Selmer Radio Improved Tenor 20xxx Original Overhauled

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 particular horn is original lacquer and looks great. I spent some time getting educated on what original RI-era lacquer looked like, and this is it. It’s dark, nitrocellulose, and the engraving is nice and sharp. It’s a super nice horn, and just about as clean as can be.

Structurally, this horn is in remarkably good condition, with very few things to mention. The key guard for chromatic F# is resoldered, and there were some very shallow dents removed from the back of the bow, and one foot of the Eb key guard was also resoldered. These pop off on their own on Selmers – even on brand new ones! The neck was *very* slightly pulled down in angle – like the most mild that you could imagine, and is now just as it should be, with no sign of damage at all. You would not notice most of this stuff, even looking closely in person.

This horn just got a fresh, full overhaul using a $100 set of domed brass screw-in resonators, which is what this horn really wants to have. It is an outstanding player, with a BIG lush tone that is more wide and dark than later Selmers. 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. It comes with a nice, new BAM case that is about a $400 value, because it deserves it. Grab this now, and I am sure you won’t be disappointed.