Repairman's Overview: Selmer Balanced Action Tenor & Alto Saxophone

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Күн бұрын

Saxophone repairman Matt Stohrer of www.StohrerMusic.com anticipates many more negative comments than usual but forges ahead anyways and does what he shoulda did already and gets down to business with a 24-minute long trainwreck of a repairman's overview (nah actually its not that bad... right, guys? right?) of a sacred cow of saxophonia, the Selmer Balanced Action saxophone, made from 1935-1948 in France. Perhaps he is nervous, or maybe its just hard talking about something so many people already know about, but he gives it his best and there is even some genuinely interesting stuff scattered sparsely throughout, like the part where he shows the competing keywork of the Conn 6M and the previous Selmer model, the Radio Improved.
For more information on the Selmer Balanced Action see the following links:
www.saxpics.com/?v=mod&modID=11
and
www.selmer.fr/histdetail.php?i...
and
www.saxophone.org/museum/publi...
And for a little bit on Henri Lefebvre-Selmer, the near-invisible patron Saint of modern saxophone design as we know it, see here:
www.saxophone.org/museum/exhib...
If you like my content and would like to see more, you can support me on Patreon or by "buying me a coffee"!
Patreon: / mattstohrer
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Пікірлер: 46

@patfio2539 6 жыл бұрын

When I was 10 I received a Selmer 1937 Balanced Action Alto, still have it, still love it. I'm 77

@ajibolafalade5630 5 жыл бұрын

Pat Fio How much was it when you were ten?

@kidding6712 4 жыл бұрын

would you like to sell to me

@edepillim 4 жыл бұрын

I have a Selmer cigar cutter alto 1937 and a Super Action Tenor 1949. Bought for £45 and £100 back in the 60s. Very interesting video. Many thanks.

@DecidedlyDusty 8 жыл бұрын

Another great video. Thanks again for all your hard work in putting these together for everyone.

@sheskimusic 5 жыл бұрын

Very informative video, Matt. Thank you. I just recently purchased a 39,000 super balanced tenor. Wonderful horn getting it set up.

@dbarashkov 11 жыл бұрын

WOW, THE REVIEW. Cool to see differences vs. radio improved and conn 6M, both tenor and alto in wonderful condition. great video.

@ofunky 3 күн бұрын

Excellent informative video! 👌

@KabukiWeddingBand 10 жыл бұрын

If I had watched it to the end, I would have got my answer, which I have thank you so much for your knowledge.

@billiongenius 9 жыл бұрын

Great review. I bought a '39 Balanced Action that I thought was a good deal, and I planned to flip it so I could use the profit to buy a Buescher alto (I have a Buescher tenor). Well, that plan didn't work out so well. I played the BA and was blown away by the sound and feel, and now I won't get rid of it. Mine's a relacquer, but as you mentioned in the video, it seems to be the right color and an older relacquer job, so my guess is it might have been done at the factory. In any case, it plays wonderfully.

@jazzybluesyyoo6914 3 жыл бұрын

i bought the BA Silver alto recently at the market of saxophone County in south korea. the guy sold it to me a professional saxophonist born in usa and specialized in sax at an uni in new york and no regret since purchasing the BA silver alto. normally i practice with buescher 140 aristocrat alto which i think a fantastic vintagish tone compared to selmer BA . alway thanks for exact background in the history of sax world on your vlog.

@jazzlives 5 жыл бұрын

A sax player addicted to dope sold me his 33,000 serial BA tenor for about $350 in 1981. I had the horn for about 8 years and started my jazz career with it until another dope sucker stole it from me in 1989. (Spot a pattern?) That was a tragic end to my playing career from which I never recovered. Despite loving jazz to this day, I decided to move on and was unable to afford any other instrument until the late 1990s at which time my father bought me a Hammond organ clone. But the Selmer Balanced Action was the sweetest of sweet horns. It was identical to one used by John Coltrane, my hero. It had gorgeous flower engraving and a sweet tone. It was a bit of a maintenance hog and I had to tune it up frequently. Its mechanics were definitely its weak side due to poor reliability, something Selmer vastly improved in the Mark VI. But I do not think Selmer ever produced a sweeter sounding horn. 50s era Coltrane as the sound and it was dark, round, a little edgy but not too bright, and ever warm. I am bitter about losing it and I guess in the end it was only a gift that was finally taken back.

@chrismills5110 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks, Matt. It was not just Selmer, Hawkes & Son in London, England, also made saxophones with twin, differing numbers on body tube and bell. I have such an Alto from 1921. Bell number is 5 digits, and tube is 3, and three figure number is marked right next to Flat sign, denoting it as Low Pitch

@godunovs65 4 жыл бұрын

Enjoyed the review. Selmer also had serial numbers on the neck. Most of the times those numbers matched those on the tube. But sometimes they didn't and one needs to contact Selmer in Paris to verify the original configuration.

@disgruntled_llama 8 жыл бұрын

Hey Matt, cool overview. I know it's several years old, but I just found it. I like the way you work through the horns and talk about the Selmer innovations. I play a BA tenor in the 26k range which I love. Super in-tune instrument, even the low end bell notes seem to be great. Incidentally I do play a large chamber mouthpiece on it, but it seems to work well even with a medium chamber piece with a more serious baffle for more commercial sounding work. Perhaps I'm just subconsciously working a little harder to play in tune because I'm expecting it on the smaller chamber and higher baffle. My tenor has that larger octave vent like your alto does. Do you run across the teakettle vents very often on these? I'm trying to get a feel for how common they are (or aren't). Mine is the variation without a serial # on the body tube, just on the bell.

@Ajaykohli1971 Жыл бұрын

Great informative video on BA. I have a 1936 Balanced action 24☆☆☆. Mine does not have the engravings on the bell. Any idea ? I read somewhere wheb these horns were shipped to the US the engravings were not available. Could you possibly give me more information on that...if you can Thanks

@KCSutherland 11 жыл бұрын

I never noticed the 15 degree offset on my Super Action tenor, but it does make it easier on the hands. When i go back to my old alto, it's a but weird.

@pukalo Жыл бұрын

Have you ever had one of those rare "concert model" mark 6s with the extra right hand keys in your shop?

@360camacho 11 жыл бұрын

Good job

@flatcarwillie 5 жыл бұрын

Great video. Do you know when exactly Selmer changed from the individual guards for the bell keys on the tenor to the single guard for both?

@BluesWilliam 4 жыл бұрын

I have a 1950 SBA Tenor (S/N 403xx) and it has the separate guards. It was some time shortly after that. 1952 SBA's had the single guard.

@AGC828 6 жыл бұрын

Great channel. Even for novices to Saxophones. Q: What made the Selmer Mark VI the "Stradavai of the Sax world"? I heard there was only 4 companies back in the 50's-60's making saxophones. Not that much competition (vs today). Did Selmer simply make a sax that could play all genres of music and was well built for the time? Today many claim there are many other sax's that sound as good if not better. For less money.

@ROY-COLLEY 4 жыл бұрын

Hi can I ask you,if you think having a Read lacquered makes any difference to it. I mean if its a good relacquered job. ? Really interesting video. Thanks for sharing 👍.

@ksmooth1973 3 жыл бұрын

I couldnt believe Selmer and a lot of vntage horns had that uncomfortable thumbrest by the octave key, until the Mark VI. That thing used to kill me. I had all mine converted to the Mark VI ones.

@dukkedusse 3 жыл бұрын

but what ser.# was more relevant - the one on the bell or the one on the body tube?

@JiveDadson 9 жыл бұрын

I have a Super Action alto that blows away every other alto I have ever played. By miles. It destroys a nice Mark VI alto that I bought for investment. I played a Radio Improved tenor once that spoke effortlessly and had a huge, rich sound. Alas, I did not think I could adjust to the clunky mechanism, and not just the pinky table.

@ClarinetGREAT 6 жыл бұрын

JiveDadson Agreed. I think Super (Balanced) Action Altos are the greatest horns ever made! What sound!!!

@godunovs65 4 жыл бұрын

Totally agree. It all went downhill from SBA. Mine is a 1951 SBA alto

@avonriver2891 5 ай бұрын

I have Selma serial number is 45xxx what is the model ? I don’t know it’s model.

@KabukiWeddingBand 10 жыл бұрын

Hi Matt, amazed at your work, please keep them coming. What price should one pay for a 30's balance action, I have one in mind and don't know where to start as I have been for years a yamaha man - I know my mistake ! but here is a chance to reform me. Thanks Keith

@eriksax 5 жыл бұрын

My Selmer Balanced Action from 1940 plays like sugar-blended butter on a fresh gourmet hot cross bun, served by angelic chefs, while I magically hover above a bed of hypoallergenic lilies on the calm, summer sunlit shoes of a classy babbling brook. It is the very best instrument I have ever touched or been touched by, period.

@iamthat4027 10 жыл бұрын

u rock matt...;->

@RiggedVedist 9 жыл бұрын

Hey Matt, Have you ever run across a Selmer Padless ?

@gengee21 11 жыл бұрын

Awesome vid. Just bought a 156xxx mark vi alto. It is a great horn. Maybe I can send it to you for a setup?

@Sirvalorsax 11 жыл бұрын

Super Balanced Action are in my opinion the Pit Bull of saxophones. The wild dog!...Tamed by the mark VI ( German Shepherd ) or maybe refined is a better word. Great Review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@thomasyoung7615 7 жыл бұрын

I have a Conn Alto Saxophone bought it used.

@paulwagner4028 4 жыл бұрын

i like conns

@kaiserthegreat 8 жыл бұрын

Balanced Actions generally sound better to me than Mark VIs, though I don't have a lot of experience with either, and of course every horn varies. On average, they seem sweeter and richer in tone, though.