the age and that follows the same format as their sopranos. If you do happen to see two different era P series basses that look very different from one another, it's going to be very clear which one is from the 1950s and which is the more modern one of the two.

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.

Reply To Message

Re: Selmer bass clarinets S/N and production years

Author: m1964
Date: 2025-06-26 22:06

Chris,
Thank you very much!

Regarding the difference between two basses with the same letter prefix, I may not be able to tell since I have no experience with low clarinets.

Reply To Message

Avail. Forums | Threaded View

Newer Topic | Older Topic

The Clarinet Pages

For Sale
Put your ads for items you'd like to sell here. Free! Please, no more than two at a time - ads removed after two weeks.