08/24/2026
It’s been awhile since I have posted. I have been crazy busy getting marching band going, finishing up summer repairs, working on the house, and building a website!! (More on that to come soon!)
First is this Selmer Centered Tone clarinet. I absolutely love this clarinet. The way it takes air, the dark warm tone, and the quality of the wood is nothing short of beautiful. I like it so much I ordered one and it is in the process of being overhauled! It will be for sale soon!!
I also just finished overhauling a Yamaha 52 for a school district. I dont care what shape these are in do not write them off! I can take one of these from a goner to a monster for around half of what a new bari costs and it will be way more horn. There is a reason Yamaha stopped selling the 52. They are a work horse and they just keep going!!
My next two projects are Selmer altos. The silver plated 22,### alto had super dark patina when it came in. It really needed cleaned up. The quality of pads that were installed were good but the padding itself was terrible. After complete disassembly, hand polishing, and a full set up this horn plays amazingly. There is a reason the finish is so worn. This horn has been played a ton because it deserves it!
The other alto is a 46,### Selmer. This horn once it is cleaned up is going to be beautiful. It has just enough wear on it that a person won’t be afraid to play it while retaining enough of its original finish to really appreciate this time capsule. The really interesting part of this horn for me is the bell to body seam. Typically horns of this vintage would have been soldered. When I took the horn apart I noticed that there was a ton of green build up under the band that covers the seam. While cleaning up the body and the bell to solder it I couldn’t find a single sign that this horn had ever been soldered or glued for that matter! I am super excited to see how it turns out!!
