The ClarinetPages Forum

I am in need of dimensions from anyone with any of the following Selmer Paris models: 

-Later Balanced Tone (1948-on)
-Centered Tone (all)
-Series 9 (all)

Specifically, I need the exact distance between posts for the upper bridge key AND lower bridge key.  These are the outswept, triangular-ramped bridge keys that have become a ubiquitous Selmer Paris characteristic (see Photo)

I have a theory about this late 1920s mystery Selmer of mine, and I may be on the cusp of discovery.

Thank you!

(Measurements in fractions of an inch or mm are fine!)

For perusal and comparison, in respective order, are three mouthpieces:

1) An Austro-Hungarian Key of D mouthpiece (1870s-1880s)

2) An 1860s-1880s Austro-Hungarian Key of Eb mouthpiece (the Austro-Hungarians also used this size for Key of C horns)

3) A modern Woodwind Co. "Imperial" Eb mouthpiece, with shaved tenon for fitment in small bore Ebs.

I have just purchased a Neutrodyne radio from 1925, and by gum;  it takes two 45 volt batteries, one 6 volt battery and one 4.5 volt battery. 

It is times like this that I miss Radio Shack.

I figure two banks of series-wired 9 volts ought to sort the 45s, and the 4.5 and 6 can be achieved by your 1.5V AA suggestion in 3 and 4 pack configurations, respectively.  AAs an 9Vs are readily available and rechargeable-capable, too. 
This thing has a broadcast band too.

It's an Interesting contraption.

17,823 visitors in just one day?

Balderdash.  In our busiest age, we would see a few hundred, daily.

This, dear community, is referred to as A.I. Bot scraping, whereby they are sent out by their programmers with impunity to extrapolate and extract information, like the Langoliers ripping through all time.

Since they cannot be stopped, let's at least hope there is some benefit to their unwelcome presence.

For the first time in a decade, I am seeing an inexplicable spike in the value of vintage and antique clarinets.  I have no explanation for this.  Hard rubber stencil Alberts are selling for almost $200.00 and Robert Malerne covertype standards are selling for OVER $400.00, and I just watched a Vito Dazzler top 80 bucks--and these prices are for clarinets in need of an overhaul.

I suppose only time will tell whether this was just an erratic blip or a trend with teeth.

What is the general technique for closing up the lateral play on a bridge (or rod) key?

I have found myself at my own mercy, having paid a king's ransom to a notable clarinet restorer to attend to some of the things above my skill level, only to find that they were not done.

I would imagine a dab of epoxy may suffice, redrilled to minimize the ID of the rod, or should it be soldered or brazed closed, and re-drilled? 

Are there nylon or teflon inserts that may suffice, perhaps?

Thank you all!

I am weak in the area of tone hole repairs, and have been very fortunate to seldom have issues in this regard.  I especially don't like the idea of placing a motorized, spinning blade next to something so fragile, so I am hoping for a hand-tool solution.

What hand tools can re-bevel or otherwise correct a slightly indented/nicked/distorted tone hole, and where might I find these cutting bits/tools?

They say a photo is worth a thousand words, so here are two of the lower bridge key (B/F) pad hole.  As you can see, this is relatively mild, and a leather pad would likely seal it, but I'd prefer to correct it, if I can:

Thank you.

It sure looks good, but this is big cash for an unrestored CT.  Someone sure wanted a nice one, and that's entirely fair:

What a curiousity!  I cannot recall having seen another, honestly.  Where are they all?

https://shopgoodwill.com/item/255728232

I always knew the day would come when I would break a curved flat spring...

Ideas are welcomed!

What is the value of an unrestored, 125-year-old Low Pitch Boehm System Couesnon Eefer?

Today, it is $374.00!

Not too shabby...

When golden-era jazz clarinetists' names are thrown out we often hear Artie Shaw, Bennie Goodman, George Lewis, Albert Nicholas, Peanuts Hucko, Pete Fountain, Jimmy Dorsey, Sidney Bechet, Buddy DeFranco, Gioria Feidman, Woody Herman, Barney Bigard, Acker Bilk and the like.

One of the names we almost never hear is Hubert Rostaing.  He was what was often referred to as a "Gypsy Jazz" clarinetist, and at 8 notes per second and tempos that seldom dropped below 180 beats per minute, his speed and precision were rarely collectively matched.
Studying photos, it appears he played a Bb Boehm, mostly.


I aspire to learn and play his part in Django Reinhardt's recording of Rhythm Futur, released in 1940.  I can already play its rudiments, but as it crosses the break in the most uncomfortable of places and with such ferocity, it is a real hang-up at present.  I do love a challenge, though.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hA-YoVUFOrw

M. SAUR is not a name I have ever heard before, but perhaps the stamp was weak and this is just a partial Name/Cartouche.  The keywork is very odd, too.  The raised blocks for key mounting, the integrated thumb rest and the speudo-salt spoon keys point to a pre-1860 build.

I see a couple condition issues--the most significant being the missing key, but when have you seen another?   The price seems very good for what this is:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/397492365698?_skw=rare+clarinets&itmmeta=01KFE1VJ5CVAB5RBDVGTNEB0QY&hash=item5c8c642982:g:DeIAAeSwJOlpZsHI&itmprp=enc%3AAQALAAAA8KbGOR9kZR2XPHlEs4wKenOwsfYqsI50OEIk7YugaOVoJlFuOPswLw4hesELO4E79LgfCdno1Tk93Y2OsmqYQSC%2FcafyfRfVOA1bYWWaEXXCamoDJPM13kLowEuAC0g6LB9nok%2BJJojwYtpEM1%2FmuqaOkbTPYk7R3ry4ddyUhnZeanjNgjTSdUM3XKia8JDUM8KiodYqzVjJzW%2B5hQgJrrUnyDvnENEsGH2TdFaklrhcDmZ%2F6FhIjps56xhbUyurNiicT4dUnRKhNIafQ02c0lGr0zjKCqOtgYj%2BD104LighsmZbUdnedXbIS0xBiQiA7g%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR_Si7sH7Zg

Here is a really interesting Oboe article.  I will never complain about the complexities of some clarinets again (Oh, I probably will...)

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/arts/music/oboe-laubin-jim-phelan.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ElA.hAlM.n9PueLlV1Qxw&smid=url-share

Do you ever feel a notable pressure change under your fingers?

It's usually the lower joint where I feel it most prominently; a pressure change when rolling through the notes under the pads of some of my fingers.  Most of the time, it is outward pressure--something indicative of a tight seal.  Sometimes I have felt it as a vacuum, which is harder to understand.

Most clarinets do not do this.  Is this an imbalance in the air column?  Turbulance, perhaps?  I have great players that have this issue and great players that do not.  It is somewhat disconcerting, and not an objective of mine as something to harness, but to understand and probably avoid or correct, as needed.

I have been looking at flutes this week, determined to get one and finally learn how to play it, at least rudimentarily.

From looking at the multitudes of used flutes from Alexandre Paris, Artley, Armstrong, Bundy, C. G. Conn, Cassini, Gemeinhart, Emerson, Haynes, Jupiter, King, Pedler, and Paul Renne, I now have a headache.  I am hoping to spend under 100 bucks, and get something close to playing condition, that I can replace a few pads on, lubricate a few rod keys, slap on a couple corks and be ready to go. 

I have read extensively about this new Cooper scale that Cooper from Rudall, Carte and Co. pioneered around 1960, but which was not widely implemented until the 1990s, and it sounds great, but since I would rather have something vintage, I suspect I may have to miss out on this feature.

Do you all have any particular preferences among the vintage lot, or are they about all the same?  I must confess that they all look the same to my untrained eye.

And what is the deal with these head corks?  What do they do, precisely?

Well, at least that is how it is pronounced, (and here is your proof:)

Buescher made some neat stuff.  While the early split-bell saxes were known to be problematic, intonally, and front F often got pinned (spring reversal) to assist with achieving acceptable intonation, they were more known for their build quality and beauty.

Ferdinand Augustus Buescher, ("Gus") made a decent horn with a nice, fuzzy sound.  Most modern players snicker and scoff if you mention these early True Tones, but I still say they are one of the nicest looking saxes ever made, and have an intimate tone.

During the 1920s, especially as American manufacture was concerned, Buescher had some of the very best engravers, and sensible, attractive mechanicals.  I think Martin and Holton qualify here, as well.

As a teen, I had an Alto TH&C (c. 1948) for about 5 weeks until my mother got swindled out of it for a shiny new Bundy II, but that's a story for another time.  I have had a few Bueschers since then, and they have all been good, fun players, though probably without the potential of the TH&C.  I still have a satin silver 1923 Alto with a gold wash bell.  It is enjoyable to gaze at, truly.

Today, in a listing, on the reverse side of a warranty card, I heard eloquent verse, straight from the horse's mouth, well worthy of broadcast:

When it comes to oiling bores, I try to do it at least once annually, for each of my clarinets, repeating the process until the bore will not accept any more, as I was taught.  Some of my super shiny bore clarinets won't take any oil for years, and others drink voraciously.

Here is what I have been doing:
I will take tin foil and cover the (closed) pads and then run an oiled swab through the bore.  Once I am satisfied with the oiling, I remove the tin foil, one piece at a time, and replace it immediately with a paper towel fragment, to catch the oil left at the top of the tone hole (and there is always some).
I do not recommend allowing oil to hit your pads.  They will be adversely affected, and stick forever.  While some types of pads recover better than others, it is best to prevent exposure, altogether.

For those of you who oil your bores, I am interested to hear your technique for protecting the pads.


(Extra credit to the clarinetist who can name the brand of clarinet shown. The keys are a dead give-away, but only if you know this brand. 😉 )

I am not one to get overly personal as a general rule, but I thought it prudent to point out that it has been nearly 8 years since one of our evermost prominent forum contributors abruptly vanished; a contributor who I always took to have a keen eye and an individual with a tremendous amount of knowledge about a multitude of disciplines; a Renaissance Man.

To be fair, I have been deeply motivated by my interactions with the regulars here too, and others whose presence has faded (AndyBeals, BLMonopole, Tinker73, Kewald, Dibbs, Rezzie, bbrandha, gkern, Airflyte, Modernicus, Dave LeBlanc, Lisa, etc.).  I will always appreciate the impact their contributions had on further developing my passion.

David Powell's efforts sparked a large resurgence in classic clarinet participation and education here, and rarely has one person's enthusiasm been so contagious and motivating.  He was truly a remarkable fellow.


Since another passion of mine is poetry, I beg you'll indulge me:

'Sorcerer,  where art thou now? Art thou beyond the grave?

Have you now lost your passion for
that which you urged us save?

Or have the times and tides erased that which you felt so moved,

To contemplate and elevate,
in such rare form and hue.

No matter friend, t'was not the end,
when you did not return. 

You sparked a flame with molten blooms,
forever shall it burn.'

The mouthpiece, I have found, plays a huge roll in intonational accuracy.  More specifically, some clarinets require a certain facing and chamber design to play in the pitch in which they were intended.  I got my newest addition--the Albert C--playing at a perfect 440Hz today by ditching the modern mouthpieces and using a late 1920s Steel Ebonite instead.

Different horses for different courses.