The Newest Selmer Model

[pete]

I've gotta admit that I've never thought of this one: Henri the V1.

I see your Mark IV and raise you a V1. [Tortured joke about V1 and more bang for the buck deleted.]

OK, my first comment is that if you're selling a Martin Committee (i.e. "The Martin" and/or "Committee 3"), there is no reason to have to mention "Selmer" at all: the Committee's a nice horn without havening to make comparisons to Selmer's horns. Second, if you do all this horn customization, I think you should of heard of "Mark VI" at least once in your life. Combining the two together = I'm not going to buy your horn. Makes me wonder how good an overhaul you've done.

It is pretty, I'll grant.

 

[Helen]

I personally like the finish, but then I like color... Anyone who's ever looked at my website might have figured that out already.... ;-)

Having said that, I wouldn't mess with the finish of one of my horns to paint it a pretty color(s). If I needed to have have it refinished--because the lacquer was flaking off and I couldn't stand to look at it, or whatever--I'd simply have it delacquered. Needless to say I'd have the delacquering done without buffing. Perhaps I might have the body brushed, like Gerhard Keilwerth used to do, with the keys hand-polished, but that would be the extent of my refinishing. In an extreme case, I could see myself getting a horn either silver or gold plated, but it would have to be an extraordinary situation.

Why wouldn't I finish a horn in pretty colours? Well, for a number of reasons. The first being, as the seller mentions, any scratches will be easy to see. My horns tend to get bumped on stage--by me--with all the gear we have packed into a small stage. (My VI has a couple dings in the bell where it's had run ins well mics on stage.) Scratches are inevitable. Secondly, and I know this will be hotly disagreed with by some, but I'm not sure that applying a couple of coats enamel paint on a horn before applying the lacquer, doesn't change the tonal qualities of a horn. The only way to find out how it would affect a particular horn is to do it and see. Record a pre and then a post paint job session with the horn and compare the 2, keeping all other variables (pads, resos, key heights, mouthpiece, reed, etc.) the same. I'm not sure that's been done. Or if it has, if the results have ever been published on the web.

I like the Committee III, but if I had the chance to buy 1 that had the original finish, and 1 with a fancy coat of paint, I'd buy the original finish horn every time. I suspect I'm not alone. I believe most vintage horn players feel the same way that I do, which is why the horn didn't sell at that price. Bottom line: as you said Pete, I don't know squat about this guy's overhaul.

 

[SOTSDO]

The whole lacquer debate...

...could be settled for once and for all by taking a Mark VI, 'test playing' it with full objective and subjective "instrumentation", stripping off the lacquer, and then repeating the test under the same conditions. One of you tenor lovers should volunteer for the testing...

 

[Steve]

and he's giving the same treatment to a Superba 1 amongst other horns too.

Talk about a depreciation hit. He should try to sell it as artwork instead of trying to sell it to musicians.

 

[Carl H.]

Somebody take a YAS23 and rhinoline it.

 

[pete]

and he's giving the same treatment to a Superba 1 amongst other horns too.

Talk about a depreciation hit. He should try to sell it as artwork instead of trying to sell it to musicians.

I believe he also mentioned a Super 20. Do you wanna get the tar and feathers or shall I?