Selmer Radio Improved Tenor 194xx

Description

The Selmer Radio Improved model was only made for a couple of years, and the total number of Radio Improved saxophones of all sizes is somewhere around 2250 total horns. To give you a sense of the comparative rarity, there are about 100 Selmer Mark VI’s for every 1 Radio Improved. They are special for a number of reasons – the keywork is more modern than the earlier Selmers, like the New Largebore, but the neck design is very similar to a Balanced Action. The tone tends to be a lot bigger and somewhat more spread compared to a BA or any later Selmer. So if you are looking for a Selmer core tone, but you are wanting a bigger, more spread, lush tone, then you will find yourself looking for a New Largebore, Super, or Radio Improved. Since I play a BA tenor myself, I naturally also gravitate towards these slightly older Selmers. They are phenomenal horns, and they remind me of the best vintage Conns in some ways, which is high praise if you have ever played a good pre-war Conn tenor. The body tube tends to be very alive and resonant even at lower volumes, and the dark, velvety spread tone also leans in that direction. Coleman Hawkins played a Selmer Super very much like this early on, if that is any help in imagining some of the tonal possibilities. Lots of modern players are seeking out these horns, and you can look around online to find many other takes on what they can do. This tone is really useful to players today because it meshes so well with a lot of modern tenor sound concepts while sounding refreshingly original.