Selman Euphoniums?

[Tubaryan12]

A search for "Selman" brought me this:

viewtopic.php?t=15664&highlight=selman

[SplatterTone]

I've not inquired about Selman horns, but with other instruments of unknown origin I've seen on ebay, I have searched through the feedback, found previous buyers and e-mailed them. Sometimes you get what appears to be useful and reasonably knowledgable replies, sometimes not. As they say: It never hurts to ask.

Sometimes horns of this nature have all the basics in place, but are a little rough around the edges. That is, you might have to work the slides and valves some to get things moving freely. My experience with horns from China has been mostly OK. Horns from India have, in the past, been more suited to somebody who is handy with tools ... which, of course, is how women should find you if they don't find you handsome.

So the big question for me is the country of origin.

[windshieldbug]

OK, I can't resist any longer...

"This IS NOT one of those Cheap Imitations of the Selman!

Features:

Durable, plush lined hard case, mouthpiece, cleaning cloths, and white handling gloves.

It is extremely popular among music instructors, schools, and our eBay customers"

[Chuck(G)]

A friend brought over one of these the other night:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Berkeleys-European- ... dZViewItem

He paid $150 shipped for it--and the case is actually pretty nice.

Here's what I found (lest someone accuse me of making this stuff up):

1. The bottom bow guard was only sporadically soldered in places.

2. The first valve slide was leaky to the extent that I could feel a nice breeze when the first valve was depressed.

3. The linkages were pretty crappy--noisy and wouldn't stay in adjustment.

4. There was still a lot of buffing compound inside the instrument, giving a "gritty" feel to everything.

That being said, it played pretty well in tune for a three-banger and was definitely made of real metal.

The fellow who bought it plays in a Balkan band, so we'll strip the lacquer (Balkan brass typically look pretty funky), resolder the loose parts, replace the linkages with Du-Bro links and give the thing a thorough cleaning.

I think he'll still have a pretty good deal after all of this. Did I mention that the case is really nice?

[windshieldbug]

Did I mention that the case is really nice?

But what about the white handling gloves?

[Chuck(G)]

Did I mention that the case is really nice?

<img src="http://www.ci.carrollton.tx.us/images1/ ... s/sack.jpg">

But what about the white handling gloves?

I'm only half tempted to get one of these things, take it to pieces then reassemble it backwards with a french horn leadpipe and sell it as a Wagner tuba to a horn player with too much money.

[Tubaryan12]

Did I mention that the case is really nice?

My daughter has an instrument with a simular case. I wish I could get one for my tuba

[Cameron Gates]

He paid $150 shipped for it--and the case is actually pretty nice.

Chuck, a few weeks ago a fellow Marine Band member bought a Selman alto trombone for $150. It is a copy of a german horn and features an oddball main tuning slide on the bell section, and crooked bracing. According to the buyer it looks just like the german horn (I wish I could remember the name). TO MY SURPRISE the horn functions well. I mean really well. After aligning the outer slides and a good degreasing the slide works very well. The inner slides look like the real deal - not poorly plated crap. Also, the finish on the brass is almost as good as the typical german instrument (MW, Mira, RUDY) in that the color buff step was attempted, but not super great. This horn is lightyears beyond the chinese stuff of a few years ago.

I must say though that the case is a piece of junk.

Cameron Gates
Washington, DC

[Chuck(G)]

The parts to the horn (not "Selman" but "Berkeley") aren't bad. The stop arms and keys were obviously nickel-plated brass, but that's a far cry from just a couple of years ago when they were pot metal. Fit is pretty good, finish is just fair and they seem to be skimping on hand labor.

So, if you're willing to put the time in for a little bit of rework, these things could be pretty good.

I was amazed to see a Berkeley rotary flugel horn being bid up over $700 a few weeks ago. So maybe the small brass instruments are getting better faster than the big ones (which take more hand labor).