Selmer Reference 36 - Instant Classic

[Ed]

I've ridden Selmer pretty hard over the years for their failed attempts at re-creating the mark VI. But I have to give them props for getting it right with the Reference 36. A 36 doesn't remind me of a Balanced Action in very many ways but if you take it as a brand new horn from Selmer you begin to see that it stands alone as a great design. The 36 has a killer tone that is wide and interesting. The 54 tenors tend to be more compact and let's face it - ugly looking. The Reference 36 is beautiful to look at and delivers the best tone of any of the modern tenors I have played. I recently tracked down a Flamingo to try out after reading great things about it and I have to fully agree that it may be the best modern tenor I have played. Only time will tell if the Reference 36 is a revered as a Balanced Action, Super Balanced Action or a Mark VI but of the modern tenors there are few that are as good as it.

 

[pete]

The reason why Selmer failed: they were trying to recreate the VI. They shoulda tried to recreate the BA!

IMO, the Mark 7 wasn't a "recreation" of the VI, nor were the S80 Serie horns. You also have to remember that the Mark 7 was pretty darn popular when it came out and a lot of people started preferring it over the VI. It's different. It's darker. It's got a different feel, but it has some Selmer soul.

I've played a 7 tenor that could beat up a lot of VIs.

The S80 serie, I think, was designed to compete more with the Yamaha horns -- which have a reputation for brightness. I like some of the keywork and octave mech ideas in the S80s, but I don't particularly care for those horns. However, there's no denying that Selmer's sold a LOT of 'em, so someone must be really impressed with them.

 

[Ed]

I've owned a Mark VI tenor and a Mark VII tenor. I prefer my VI as it just feels right and it's a great horn. The VII had a really interesting vibe to it but I couldn't get around the table keys fast enough. In fact I could get around my Buescher 400 TH&C table keys faster than the VII's.

The 36 reminds me in some ways of the VII I had. Like the VII it is a bit more "in your face".

The SA 80's seem to vary. I have an alto that I am waiting to get back from my tech that showed great promise. I haven't played enough SA 80 serie I tenors to draw any conclusions. Generally speaking I think that Selmer makes really nice tenors. The only other company that I think makes great modern tenors is Keilwerth.

 

[J.Max]

The Serie II horns are pretty much the default classical horn these days, unless you are a Rascher player or study with someone affiliated with Eugene Rousseau (or Dr. Rousseau himself. This is why I prefer Yamahas, but generally recommend Selmers to students.) I don't think that they took off in the jazz/commercial world in quite the same way...they don't dominate in the way that the VI did. I'm not sure that it's really possible to have that kind of monopolistic market share anymore with the variety of different instruments out there anymore.

 

[Ed]

Interestingly enough James Houlik plays a Serie III although played a Serie II for a number of years before switching.

 

[J.Max]

Interestingly enough James Houlik plays a Serie III although played a Serie II for a number of years before switching.

Yeah, he's one of the exceptions, and I'll think you'll see more people switching as time goes on. Classical players are notorious for not switching their equipment once they get used to something and so they aren't just going to change because Selmer has a new one.

Houlik has changed several times that I know of; the first horn that I saw him use was a Couf Superba, then the Serie II, and now the Serie III. (I'm sure that he used a Buescher at one point also, and even a VI at one point.) He's also had a modification made to solve the low C gurgling problem - it involves neoprene over one of the tone holes, but I can't remember which one. He's often an exception to rules involving classical players anyway!