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Selmer
Model: Soloist Short Shank
Sax: soprano, alto, tenor, baritone
Material: hard rubber
Chamber:
Baffle:
Description:
Pictured is a tenor model that was refaced by Brian Powell to 0.100”.
Model: LT
Sax: soprano, alto, tenor, baritone
Material: hard rubber
Chamber: medium
Baffle:
Description: After the Selmer Soloist pieces have been out for a while, Larry Teal asked Selmer to bring back the vintage design with a round instead of a squared chamber. The LT model therefore has a medium round chamber. In can only be assumed that Larry Teal was specific about the medium chamber rather than the large chamber.
Model: Airflow
Sax: soprano, alto, tenor, baritone
Material: hard rubber
Chamber: medium
Baffle:
Description: Selmer ‘Airflow’ models were the predecessors of the ‘Soloist’ models. The shapes of the chamber and baffle are very similar to the ‘Soloist’ and it is often hard to distinguish between both models given the large variety of exterior design features.
The pictures show an Airflow alto model with a metal table.
The pictures show an Airflow baritone model.
Model: Model B
Sax: soprano, alto, tenor, baritone
Material: hard rubber
Chamber:
Baffle:
Description: The pictures show a “Table B” soprano model with silver table.
On the left is a Soloist tenor model that was refaced by Mojo Bari for baritone reeds.
Model: Jazz
Sax: alto, tenor, baritone
Material: metal
Chamber:
Baffle:
Description:
Model: Metal
Sax: alto, tenor, baritone
Material: metal
Chamber:
Baffle:
Description:
For a comprehensive history of Selmer mouthpieces please visit Theo Wanne's Selmer page here.
The pictures on the left show a Short Shank Soloist baritone mouthpiece.
The pictures show an Airflow tenor model.
Model: 1920s Selmer metal mouthpiece
Sax:
Material: silver plated brass
Chamber: medium
Baffle: low
Description: The pictures show an early (1920s) Henri Selmer metal clarinet mouthpiece that was modified to fit a soprano saxophone. Note the fluted body and the side rails above the table for a slide-on ligature. The squared table is characteristic for clarinet mouthpieces. Engraved “H. Selmer” on top and “Precisionsgarantie”
(as on mid-1925s hard rubber pieces) and “Table HS**”.
Model: Selmer glass mouthpiece
Sax:
Material: glass
Chamber: medium
Baffle: low
Description: These pictures show another clarinet mouthpiece (note the squared chamber) that was modified to fit a soprano saxophone. It is made of glass, reminiscent of the vintage Selmer Clarion crystal mouthpieces. The word “France” is stamped on the metal ring.
Model: Selmer short shank metal
Sax: soprano, alto, tenor
Material: metal
Chamber: medium
Baffle: high
Description: The pictures show a short shank metal model with nice art deco engraving on the top, and heavy fluting on the sides. The chamber is slightly larger than that of ‘Soloist’ models, and the baffle a bit higher.
Model: Selmer England
Sax: alto
Material: brass
Chamber: large
Baffle: low
Description: This odd “Selmer England” mouthpiece was likely made by the English distributor of Selmer, modeled after an Otto Link mouthpiece. It is stamped “40ff40” on top, and “ff” around the shank.
Model: 1920s (?)
Sax: soprano
Material: hard rubber
Chamber: large
Baffle: low
Description: On the left you see a vintage, probably 1920s, Selmer soprano mouthpiece with a large chamber and curved inner walls. The top is marked ‘H. SELMER’ and ‘PARIS’. The tip opening is 0.040”.
Model: Artist
Sax: tenor
Material: brass
Chamber: medium
Baffle: high
Description: The recent addition of the Selmer line of mouthpieces includes the ‘Artist’ model which features a high baffle. Available in silver-plated brass.
Henri Selmer
The French ‘Henri Selmer Paris’ company is as old as the saxophone itself, and produces some of the highest-quality saxophones for more than 110 years. In the late 1800s, brothers Alexandre (born 1864) and Henri Selmer (born 1878) graduated from the Paris conservatory with a degree in clarinet. After numerous years of repairing musical instruments, they started producing their own line of clarinets, saxophones, and mouthpieces around 1898. In 1929, the H. Selmer company acquired the original Adolphe Sax (inventor of the saxophone) company and continued to produce saxophones and mouthpieces out of this historic workshop until 1981, making them the oldest company to continuously produce saxophones and saxophone mouthpieces since the invention of the saxophone.
The pictures here show an Airflow soprano model. It is probably a second generation Airflow model from the last line of “large chamber” soprano mouthpieces.
Model: Model B Stencil
Sax: soprano, alto, tenor, baritone
Material: hard rubber
Chamber:
Baffle:
Description: The pictures shows a “Model B” alto stencil with silver table. Note the letters “TG” in the victory wreath instead of the letters “Selmer” as seen above.
Selmer mouthpieces patent from 1929.
Model: Scroll Shank
Sax: soprano, alto, tenor, baritone
Material: hard rubber
Chamber: medium
Baffle:
Description: Show here is a ‘Scroll Shank’ soprano model.
Model: Soloist
Sax: soprano, alto, tenor
Material: hard rubber
Chamber: medium
Baffle: medium
Description: Pictured here are vintage Selmer ‘Soloist’ mouthpieces. The ‘Soloist’ models are some of the most popular mouthpieces for soprano saxophone.
A modern Selmer ‘Soloist’ sopranino mouthpieces is shown here.
Soloist vs Air Flow
How do I identify whether I have a Selmer soprano Soloist or an Airflow Model?
Selmer soprano Soloists and Air Flows are not marked but have the tip opening as a letter in an oval on the table. There are three major differences:
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1)The D of the Soloist (right) is lengthwise while the B of the Airflow is across
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2)The D has a (modern) small chamber while the B has a large chamber
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3)The scroll pattern of the D is a mirror image of the B such that the B pattern is like a chain of S'es.
Shown here is another Airflow ‘table C’ model.
Model: Airflow 50th Anniversary Models
Sax: soprano, alto, tenor
Material: hard rubber
Chamber: medium
Baffle: medium
Description: To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the ‘Airflow’ model, Selmer released a limited edition ‘50th anniversary Airflow’ model. Note the brass logo inlay and the ‘H. Selmer’ signature engraving. The images of the bari model on the left show how the anniversary model exactly replicates early Airflow models from the first year of production with the brass logo insert and the ornate metal band at the shank.
These two images show details of a 50th anniversary Airflow bari model (left) and an original signature engraving on silver Selmer mouthpiece from the 1920s ( right).
