 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-04-08 20:28
That's most likely a Balanced Tone and they're lovely players. I've never encountered a dud Selmer from this era or the later Centered Tones and you won't be disappointed with it once it's been fully restored.
Don't skimp on the rebuild regardless what the purchase price is as these are professional level clarinets - the price you bought it for isn't relevant of its quality and should never be a determining factor on how much you're prepared to spend on having it brought back to top playing condition.
If you don't happen to like it, then there's always someone out there who does. These clarinets aren't only for Jazz as Selmer only made the one model clarinet to suit all until the Series 9 and Series 9* counterpart (with a smaller bore and undercut toneholes).
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repair Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Bill
Date: 2025-04-11 21:14
Many N series Selmers didn't have model names. Some were super-early Centered Tones.
Bill Fogle
Ellsworth, Maine
(formerly Washington, DC)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-04-11 23:40
BTs were never marked with any model name - the Model 55 in between the early and late BT had "55" engraved on it (or maybe not). Centered Tones (and Series 9s) didn't always have the model name engraved on them, but they're still easily identifiable by the speaker bush (including its location) and the keywork.
Some late BTs still had a flat spring for the C#/G# key instead of a needle spring and most BTs had a single piece throat A touchpiece and cup arm (late N series BT and CT onwards have a separate throat A touchpiece soldered to the cup arm).
BT had the two part speaker bush with the large diameter threaded and domed outer cup with two dimples in it for removal/refitting (with something like an M13 screw thread) and a push-fit speaker tube in either nickel silver or solid silver. Then the CT had the large hexagonal headed single-piece speaker bush.
Early CTs still had the large diameter screw thread (M13 I think) when the later ones from later P series still had the large hexagonal head but a narrower thread which was carried onto the Series 9/9* (which has the speaker bush located higher up the top joint).
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repair Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2025-04-12 01:25
Quote:
BTs were never marked with any model name
I recall playing one many years ago that belonged to a teacher that had a BT stamped below the logo. Could that have been something that Selmer did in the US after importing?
Post Edited (2025-04-12 01:25)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-04-12 13:57
The late ones from the late 1940s to early '50s weren't stamped besides the logo, but it turns out the early ones were stamped *BT*: https://www.woodwindforum.com/clarinetperfection/selmer-paris/
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repair Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-05-02 20:46
Even though you're a Johnny One Post bot, that's rarely ever the case with vintage clarinets (pun intended).
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repair Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2025-05-02 22:34
Chris P wrote:
> Even though you're a Johnny One Post bot, that's rarely ever
> the case with vintage clarinets (pun intended).
>
Chris, who is the "Johnny One Post bot?"
Karl
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-05-02 22:48
The post must've been deleted - they said something like the mouthpiece and case will determine what vintage the clarinet is when we all know the original mouthpiece and case are often long gone.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repair Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2025-06-03 15:48
Since I originally posted this I have been fascinated reading about the early Selmers. Unfortunately, like with a lot of topics, there is a lot of information online that seems to be more conjecture than fact and it is tough to sort out reality.
It seems that in contrast to today, where the makers have a whole menu of clarinets, in that era Selmer seems to have made a clarinet and the only choices might be whether you wanted a standard or full Boehm or somewhere in between.
From what I can tell, rather than announcing some changes as a new model, there was more of a slow transition over the years with changes to bore, speaker vent, tone holes and key placement. Prior to the Centered Tone which seems to be a more formal model, I usually hear various instruments identified by the letter prefix before the serial number- L series, M series, N series, etc.
Were the designations- Radio Improved, Balanced Tone, 55, actual formal models or were those names that were added after production as a marketing thing?
I would love some thoughts to add to or help clarify some of this information
Post Edited (2025-06-07 20:44)
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Author: Ed
Date: 2025-07-03 05:43
One additional question- for those who may have had experience with the various vintages of Centered Tone clarinets- are there significant playing differences between the P, Q and R series? From what I have read, there are slight changes in the bore, but I don't know if there were significant differences in playing quality, intonation, etc
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-07-03 16:05
Obviously changes are made here and there over the duration of a single model being produced, so early N series CTs and later R series CTs have plenty of visual differences in the keywork and chances are others have been made to tonehole diameters here and there.
The large pad cups on my R series CT are massive compared to other Selmers before and after - normally they're 16mm inside diameter, but these are 17mm inside diameter, so would take 18mm shouldered skin pads if you were to use those things.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repair Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Bill
Date: 2025-07-08 22:57
I own one of each "model" Selmer from Winged Globe to CT. Here is my collection:
Selmer Paris Brevete S.G.D.G. Bb (1914) 274x
Selmer Paris Brevete S.G.D.G. Bb (192?) K152x (unrestored)
Selmer Paris Brevete S.G.D.G. Bb (192?) K279x
Selmer Paris Bb (1931) L29x (yes, three digits)
Selmer Paris Bb (“Radio Improved”) (1932) L256x
Selmer Paris Bb (“Balanced Tone”) (1934) L471x
Selmer Paris A (1939) M164x
Selmer Paris Bb (“55”) (1945) M683x (unrestored)
Selmer Paris Bb (“55”) (1945) M769x
Selmer Paris Bb (1946) M844x
Selmer Paris Bb (1949) N592x
Selmer Paris Bb (“Centered Tone”) (1954) P985x
For me, the vintage Selmers have what I would call a plangent, direct, open tone quality compared with vintage Buffets. Also, these Selmers are more alike to one another than are the Buffets from the same era. If you play a BT Selmer, it will sound pretty much like an M or N series, whereas Buffets separated by just a few hundred serial numbers can be completely different instruments in response and tone quality from one another. Selmer was incredibly consistent until they started trying to break into the R13 market. Mid-century Buffets are wild cards.
My non-clarinetist partner maintains that he can hear the difference when I play Selmer vs. Buffet. "The top notes are shriller" he says of the Selmers, and he is often bizarrely accurate when I ask him to guess what I'm playing. I do not hear this in the Selmers, as I am too enchanted by the remainder of the scale. When using an era-appropriate mouthpiece (e.g., Selmer "table" or "oval"), mid-century Selmers are very in-tune clarinets.
The other day I practiced the Mozart concerto with three different A clarinets: Selmer M 164x, Buffet 2163x, and Buffet 9582x. I liked the sound of the Selmer best, though I had a hell of a time covering the tone holes with my fingers!
Bill Fogle
Ellsworth, Maine
(formerly Washington, DC)
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Author: Ed
Date: 2025-07-09 17:41
“
I own one of each "model" Selmer from Winged Globe to CT.”
That is quite a collection! Thanks for the info!
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Author: super20dan
Date: 2025-07-09 18:38
wow bill tthats an amazing early selmer collection ! i have 2 old selmers in my collection that i love. 1stt is an earlyy k extended bohem and no 2 is a 7 ring BT
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