[lugnut]

Hi all, first post here. I have a silverplated Model 164 tenor #826XXX that I bought from the original owner who is a friend of mine. He bought the horn new approx. 1988. He specifically wanted a silverplated horn and this tenor was special-ordered from Selmer Elkhart.

164 tenors seem to be somewhat rare in the first place and I'm curious just how rare the silverplate is. Does anyone else have, or know of, any other silverplate 162 altos or 164 tenors??

 

[honkytone]

Pretty deafening silence here. I'd say they must be pretty rare in silver. All I've ever seen have been lacquer. Had had one tenor and a couple of the altos, and another alto on the way. Really good horns, too.

 

[bruce bailey]

164 in 1988?

 

[lugnut]

Yes, a 164 from what I understand. The horn does not match the keywork of the TS100 or TS200. The serial # falls into the later range of the Omega/164 line, at least from the research I've uncovered in this forum.

But as we all know these USA models were poorly documented so if anyone has a better idea what this tenor is, I'd love to hear about it.

 

[1saxman]

Rare? I love the 162 (alto) and 164 (tenor) Selmer USA horns and have never seen or heard of a silver plated one. I'm actually playing two of them now - an original 162 'Omega' alto (821009) and a 164 tenor (825589). I bought the alto new in '83 and just got the tenor last year. These are very underrated horns - maybe because they don't sound or play like any Paris horn, and also because particularly with the tenors some of them just don't blow - you have to try them out if possible. They have a fat, 'American' sound but still with the Selmer depth and lushness. As to when the model changed from '164' to 'TS100', I don't know for sure but I think probably both of our tenors are really TS100. The '164' designation didn't last long once they realized that pros were not flocking to this horn. I sure like mine, and I have a great Mk VI sitting there in the case. BTW, the tenor was never known as the 'Omega' - just the alto, and only for a couple years.