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Selmer Modèle 26 - an ongoing study

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#1 · (Edited)
Selmer Modèle 26 - an ongoing study

For this study, I am hoping to gather information on any Selmer sax stamped with "Modèle 26"
I am looking for the following information:

Full Serial Number:
Type: (Alto, Tenor etc)
Finish: (Silver, Gold, Lacquer, 2Tone etc)
Distributor Stamp: (Elkhart, London, Toronto, Montreux, none, others?) - *1
Body Number?: (below the low D key)
Extra keys?: (High D trill, Low Eb trill, G# trill) - *2
Front Altissimo F key?: (Yes / No) - *3
Gold Plate in bell?:
Engraving?:
Special Features?:

Photos are always welcome.

I do NOT need to know where the instrument is located or who owns it.

Thanks to everyone willing to help
Douglas Pipher
Toronto, Canada

Notes:
*1 On US horns, earlier stamps say New York and, around 6500 this switched to Elkhart
*2 Horns may have these keys in any permutation. It appears that they could be ordered individually.
*3 This key also appears to have been an optional extra at this time.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Re: Selmer Modèle 26 - an ongoing study

Some current findings based on observations to date:
Observed Number Range: 4334 to 8128 *
Observed Examples: 187
Total Production Size: approx. 3,500
Observations as percentage of Production: 5.2%

Observations by Type:
Sopranino: 6
Bb Soprano (straight): 31
Bb Soprano (curved): 3
Alto: 117
Alto Low A: 1
C Tenor: 1
Bb Tenor: 22
Baritone: 6
No C Soprano, Bass saxes observed

(updated May 13, 2017)

* Note that the Modéle 26 range overlaps the Modele 22 range
(for which I have observed examples up to #4882. This appears to be due to different types switching over at different times.)
Also, the Modele 28 range (observed in Altos only) appears to fit within end of the range as well. (observed Modéle 28s from 7062 to 8015)
 
#3 · (Edited)
Re: Selmer Modèle 26 - an ongoing study

Body Number stamps started to appear around serial number 6,000.
The earliest observations of body numbers are simply the letter A (which I have only seen on Altos) By around 74xx, I am seeing 4 digit numbers, sometime with a single letter suffix.

These body numbers appear on all types except Sopranos and Sopraninos.
They continue up until early Balanced Action horns on Alto, and until late Balanced Action horns on Tenor. I am unsure of when they stop on the Bari and Bass.

Update Apr 28, 2016 - Earliest observed example with a body number is in the 70xx range.
 
#5 ·
Re: Selmer Modèle 26 - an ongoing study

Thanks Oric. When you get a chance, could you please take a look below the Low D key and let me know if there is anything there? Either a number or a letter "A" or nothing at all.
Also, your saxophone #6516 is missing from the Selmer Archives, so you have helped to re-find a "lost" horn ... thanks so much.
Interestingly, your serial number is in the middle of a batch of Sopranos (including a pair of Sopranos with the serial number 6517, one bare brass horn sent to London and a Nickel plated one sent to Montreux)
 
#8 ·
Re: Selmer Modèle 26 - an ongoing study

The Low A horn was a special order for South American saxophonist Ladário Teixeira. Not only did it have a low A, but it also had several other custom keys as well. I have only seen photos of one example, but it appears that six of these "Ladario" horns were built between 1926 and 1934.
 
#9 ·
Re: Selmer Modèle 26 - an ongoing study

The Low A horn was a special order for South American saxophonist Ladário Teixeira. Not only did it have a low A, but it also had several other custom keys as well. I have only seen photos of one example, but it appears that six of these "Ladario" horns were built between 1926 and 1934.
Incredible! Are there pictures anywhere online?
 
#12 ·
Re: Selmer Modèle 26 - an ongoing study

Don't always go by Selmer serial numbers. I had and am sorry I sold it a 1930. New Largebore. Most Selmer numbers call this horn (10,XXX) a Cigar Cutter, I learned from much digging in that Selmer did not even make Cigar Cutters for Tenors ! With the exception of a very few which was sold to the British Market. The Modele 26, was called the Pea-Shooter, because it's neck was smaller than the first really Pro SElmer horns, the New Largebore. There was a lot of overlaps in serial numbers in those early days,
Bruce Brennan
 
#13 ·
Re: Selmer Modèle 26 - an ongoing study

Thanks for your thoughts Bruce. I am guessing that when you say "don't go by Selmer serial numbers" ... you mean ... don't go by the existing online serial number charts. If that is what you mean, then I completely agree. I started this series of threads precisely because of the inaccuracy of available serial number lists. I am only interested in first-hand observations in an attempt to correct much of the well-intentioned misinformation out there.

Cigar Cutter octave mechanisms were available on the Tenor from approximately 171xx to 183xx, mostly in the British Market, but also in the Euro market (but, based on my observations, not in the US market). Production of Tenors in this range was approximately 350 units, of which about 200 were destined for the US Market. So, there were likely no more than 150-160 Tenor Cigar Cutter Supers manufactured. But this is a Modèle 26 thread, so I'll return to that topic.

The Modèle 26 seems to have some overlap among different types at the beginning of its run, as I noted above in post #2, and also overlapped with the Modèle 28 at the end of its run. Since the Modèle 28 appears to have been made in Altos only, if we look at the other types, there is virtually no overlap between the Modèle 26 and the Largebore.
Also, if we look only at Altos (see list below) we can see that there appears to be no overlap at the 22/26 juncture, and the 26/28 production appears to end at virtually the same time. (within 63 numbers of each other)

Alto observed production (based on 208 observations, or about 6% of total production)
Modele 22: #1179 - #4300
Modèle 26: #4334 - #7951
Modèle 28: #7062 - #8014

So, with respect, I disagree with your statement that there was a lot of overlaps in the early days. The overlaps appear to me to be much greater in the Mark VI / Mark VII / SA80 range than the pre-war horns.
 
#14 ·
Re: Selmer Modèle 26 - an ongoing study

Two Modèle 26 Altos added, one from an Auction House archive in England, and one from ebay Australia.
Based on current observations, Alto production appears to be 61% of the total.

(post #2 above has been updated with these two observations)
 
#24 ·
Re: Selmer Modèle 26 - an ongoing study

Thanks Paul ...

There are three other C Tenors that appear to have been in the same production batch as your horn, but none of them have the low A.

I have a couple questions about your horn if you don't mind.
1) Does it have the Front F key? (only one of the other three are listed as having this key)
2) Does it have any of the optional trill keys?
3) What is the finish on your horn? (two of the others are Silver with gold wash bell and one is Nickel)
4) Is there a distributor bell stamp on your horn? (Elkhart, London ... other?)
5) Would you be willing to share the body number of your horn? (under the low D key ... I don't have body numbers for any of the other three)
6) I'm sure I'm not the only one wondering if you would share a photo of this horn ... I know I'd certainly love to see one.

Sadly I do not have any production info on your horn but the other three, even though they have consecutive serial numbers, were sold in Oct 1929, Mar 1930 and May 1930.
Based on the production date info I do have for that period, I can tell you that the earliest production date for any horn in the 10,9xx range is June 1929 ... so I think it is reasonable to suggest that your horn was built in 1929 at the earliest.
 
#25 ·
Re: Selmer Modèle 26 - an ongoing study

1) There is no front F key
2) No optional trill keys (I have a modele 28 alto with those)
3) Silver with gold wash bell
5) I could not find a body number under the low D key
6) Happy to send pictures, but I have not been able to upload pictures to saxontheweb. Send email address and I will send.

Paul Cohen
 
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