Selmer Radio Improved Tenor Plays Great! SN# 197xx

Description

Rare, desirable, beautiful, responsive, unique. You will love this tenor. The Selmer Radio Improved model was only made for a couple of years, and the tenors are particularly hard to find. They are also quite desirable because they allow you to get a Selmer tone that is unlike any other later Selmers in its breadth and smoky complexity.

These horns 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 wider more fat compared to 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 Radio Improved tenor myself ( I have two!), 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.

OK, so now for this particular one:  This horn comes from England and was originally the backup tenor of a well-known player from last generation. It is in beautiful condition. It was most recently owned by one of the best tenor players in Scandinavia, who traded it to me for a Balanced Action (he was moving slightly forward in Selmers!). This horn is just great to play. Tons of fun. See the description above, but it’s got that thing going on big time.

Cosmetically: It has the lacquer stripped from the body, and the brass has a beautiful rainbow and gunmetal looking patina. This is one of the more beautiful vintage Selmers that I have seen. The keys still have their original lacquer, giving it an absolutely gorgeous look. It has a mix of old and new pads, and really doesn’t seem to need any pad work. These pads are doing great and sealing very well, even though some of them are pretty old. I think they are just permanently sealing at this point, which is hilarious, but true. It just plays effortlessly down to low Bb at a saturated pianissimo no problem. The body tube is very alive and vibrates in your hands even at low volumes. It’s a joy to play.

I am including a new BAM Softpack tenor case in black with this horn. That is a great case ($359 value) and fits the horn perfectly. It has a shoulder strap and feels like an alto because it’s well made to be lightweight, but it very protective. If you want a different case, we can discuss options.