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- Selmer Series 9* Excellent condition (SOLD)
Selmer Series 9* Excellent condition (SOLD)
This beautiful Series 9* clarinet has been completely restored. It has never had any cracks or damage. The grain is very straight. This quality of wood is nearly impossible to find these days no matter how much you spend.The case is also pristine on the interior and very good on the exterior. The zipper still functions perfectly. Here is some information on the history and playability of this wonderful, professional clarinet;
Up to the introduction of Series 9 in 1960, Selmer’s philosophy with “Balanced Tone” (1940’s) and “Centered Tone” (1950’s) was to use large diameter tone holes with no undercutting and wide straight cylindrical bore. The larger tone holes do produce a robust tone but the twelfths tend to be very sharp in the fundamental when playing pianissimo. Some of the improvements made in both Series 9 and 9* clarinets over the previous “Centered Tone” included changed position and shape of the rings and keys which improved facility, comfort and ease of playing. The result is that the improved power hammered-cold forged key mechanism is build as solid as a rock, has much better ergonomics and feels more stable when compared with previous models. Also, in Series 9 reverse taper bore was introduced which notably improved the response and intonation, but it still has the robustness and the big sound of the “Centered Tone”. Overall, these clarinets are free blowing and therefore are extremely easy to play, have excellent intonation and direct, dark sound without losing the sweetness. The Series 9's also have a wide range in tone, making them very flexible and 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.