History Notes by Henri SELMER Paris

 Do you know the difference between a serial number and a body number? From 1927 to the Balanced Action era, SELMER saxophones had two distinct numbers: one on the bell, the other on the body...  Music: “ReWIND” written and performed by Hugo Afettouche alongside Maxime Mary and Matthieu Delage @Studio 15 - Produced by Henri SELMER Paris / Adrien Besse      Hosted...

Short bow, long bow, medium bow... You have probably already heard these terms to distinguish Mark VIs according to the length of their bow and bell. Today, Douglas Pipher reveals the secrets of the 5 main variations.  Music: “ReWIND” written and performed by Hugo Afettouche alongside Maxime Mary and Matthieu Delage @Studio 15 - Produced by Henri SELMER Paris / Adrien Besse   &...

 Discover the history of the SELMER low A alto saxophone, a rare instrument that has captured the curiosity and fascination of many enthusiasts...   Music: “ReWIND” written and performed by Hugo Afettouche alongside Maxime Mary and Matthieu Delage @Studio 15 - Produced by Henri SELMER Paris / Adrien Besse     Hosted by Audiomeans. Visit audiomeans.fr/politique-de...

In today's episode, Douglas Pipher looks at the rarest SELMER saxophone in history: the Ladario model. It was made in very few numbers - probably 3 - in the 1920s...  Full video on https://youtu.be/LVNFXIvpVeM Music: “ReWIND” written and performed by Hugo Afettouche alongside Maxime Mary and Matthieu Delage @Studio 15 - Produced by Henri SELMER Paris / Adrien Besse    Hosted by...

 Today, Douglas Pipher takes us behind the scenes of the production of the C tenor saxophone, better known as "C Melody".    Full video on  https://www.selmer.fr/en/blogs/infos/history-notes-ii-04-saxophone-c-melody    Music: “ReWIND” written and performed by Hugo Afettouche alongside Maxime Mary and Matthieu Delage @Studio 15 - Produced by Henri SELMER Pari...

 After looking at the case of the C soprano, specialist Douglas Pipher  sheds light on another rare instrument produced by Maison SELMER: the  curved soprano saxophone.  Full video on https://youtu.be/v53UQhgGxC8  Music: “ReWIND” written and performed by Hugo Afettouche alongside Maxime Mary and Matthieu Delage @Studio 15 - Produced by Henri SELMER Paris / Adrien Besse&nbs...

 The C soprano saxophone is a very rare and little-known instrument. It has its own identity, between the Bb soprano (to which it is closer in terms of range) and the Eb sopranino. Discover the history of its production with Douglas Pipher!  Full video on  https://bit.ly/c-soprano Music: “ReWIND” written and performed by Hugo Afettouche alongside Maxime Mary and Matthieu Delage @Stu...

The sopranino saxophone is a very delicate instrument both in its approach to playing and in its manufacture. Douglas Pipher inaugurates the second season of History Notes by telling us about the production of these atypical instruments over the years... Full video on https://www.selmer.fr/en/blogs/infos/history-notes-ii-1-sopraninos  Music: “ReWIND” written and performed by Hugo Afettouche a...

For the last episode of the season, Douglas Pipher talks about the last historic saxophone made by Henri SELMER Paris: the Super Action 80, which would be followed a few years later by the Super Action Series II and Series III saxophones. Hosted by Audiomeans. Visit audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite for more information.

Transition between the Mark VI and the Super Action 80, the Mark VII was  marketed for 4 years. It offers a powerful sound, particularly rich in  high harmonics, corresponding to the needs of the time and the advent of rock and pop music. Douglas Pipher tells us more about the production  of this instrument.  "For the past 30 or 40 years, serial number charts that have been pub...

 In 1954, the saxophone world was shattered by the arrival of an  instrument that soon became legendary: the Mark VI. Today, Douglas  Pipher dives into the archives of the most emblematic saxophone ever. "In the spring of 1954, March 19, to be exact, a single saxophone was  packed up and shipped to Selmer US. This instrument number 53,727, was the first Mark VI to be sent..." F...

 Sometimes called Super Balanced, the Super Action is to some extent a  transitional instrument falling between the Balanced Action and Mark VI.  Douglas Pipher tells you more about its specificities. "When a number of modifications were made to the Selmer saxophones in  early 1947, the American distributor decided that a new name was needed.  They came up with the name Su...

On the eve of the Second World War, Henri SELMER Paris enjoyed  an international popularity, thanks in particular to the success of the  mythical Balanced Action, whose sales continued to increase. Douglas  Pipher explains how the company was able to continue its activity, in a  very limited way, from 1939 to 1945. "In 1939, Germany, France, and England all declared war on each...

 Today, Douglas Pipher examines the history of rare and little-known  instruments... " We're going to talk today about the very last two iterations of the Selmer super sax  series. The first one was a number of Radio Improved instruments that  were built well into Balanced Action production. I call these the late Radio Improved. The second is probably the most iconic niche prod...

 It laid the foundation for the modern saxophone, established itself in  the American market and was adopted by jazz giants such as Coleman  Hawkins and Paul Desmond... Discover the history of the Balanced Action.  "In April of nineteen thirty five, Henri SELMER Paris introduced a new  line of instruments. A line that essentially is realized as the birth of the modern saxo...

 In 1934, the Henri Selmer Paris workshops began the smallest production  cycle in the history of the company: the Radio Improved. Discover the  history of this Selmer Super Sax (SSS). " The third generation of the SELMER Super Sax has become known as the Radio Improved  for an obvious reason : they all had the words Radio Improved, stamped  on the bell, in English. The pr...

Our guide Douglas Pipher tells us in this new episode about  the mythical Cigar Cutter, the first of the SELMER Super Sax.  "Anyone who's interested in old saxophones is aware of the SELMER Super Sax,  the SSS logo on the instrument. It has become synonymous with the  octave mechanism that was introduced at the same time which resembled a  cigar cutter that clips the end o...

 For the third episode of this  series dedicated to the history of Henri SELMER Paris, Douglas Pipher  tells us about the range of instruments produced from 1928 to 1931,  known as the "Large Bore". " In 1928, Henri SELMER Paris decided to stop putting a model stamp on  their instruments. So the next range of instruments, from 1928 to 1931,  have become known as the L...

  Through a fascinating and highly-documented web-series, collector Douglas Pipher recalls the history of Henri SELMER Paris and his legendary saxophones... This second episode focuses on the models 26 and 28.   "In the spring of nineteen twenty six, SELMER had made enough small adjustments and improvements to the instrument to validate a new model. So accordingly they replaced the Model...

  Henri SELMER Paris offers you a new web series on the history of the House, in collaboration with saxophonist and collector collector Douglas Pipher. A true living encyclopedia, he will provide you with a wealth of precious and often little-known information on the historic SELMER saxophones. In this first episode, let's discover the history of the first SELMER saxophone ! History Notes : t...