SELMER - PARIS " CENTERED TONE " PROFESSIONAL WOOD CLARINET - 1955 VINTAGE
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:568631 | Brand: H.Selmer-Paris |
| Skill Level: Professional | Key: Bb |
| MPN: Does Not Apply | Country/Region of Manufacture: France |
| Design: Centered Tone |
SELMER-PARIS Bb CLARINET "CENTERED TONE”- MATCHING SERIAL NUMBERS: #Q3100, made in France in 1955.
For sale: a beautiful vintage French-made Selmer Centered Tone professional Bb wood clarinet. Both joints are stamped with the same serial number Q3100, which indicates the year of manufacture to be 1955. This model was the top of the line professional clarinet offered by Selmer Paris. This highly sought after model was a pinnacle of Selmer's "Jazz" clarinet made famous b...y Benny Goodman, who used it extensively.
There are several reasons why Centered Tone is such a popular model even to this day. First of all the design: with the combination of the large bore and large toneholes, these clarinets are extremely free blowing, allowing the player to put as much air as they want, with the mouthpiece being the point of resistance. As a result, the projection on these horns is outstanding, which gives the player a great advantage in the situation when you need to be heard (e.g. a jazz band, concert band). Then there is Selmer’s excellent key mechanism – very tight, stable and solid as a rock. But perhaps what’s most important is that these clarinets have a wonderful full, deep, woody tone, with all notes being clear from top to bottom – including the upper register through altissimo. Centered Tone model is perceived as mostly a jazz clarinet, but the reality is that this is a very flexible instrument, with a wide range in tone and is perfectly suitable for a variety of playing styles.
Another reason why the vintage pro-level Selmer clarinets are coveted and sought after by the players is the quality of the grenadilla wood these instruments were made of: the wood was allowed to air dry for 20 years or more to ensure that the clarinet won’t crack and was of the finest grade, very hard, dense and naturally dark with the lovely play of color to it. The superb quality of wood and exceptional craftsmanship is not something you will find easily with the modern horns and certainly not in this price range.
Keywork shows minimal wear. Selmer logo is stamped on the Barrel Joint, the Upper Joint, the Lower Joint and the Bell. "Made in France" is stamped on the Barrel Joint and the Bell (it is also stamped "Depose France on the Upper Joint). The top of the Upper Joint also has the "Centered Tone" stamp just below the Selmer logo.
No cracks, no damage, totally original, clean, very good example of this professional wood clarinet.
Original tray pack Selmer case is pretty worn on the edges, but is still functional. As you may know, it was designed to sit inside a Selmer Sax case.
Pads & corks are in very good condition. Superb wood quality and a rich tone color. I got a tune up about five years ago and may have played it once since then. It's been largely unplayed for the past 10 years. I have a few old mouthpieces and ligs, so if you want one I can include it but they are not particularly special so I didn't include them in the description.
I also have some fine alto sax mouthpieces for sale (BD Hollywood, Gregory Master, Dick Stabile Superior and Brillhart Ebolin), some soprano mouthpieces and a couple good tenors as well (such as a vintage B.D Hollywood tenor mouthpiece). I'll post those in the next few days. If you are interested in buying a mouthpiece with the horn let me know and we can work out a deal to ship them together. I've got some other sax accessories and some cool jazz memorabilia that I'll be selling as well. James Moody's tenor sax case. Signed items. Some good stuff there too.
As always, I am willing to be flexible on multiple purchases. I always offer a full refund if the buyer has any kind of issue with the item I am selling (as long as it is returned to me in the same condition). I've got a perfect track record after 18 years of buying and selling because I try hard to be honest about the condition of the things I sell- and I'm always willing to make things right.
This is a great opportunity to own a fantastic Centered Tone Clarinet for a very affordable price. Reach out if you have questions- I'll do my best to respond quickly.
Thanks for looking.
For sale: a beautiful vintage French-made Selmer Centered Tone professional Bb wood clarinet. Both joints are stamped with the same serial number Q3100, which indicates the year of manufacture to be 1955. This model was the top of the line professional clarinet offered by Selmer Paris. This highly sought after model was a pinnacle of Selmer's "Jazz" clarinet made famous b...y Benny Goodman, who used it extensively.
There are several reasons why Centered Tone is such a popular model even to this day. First of all the design: with the combination of the large bore and large toneholes, these clarinets are extremely free blowing, allowing the player to put as much air as they want, with the mouthpiece being the point of resistance. As a result, the projection on these horns is outstanding, which gives the player a great advantage in the situation when you need to be heard (e.g. a jazz band, concert band). Then there is Selmer’s excellent key mechanism – very tight, stable and solid as a rock. But perhaps what’s most important is that these clarinets have a wonderful full, deep, woody tone, with all notes being clear from top to bottom – including the upper register through altissimo. Centered Tone model is perceived as mostly a jazz clarinet, but the reality is that this is a very flexible instrument, with a wide range in tone and is perfectly suitable for a variety of playing styles.
Another reason why the vintage pro-level Selmer clarinets are coveted and sought after by the players is the quality of the grenadilla wood these instruments were made of: the wood was allowed to air dry for 20 years or more to ensure that the clarinet won’t crack and was of the finest grade, very hard, dense and naturally dark with the lovely play of color to it. The superb quality of wood and exceptional craftsmanship is not something you will find easily with the modern horns and certainly not in this price range.
Keywork shows minimal wear. Selmer logo is stamped on the Barrel Joint, the Upper Joint, the Lower Joint and the Bell. "Made in France" is stamped on the Barrel Joint and the Bell (it is also stamped "Depose France on the Upper Joint). The top of the Upper Joint also has the "Centered Tone" stamp just below the Selmer logo.
No cracks, no damage, totally original, clean, very good example of this professional wood clarinet.
Original tray pack Selmer case is pretty worn on the edges, but is still functional. As you may know, it was designed to sit inside a Selmer Sax case.
Pads & corks are in very good condition. Superb wood quality and a rich tone color. I got a tune up about five years ago and may have played it once since then. It's been largely unplayed for the past 10 years. I have a few old mouthpieces and ligs, so if you want one I can include it but they are not particularly special so I didn't include them in the description.
I also have some fine alto sax mouthpieces for sale (BD Hollywood, Gregory Master, Dick Stabile Superior and Brillhart Ebolin), some soprano mouthpieces and a couple good tenors as well (such as a vintage B.D Hollywood tenor mouthpiece). I'll post those in the next few days. If you are interested in buying a mouthpiece with the horn let me know and we can work out a deal to ship them together. I've got some other sax accessories and some cool jazz memorabilia that I'll be selling as well. James Moody's tenor sax case. Signed items. Some good stuff there too.
As always, I am willing to be flexible on multiple purchases. I always offer a full refund if the buyer has any kind of issue with the item I am selling (as long as it is returned to me in the same condition). I've got a perfect track record after 18 years of buying and selling because I try hard to be honest about the condition of the things I sell- and I'm always willing to make things right.
This is a great opportunity to own a fantastic Centered Tone Clarinet for a very affordable price. Reach out if you have questions- I'll do my best to respond quickly.
Thanks for looking.
