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by tenor562
(297 posts)
20 years ago

Selmer Soloists

I'm starting to think that Selmer Soloists are the way to go for me and my YTS62II. I've researched them, and I get all these different things, scroll shank, short shank, long shank, C*, D, E, all this stuff. What does it all mean with the shanks and the facings? I don't know anything about mouthpieces, I've never tried anything but a 4C. I'm thinking about spending around 150 or less. Should I go modern? I'm pretty sure that I might want to go vintage, I've heard they are better than the modern ones. I'll be using this piece well through my first years of high school. If you don't like the Selmer Soloists, then could you give me another reccomendation. This thing is going to go through concert band, solo and ensemble, and jazz ensemble so I need a good piece that can do jazz and concert work. I currently use a Yamaha 4C. I also have a 62II with a Robert vinson lig and V16 reeds, but I'll change the lig or reed. Any ideas? Thanks for helping -tenor562

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  2. by tenor562
    (297 posts)
    20 years ago

    Re: Selmer Soloists

    where are good places to try out mouthpieces in the metro detroit area? All I know of is wwbw, but that's 3 hours away.....

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  3. by SaxMan
    (559 posts)
    20 years ago

    Re: Selmer Soloists

    A soloist might not paly so good on a yamaha. It doesnt really play good on the III or the yanis, but the keilwerth maybe. Sound is still fine, but tunign would be a little bit funny. Scroll shank simply means that the shank has a scroll on it instead of the band that was used in the 1920's by selmer. Long shank is the regular length shank. (Which on a new soloist I think would probably be scrolled.) And a short shank, dont bother - those are just shorter and tune sharper, and dont play altissimo notes so good, not to mention, they are obsolete - not made anymore. The tips - the smallest facing I beleive is a B, though that could be for soprano. From B to G, the tips get bigger and bigger. on alto, a C* is 1.7 mm.

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  4. by jushden
    (17 posts)
    19 years ago

    Re: Selmer Soloists

    dont listen to this guy down below. the short shank soloist mouthpieces are the great vintage mouthpieces that selmer made and are very sought after. i dont think joe henderson or rich perry would play on one if they were no good.

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    1. by jushden
      (17 posts)
      19 years ago

      Re: Selmer Soloists

      you seem to know alot about selmer mouthpieces. id like to ask you a few questions about why you feel the way you do about the vintage short shank selmers. why does a short shank soloist cost almost twice as much as any long shank soloist on basically every web site that sells them? when long shank mouthpieces are sold on ebay, how come everyone bids on the short shank model? how come every great player that plays a soloist on either alto or tenor plays the short shank over the long? you are right about the tuning problems. the long shank was designed to correct that problem. i guess i just think that if the long shanks were better mouthpieces people would play them. i cant think of any players that do.

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      1. by SaxMan
        (559 posts)
        19 years ago

        Re: Selmer Soloists

        I do know a lot about selmer m/p's. The short shanks are more because there are fewer of them - they are more rare. All of my soloists are long shanks, all of my teachers soloists are long shanks - he used to play in the kenton band, and not that many great player play soloists anyways, if you look at it, the main jazzers are on dukoffs, links and meyers, the legit players on raschers, vandorens, the S-80 or 90, the LT and rousseaus. If the short shank is better than the long, then why are the new soloists ONLY availiable with a long shank. Not to mention that the altissimo on short shanks is really bad - not too sure why that is - I think it is because you have to push it on farther in relation to the chambr, effectively making the chamber shorter.

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      2. by Hardbopsax
        (2 posts)
        19 years ago

        Re: Selmer Soloists

        All I know is that Kenny Garret plays on a short shank soloist E and he sounds wonderful. Although I must admit, I rarely hear him in the altissimo range.

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      3. by altosax
        (19 posts)
        19 years ago

        Re: Selmer Soloists

        I play a Meyer 7, should I consider buying a soloist? how would it change my sound? (I play a yamaha yas 23 alto).

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