Selmer Contrabass Sax

[pete]

Linky.

CONTRA BASS SAX SELMER ENGRAVED PROFESSIONAL LAC. £26,869.57 inc VAT

Discuss.

[SOTSDO]

...there is a potential buyer...

[Old Dick]

Rats!!! It's listed as 'out of stock' - oh well, just my luck...

[Groovekiller]

I'll give you 8 to 5 that it's really a Bb bass. Would you send thity grand to a dealer that doesn't know what is in that big sax case over there?

[pete]

Yesterday, I was playing with Helen's blog and someone was mentioning that a Selmer S80 II bass was on eBay. It sold for around $7500. I then checked out usahorn.com for the price on a new S80II and it was around $16K, IIRC (Helen's blog is down, ATM, so I can't verify what I wrote).

Today, I did more Googling and found a couple websites selling S80II basses for around $22K and retailing around $29K. However, £26,869.57 is $43K US. That's a significant difference in price. 'Course, someone might not listed the right currency ....

So, first, you see that there's major depreciation for the S80II bass. Second, I have heard some rumors of a Selmer contra. Hey, I found the Selmer pink gold horns, so I have a good track record .

[Groovekiller]

I'd like to see Selmer make a contrabass, but I would think if they did it would be well advertised.

[kevgermany]

Vapourware. Well, it's my take, anyway. Best they could do is stencil one from Benedikt Epplesheim..

[pete]

I remember seeing a Selmer poster-sized chart of the various saxophones. It had an Orsi contra on it and no Soprillo. Could pre-dated Eppelsheim, tho.

... if they did it would be well advertised ..

Selmer's got some odd advertising stances:

* For years they denied making curved sopranos
* For years they denied making a Modele 28
* For years they denied making a Mark VII anything other than alto and tenor
* Remember that the popular rumor was that there were only 200 Mark VI low A altos. I've probably seen at least 200 and I'm not trying hard.
* I had to hunt *hard* to find the Pink Gold and sterling silver Selmers
* Selmer.fr is a wonderful resource, but a lot of their horns are either not listed or the links are 404'd

I'd suggest that maybe Selmer did have a custom-made horn (note I'm not saying Selmer made it) and sold just that one at the price listed and the seller thought, "Must be a new model! Let me list their selling price on my website ...."

I'd contact the seller, but it's more fun to speculate .

Anyhow, I do know that Selmer's always been a, "If you want it and you have enough cash, we can make it," company. Hey, Jimmy Dorsey model, anyone? G# trill and forked Eb on a Mark VI? No problem!