[Trombone-l] Selman Alto Trombone

[Dave Demko]

I have a lightly used Selman alto (nickel plated version) to evaluate
courtesy of Jim Battell. Here's a preliminary report, based on a good
close look at and some playing time with only one specimen of the rare
and authentic Selman.

Fit and finish: The joints are all solidly put together. I can see
small bits of solder here and there that weren't thoroughly cleaned up
after assembly. The nut holding the slide and bell together is very
difficult to thread. I have to try several times when putting the horn
together. The tuning slide doesn't align properly; it's about a
millimeter off. I can get it in place, but it's tight and hard to
move, usable but annoying. The slide is decent. I could benefit from a
setup, I'm sure, but it works as-is. On the stone (OK, on the granite
countertop, which stands in pretty well as a level stone) the tubes
are straight and not torqued. The nickel plating is nice. Overall,
this horn is a cut (or several cuts) above the proverbial Chinese junk
that's easy to break and difficult or impossible to fix.

Design: The slide lock works by rotating the entire outside of the
barrel. Even with the threads lubricated, I can't lock and unlock the
slide with a single-finger push. I have to take my hand off the slide
to grasp and turn the barrel. The slide bumpers are felt, not cork.
The braces are curved, like those on the Kuhnl & Hoyer Slokar model,
from which the Selman is copied. The horn fits comfortably in my
slightly smaller than average hand. The leadpipe doesn't seem
engineered for the horn. The fit is not snug at all. There's enough
space between the outside of the leadpipe and the inside of the inner
slide for condensation to form. I can tell that because of the water
spot and beginning of corrosion on part of the leadpipe's outer
surface. The mouthpiece receiver is visibly out of round and
mouthpieces don't fit properly. I have read that replacing the stock
leadpipe with a K&H improves this horn. From what I've seen, I believe
it.

Sound and Intonation: My opinion doesn't count for much here, as I'm
an alto newbie with no basis for comparison. With the tuner handy, I
can play the thing in tune, so I guess there are no gross acoustical
oddities. Mouthpiece size seems to affect the tone quality more than
it does on a tenor. The imperfect mouthpiece/receiver fit is probably
degrading the tone I'm getting.

Dave


On 10/15/07, t.stone at att.net <t.stone at att.net> wrote:
> Hi List,
>
> Does anyone have any first-hand experience with the Selman Alto trombone? I keep seeing these advertised on E-Bay for the Buy-It-Now price of $169.99. They look fantastic and are a bargain at that price if they play well (that's a BIG if), and if they're made well (that's another BIG if). I've searched and searched, but can't much information about them or where they are made. What I have found is just a lot of skepticism about how they play and their quality, but no first-hand reports. They are offered by a company called Great Tunes Direct located in Twin Falls, Idaho, and shipped from their location. So, does anyone own one of these and can tell  me how it plays, where it's made and what the quality of workmanship is?
>
> Tim
> Northridge, CA
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