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How many Selmer Super Series tenors were made?

5K views 31 replies 13 participants last post by  nathan61 
#1 ·
Just curious as to whether anyone knows how many Super series Tenors were made?
Including Cigar Cutter, Super and Radio improved models.
 
#12 ·
People want saxes played by their heroes, in their prime. A lot more people are focused on the 50s and later - the time the VI has reigned supreme among jazz saxophonists.

Not only are fewer people interested in pre-50s jazz, but during that pre-VI era, a smaller percentage of the greats played Selmers as compared to the various US makes.

This was especially true of tenor players. Selmer established itself first on alto, as "the" choice for section leaders.
 
#6 ·
Whatever figure you accept, you need to contemplate all horns (sopranos, altos, tenors, baritones, Selmer even made C mels on that period)

My guess is around 3000 "SSS" tenors up to 20xxx wich is when Balanced Action starts.
 
#10 ·
So out of approx 3000 at between 70 and 80 years of age, how many would you imagine are still around
and still playable today?
Does anyone have any experience with these horns?
My only experience is through listening to my favourite tenor man "Zoot".
Judging by his playing the keywork must be more managable than most people tend to think.
And the sound certainly doesn't seem to be lacking either. At least in the hands of this Master.
 
#11 ·
I play a 1931 super at the moment and the keywork is perfectly workable but obviously harder work than a post balanced action horn. However the keywork is worth the compromise as it has a better/bigger sound than any other selmer I've played (including BA, SBA, MVI).
 
#13 ·
Coleman Hawkins recorded Body and Soul on a 19.9XX Radio Improved (Quad Gold Plate)
Don Byas (what a tenorist!) used a RI too up until the late 40's when he moved on to the SML
Zoot Sims, all his life a RI
Some of the best Parker recordings (tonewise) were made on a Cigar Cutter Super alto

Many of the "heroes" sounded better on older BA's and SBA's than on VI's... that's why I don't get the VI fever.
 
#18 ·
I did let go of a 19923 RI and that tenor was "sumthin" :mrgreen: a great horn. Never cared much for the pearl G# but it was more playable than american horns with the pearl G# key. Also get the blues somedays when I'm thinking of all of the nice horns I had and let go.
 
#19 ·
The rising tide of VI market prices lifted all boats as far as earlier models were concerned.

Early 30s tenors are pushing USD3,000 a lot of the time lately. They can't possibly be that much better than US makes of that era - people just have to have that Selmer-Paris pedigree.

For example, Buescher probably made less than 3,000 New Aristocrat tenors, making them as rare as the Super - if not rarer. And they're great horns. But they have no mystique or cult value (only the altos have that). So they remain a good deal.
 
#20 ·
New Aristocrats sucks for me and I'm a buescher nut. I'd say that supers are well worth the money, they're definitely better ergos than most american horns, better neck angle, slicker mechanism, only "fault" is sharp low end and some of them have weak palm notes... except maybe for early aristocrat tenors (280~300k) I do believe supers are superior to most american makers horns of the time
 
#21 ·
The RIs are apparently hit and miss with respect to intonation on the low notes. Sure, crescents can moderate the problem but it is hardly a perfect fix. I am not sure I get why they suffered from this problem. Would be curious to know why. They must have noticed at Selmer when playtesting the horns.
 
#22 ·
Maybe not, given the typical mouthpiece design in 1934 vs. today. It's also become common to open up pad heights for more volume.

BTW, Radio-Improved really meant microphone-tested. The engineers made tests over a closed circuit in a studio, in addition to live up-close playing. The idea was apparently to make the best possible saxophone and clarinet for broadcasting work.

However, strobe tuning wasn't part of the tests. It was a few years before Conn invented the Stroboconn.
 
#24 ·
I have one 13,9XX. I guess this makes it a new lagebore, but it plays great. The intonation is quite good except below low D. Big sound, and I don't mind the keywork. I have a Conn transitional for the same year (1930), and the keywork on the Selmer is far superior.
 
#25 ·
I am currently awaiting the arrival of a 16 XXX Tenor I have recently purchased.
My main tenor at the moment is an early 50s King Zephyr.
The only sax I have that may have comparable keywork is an early forties SML alto. Although the keywork on this is different to modern styled saxes,
it still seems quite comfortable. And Intonation is almost spot on.
Does anybody have any suggestions for the type of mouthpiece that works well with these horns?(Selmer Supers).
I currently use a Morgan 7L rubber and a 60s 95/1 metal Berg Larsen.(Along with some Saxscape prototypes including Fatcat, Extra Dark and SL Models.)
The Morgan is the piece I am most comfortable with and hope it works just as well on the Super.
 
#30 ·
Super has arrived and I couldn't be happier.
Morgan works well, but I'm really liking my Berg Larsen 95/1 offset M metal piece on it as well.
Never been a fan of metals before. But you know what they say about berg metals on tenor.
This is such an easy blow, especially down low.
Have an old woodwind co hard rubber lying around somewhere, look forward to trying this one out too.
 
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