A baffling pre-Balanced Tone Selmer

[Windsong]

I bought a nice French-made Selmer for a song at a curiosity shop today--serial: X56xx 

It's my first Selmer, so I have no experience with them, but I have reason to doubt the prevailing serial number lists on-line, because keywork does not jibe with the time it was supposedly manufactured--1972.  I also notice there is no series listed on the instrument (series 9, 10, etc.)

The wood is fantastic, very tight-grained (heavy!) and crack free, and everything is present, aligned and operational, including the lig, MP and cap. 

It does NOT have nickel capped tenons.
It has an original, 1910-1940s era thumbrest, a stamped trill key guide, and only 3 trill posts on the top joint (but 2 posts for the lower joint trills.)

Keywork is nice, but not special or unique.  It's typical, nickel silver.

I have a very hard time believing it was made in 1972.

What do you think?
(Photos forthcoming when possible)

[DaveLeBlanc]

In my opinion there's about a zero percent chance it was manufactured that late. That it doesn't have a "series" number or other model designation also indicates it must be an older model.

I agree with your thumbrest assessment - it's gotta be from the 30s or 40s, no later. Serial number lists are sometimes very suspect. I had a Selmer alto clarinet once that had a serial number that indicated 1898, but it was actually made around the 1960s.

[Windsong]

Thanks Dave.  Here are more photos, now that I am back from the mountains.  Reception was not good, and transmission of files, random.

It certainly looks like 1930s keywork to me.  I picked it up because I was thinking 1937 or so.  It is a cherry.  I came home, plugged in my favorite MP, and she played, top to bottom.  Very nice sound.  Mellow; not authoritative, but controlled.  Not as loud or bright as a PM, but easier to tame.  This would have been like Benny's early horns.

[350 Rocket]

The stamping on the bell narrows it down, since it says both New York and Elkhart.

Selmer established their presence in Elkhart in 1927, so it's no earlier than that. I don't recall how many years they kept including "New York" in addition, but I don't think it was for very long.

Maybe the "X" is a different indicator of some sort, and not actually part of the serial number itself. According to the available chart, there was a run of four-digit unprefixed serial numbers from 1927-31, and if the "X" is ignored, this would fit in that period quite nicely.

A gentleman by the name of Douglas Pipher has been researching Selmer Paris history using the factory archives. His focus has been on saxophones but I recall him implying at one point that he is or will be looking into clarinets as well. I don't know if Selmer themselves would respond to an inquiry.

[Windsong]

Thank you, Rocket.  That certainly sounds right to me.  There is literally nothing on this clarinet that speaks to 1972, IMO.

[Windsong]

Here is a 1972 "X" serial.  The keywork is nothing alike.  In addition to the font of the serial stamp being different, the "X" is not capped on the newer one, whereas it is on mine.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/276311160115?itmmeta=01HYD1DKCH73E2D3RSNK19XC4C&hash=item40556db533:g:Nc4AAOSwcYhluWBj&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA0FGjuZl24%2BDbt9t2xMVIld9Cy3EdvmAJAbzcI8VtSuKVY8EjTvkD%2BKcRec0Ou9tP1M2x4WLSp9km76z75D60%2FrUsniuEUYB0GDt22Rf2%2FLjrFZDHW9eJRIuwvEVTqr7MVLIeQqHU49DkAkfv8a6WUBY6tARGhAkqua1kOb21MMNUFKHBAQeoc%2BslhB%2Br5vo5V5BthgkW2%2FTSA6tXCpP%2BbNU1WwTKStNae5tBiVU4XlI5nKZLQqCwY%2BVfatGts07xbJ%2Fsrp%2BotEJqdDVS%2BjHTCkY%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR6q2tqHzYw

[DaveLeBlanc]

That skinny little bridge key looks just speaks mid-30s to me, at least. I'm sure we'll narrow this down eventually!

[Windsong]

Indeed.  I found the gent you mentioned, and I thank you again for the recommendation.  More research points to the possibility that this may be an early Balanced Tone, before they went to the hexagonal speaker vent.

[Windsong]

I found a "B" batch mark behind the pinky cluster today.
Sure looks like C1930s to me.  There is also that very nice lower joint rod key stack post lock though, and I've not found another Selmer with that yet. 

[Windsong]

More research, and kindness from Selmer experts has led me to the conclusion that this Selmer was made between 1928-1934, indicated by the logo, the age-related stampings, the capped "X", (which is not at all like the 1972-1973 Model 10 "X"), and the key work.
This thing is a cream puff, in terms of condition.  The bore looks like a circular mirror, and while the exterior and tone holes were reasonably dirty, the bore actually rejected my typical bore treatment.

[Windsong]

Here are some clear photos of my serial, and the horn, in general. 

I feel confident now that this was a 1928-1929 build, based upon the aforementioned old-font serial number stamping, the logo, the thumbrest (no modifications to the lower joint to retrofit an old rest) lack of nickel capped tenons, and the stamped upper joint trill key guide and twin lower joint trill key posts.  Selmer changed thumbrests for 1930, and used only one lower joint trill key post until 1928. 

I have not been able to reconcile the lower joint double-stack post lock, except to assume it was a post-production modification, but *I believe* the kicked-out, triangular bridge key (see photo) officially began use after the Radio Improved model, with the  "L" serial "Balanced tone" in the early 1930s, and continued on throughout the Centered Tone, Series 9 and Series 10 models.  It became one of Selmer's most immediately recognizable and beautiful features).

(If anyone has a close-up of a Balanced Tone bridge key mechanism, I would be grateful if you would post it.  I cannot find a good example on-line of the same key until the Centered Tone model in 1954.)