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I guess that I'm a "Selmer clarinet junkie"......

Mike M

Mike M

My gigging inst is a 10G that my dad bought for me in '77 (which I really like alot).
During Covid I found a 9* at a pawn shop 50 miles away and picked it up (two body-parts and bell) for $300.
It had a fresh repad and plays well.
This past November I noticed another 9* on ebay.... The body parts & bell were original/no cracks while the barrel/mpc were no-name.
Seller wanted $500
I offered $300...and won. I told the seller to keep the case/barrel/mpc.
The inst was playable but I sent it to my local tech to COA (check/oil/adjust).
I asked him to find me a case if he could.
I got it back yesterday ($140.00) tenons are tight, five new pads, polished the keys, etc....the notes "pop"....and...he got me a case....a (retro?) old case from an old Selmer clarinet.

In true 9* form the throat-tones play a bit # compared to my 10G and it sounds a bit brighter.

Did I need another 9*? No. I guess that I just "wanted one"???
 

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Nice score, you did well Mike, very reasonable cost wise and your tech matched you up with a really nice case!
 
Remember, if you ever have too many horns, you can send them to me.

I'll say it again: the market for buying used pro clarinets is really good, ATM. I just don't have any reason to buy one, as my wife's and "my" clarinets are in storage and have been for a few years.
 
On the subject of "used pro clarinets": Within the past 5 yrs. I know of two local clarinetists that purchased brand-new R13's that developed a crack (upper body part) within the first year.
The above are professional players that know how to care for their instruments.

There has been some chatter about grenadilla not being allowed to "season" prior to new clarinet manufacture.
Oboe "top joints" has had cracking issues for years and now it seems that clarinet issues are creeping in....

If I were an up and coming clarinetist looking for a pro horn I'd look for a used/seasoned 10G or R13 from the 70's/80's, specifically one that was used in colder-climates (New England/NY etc.) that has survived humid summers and cold (extremely dry) weather without cracking.

Just because a clarinet is brand-new doesn't necessarily mean that it's better.....IMO...
but
...what do I know...
 
Those are astute observations, Mike. It is kind of funny, but vaguely in my continually aging mind, remember even of discussions of clarinet cracking when I was with active military bands in the 1970's. Seems even then there were concerns about some manufacturers (can't remember which) who were employing "green" grenadilla wood.

Several years ago I acquired 2 wood Boosey and Hawkes Edgware Bb Clarinets of the 1950's for a song off Internet auctions. They exhibit no wood cracking. 1 is in reasonable shape, the other needs some pads replaced and key straightening.

And, as pointed out elsewhere in this forum, one can acquire a quality playable clarinet for several hundred dollars.
 
I'm not sure if I have mentioned it, but I have a 2nd cousin who's a former school band director. He gave me a few things over the years. I think one was a C melody sax. I remember the bass drum, which I then donated. I don't remember who found me the Selmer Centered Tone -- that's the Selmer with a hole in the upper joint tenon -- but I had that given to me, which I then donated because my personal horn was in better shape.
 
Can't count how many instruments I've donated to school programs, family, and friends. Sometimes, if they are in one of my band projects I sell them an instrument at a "pennies to the dollars" discount. Most of those are still in those bands ten or more years later! :)
 
Gandalfe said:
Can't count how many instruments I've donated to school programs, family, and friends. Sometimes, if they are in one of my band projects I sell them an instrument at a "pennies to the dollars" discount. Most of those are still in those bands ten or more years later! :)
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Did you donate a C melody sax, Bass Drum, or Selmer Centered Tone? :)
 
ITT, Gandalfe says that I'm his relative and says that he donates instruments to family and friends. I'm still not seeing anything from UPS or FedEx.

I kid. I did get an EWI from Gandalfe awhile ago (thanks, again!). I wouldn't say no to a bass clarinet, though ...

I remember, specifically, the bass drum because it looked terrible and probably had 50 layers of paint on it. I stripped it and found out it was rosewood. The donate-ee bought new hardware and heads. Total cost was probably about 1/10th of new. The thing I don't know is if it was an orchestral drum that my cousin or other music directors converted into a marching drum or if it was a marching drum that was converted into an orchestral drum then back. Or if there's a difference. Hey, I played woodwinds and electronic instruments. I can't cover all the instrument families.

Just to go a little back on topic, I've never had more than two Bb clarinets at any one time. The only reason that my wife has two is because that SML was too cheap not to pick up. I could see having two instruments as a backup or for playing inside/outside. Maybe have an extra one for a student?
 
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I'm waiting to get a Ref54 Hummingbird "gift" from Gandalfe ... being a fan of hummingbirds since my youth ... and wanting a Ref54 one of these days.

But I used to have about five Selmer Centered Tones. I actually preferred a Series 9. But since I moved on to Buffet mostly.
Earlier instruments used to have their wood time aged and dried.
More recently they went to large drying kilns to dry the wood. then some processing before large pressure vats of linseed oil.
Thus the wood is not as stable anymore. Plus they use as much of the wood as possible. In the old old days they would use the central part of a branch, and scrap the rest. Now they'll make 9 blocks out of a branch. So the wood's grain may be from a corner piece where you are only getting the outside arc of a circle.
 
Steve said:
But I used to have about five Selmer Centered Tones. I actually preferred a Series 9. But since I moved on to Buffet mostly.
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Back in the 1970's, I was issued a wood Buffet. It was used but in good condition. We just got in a new shipment of Buffet pro models. I tried some, was surprised that their intonation wasn't that great. Basically, one would have to send them to a local tech to tune and adjust them. I just stuck with the older one. I was also issued a tenor sax, can't remember the model, but think it was a Mark VI.
Steve said:
Earlier instruments used to have their wood time aged and dried.
Click to expand...
If I were looking for a clarinet, I'd go for an older "pro model" wood one, one that was reasonably low mileage (very little to none key swedging) and new pads.
Steve said:
More recently they went to large drying kilns to dry the wood. then some processing before large pressure vats of linseed oil. hus the wood is not as stable anymore. Plus they use as much of the wood as possible. In the old old days they would use the central part of a branch, and scrap the rest. Now they'll make 9 blocks out of a branch. So the wood's grain may be from a corner piece where you are only getting the outside arc of a circle.
Click to expand...
It sounds like one may end up with one requiring future major work, no thanks.

I have my 2 B&H Edgware's, bought them for a song. When I get a chance, will go over the better one first, maybe replace a few pads and fix cork bumpers, bring it back into being a player. I think this will be the end of my clarinet harvest now, except for an Eb alto clarinet.

Recently I did jump on a used Cecilio Bb Tenor Sax in black nickel by the same major vendor on Amazon for a little over $200, due in a week. Came bundled with all the goodies of their new ones, tuner, reeds, mouthpiece, etc. I know it sounds counterintuitive, (especially since used don't seem to hold their value well).

Will give a report on it. It'll probably be a good busking sax.
 
ghostler said:
Will give a report on it. It'll probably be a good busking sax.
Click to expand...
Here's to hoping it's not just a saxophone-shaped object (SSO).

Steve said:
Earlier instruments used to have their wood time aged and dried.
Click to expand...
I know absolutely nothing about instrument manufacture or repair, other than the kind of obvious, like, "You've got a split in the top joint of your clarinet. That's bad." However, I was told to use bore oil occasionally and I've heard some techs putting wood instruments in oil baths. Can you share a bit more, Steve? I may be thinking the wrong way around or something.

ghostler said:
If I were looking for a clarinet, I'd go for an older "pro model" wood one, one that was reasonably low mileage (very little to none key swedging) and new pads.
Click to expand...
I have to remember that 25 years ago, it was 2000. Random Google:

* Vintage is at least 20 years old, but there's no formal definition.
* Antique is 100 years or more.
* Ancient should refer to 1000+ years old. Clarinets date back to 1700ish, so they have a few more years to go :D.
* Dirt is 450 million years old.
* Me.

Anyway, just knowing I can get a nice used Yamaha YCL-82 have a very thorough rebuild and have the price come out to less than a student Yamaha is very mouth watering.

The cheapest 9* that sold on ebay was $500.
 
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