- Selmer Paris Trumpet Serial Numbers
- Selmer Trumpet Serial Numbers
- Selmer Trumpet Serial Number List
- Selmer Trumpet Serial Numbers
- Bundy Cornet Serial Numbers
- Selmer Bach Trumpet Serial Numbers
When was your Selmer Paris Saxophone made?
- Horn-u-copia › › Selmer › Re: Selmer Trumpets ‹ Previous Topic| No Topic › Pages: 1: Send. Would the owners of these horns, with HUC IDs 9446, 6645, 5591, and 5428 please send me a photo of the serial number and a photo of the valves taken out? This is a Selmer Grand Prix Trumpet Serial#2618 (c.
- Serial numbers list for Selmer Paris Saxophones (from 1922 to 2001).
- Selmer Paris Trumpet Serial Numbers serial numbers A serial number is a unique number assigned for identification which varies from its successor or predecessor by a fixed discrete integer value.
- Playing Satch's horn at the Louis Armstrong Archive, Queens College, New York. The mouthpiece is custom made for me by Mal Pearce, Sydney, Australia. Selmer K Modified, serial number 20405.
- Has both the A and Bb pipes. Uses trumpet shank mouthpieces. Maurice Andre played this model for many years. I like the warmer sound of the Selmer over several of the Schilke designed pics. Also speaks better in the low register. The item “Selmer Paris Piccolo Trumpet (Very Nice)” is in sale since Thursday, December 13, 2018.
This is the most accurate Selmer Serial Number Chart on the internet!
Welcome to Reddit, I don't have calipers, or I'd just measure the bore size. The only markings on it I can see are. The brand is Bundy, and down by the bell it says designed by Vincent Bach. Where the slide screws in, there is a little ML, and the serial number is 375418. Used Trumpet. Pictures: In Stock sold $1,400.00 UI503 Bach Trumpet Serial Number: 503xxx Manufacturer: Bach Model: Model 43 Instrument Construction: silver plated Additional Information: The Bach LR180S-43 Stradivarius Professional Trumpet is tuned to the key of Bb. It has a portable lightweight body,.459' medium-large bore, 43 bell.
Friend of GetASax.com Douglas Pipher has been given unprecedented access to the Selmer Paris archives, and after thousands of hours of research has compiled a brand new and more Selmer Serial Number Chart for Selmer saxophones. With permission, we have printed the results of his research below.
If you are wanting to sell your Selmer saxophone, we are always buying vintage saxophones. Please email us at [email protected]
Selmer Serial Numbers – a Fresh Approach
Douglas Pipher, June 20, 2017
The existing Selmer Serial Number Chart has been available on the internet for years. Many saxophonists use it as the authority for determining when an instrument was made. But there are problems with the existing chart, such as the timing of the introduction of the different models. It seems unlikely that every new model was introduced exactly at the beginning of a new year. It also seems unlikely that each year’s production ended at a conveniently round number. Was the chart built from specific data or was it just someone’s estimate; a guess which eventually became assumed to be an absolute truth? With these questions in mind, the need for a fresh look became clear, to see if there was a way to measure the accuracy, or inaccuracy, of the existing chart. Douglas Pipher decided to take on the challenge.
Clearly the first step was to collect as much primary data as possible. It is well known that Selmer Paris possesses some archival records but they are not available to the public. With a background in statistical analysis and an established record in the study of Selmer history, Douglas was able to secure access to these archives. Once there, the daunting nature of the task became apparent. The archives are comprised of a series of very old and fragile notebooks, written by a variety of people, in a variety of handwriting styles. Some were neat and detailed and others were nearly illegible and of course, it is all written in French. But, the fact that all the data still existed was like finding a treasure.
Selmer Paris Trumpet Serial Numbers
The archive records contain four key elements:
– Instrument type (Alto, Tenor etc)
– Finish and custom features
– Shipping date
– Destination
In most cases, there was no mention of what model was being produced. The data started at serial #5000 and continued for over 75 years. Whether earlier notebooks were lost or were never kept is unfortunately unknown.
The first phase of the research was to study the records from the beginning up to the end of the Mark VI era. (1927 to 1975) After several trips to Paris and several thousand hours of research and study, the original shipping data was collected and organized. Finally, it was possible to do a detailed study of each year’s actual sales and compare them the to the information suggested in the existing serial number chart.
Let’s take a look at 1927, the earliest year for which full data was available.
The existing serial number chart showed a range from 5601 to 7850. By simple subtraction, 2249 saxophones were allegedly built in 1927. A search of the actual shipping dates for this serial number range revealed the following:
Only 1537 saxophones within this range were shipped in 1927. An additional 404 were shipped in 1928 and 27 more were shipped even later than that. Dividing the actual number (1537) by the alleged number (2249) revealed that the serial number range for 1927 was only 68% correct. Clearly, there was room for improvement.
Selmer Trumpet Serial Numbers
This process was repeated for each year up to 1975. The average accuracy for the entire existing serial number chart was a disappointing 66%. That’s only two out of three! So about a third of the people using the list got the wrong year for their saxophone. It quickly became obvious that an improved chart was needed.
Selmer Trumpet Serial Number List
Fortunately, the primary shipping data could now be used to rebuild the serial number chart from scratch. Beginning with a list of all the actual 1927 sales, they were sorted by serial number. Next, they were grouped into serial number ranges of 100. (5000 – 5099, 5100 – 5199 etc) and the total number of 1927 sales within each group was calculated.
The chart at left shows that less than one quarter of the saxes in the 5000 to 5299 serial number range were sold in 1927. Most were sold in 1926. The range from 7300 to 7800 also showed less than half of the sales in 1927, with most of the remainder being sold in 1928. Between the 5300 and 7299 range, most of the saxes were sold in 1927. This range became the initial boundary for 1927 production. By taking a closer look, right down to individual instruments, the starting and ending points of the range were modified as needed. The most accurate serial number range for 1927 was finalized as 5300 – 7280. Repeating this process for each year up to 1975 resulted in the development of a chart with an average accuracy of 82%. For searches of Alto or Tenor only, the accuracy rose to 86%.
Selmer Trumpet Serial Numbers
Why is the new chart not 100% accurate? A look at the 1927 chart to the left makes the answer quite clear. As mentioned above, the 1927 range was determined to be 5300 – 7280, so the 1928 serial number range logically started at 7281. But many saxophones from 7300 to 7800 were sold in 1927. The majority of the horns in this range which were sold in 1928, but clearly not all of them. There are many reasons for this. Different distributors had different specifications, which affected delivery times. The US-Market horns, for instance, were not normally engraved, padded or lacquered in France. This meant that US-Market horns shipped earlier than others.
Bundy Cornet Serial Numbers
The more unusual types of saxophones, such as the Sopranino or Bass, were often sold months or even years later than one might expect. Individual saxophones with custom finishes or features would naturally take longer to build, thus delaying their completion date. In building as complex an instrument as a saxophone, there are many reasons why and individual sax’s completion date could be delayed by days, weeks or months.
Selmer Bach Trumpet Serial Numbers
The improved serial number chart is by no means flawless. But it’s does allow for a far greater level of confidence for Selmer owners and enthusiasts. Douglas’ ongoing primary research continues to extend the scope of the improved chart, into the Mark VII range and beyond. Douglas Pipher is a Canadian saxophonist, collector and researcher who has spent the last several years studying Selmer instruments with the goal of improving our understanding of Selmer history through primary research. He can be reached at: [email protected]