1948 Henri Selmer Paris Bb Trumpet | Charlie Melk K-Modified | SN 6732 | Made in France

1948 Henri Selmer Paris Bb Trumpet | Charlie Melk K-Modified | SN 6732 | Made in France

DESCRIPTION

Up for sale is a really interesting 1948 Henri Selmer Paris Bb trumpet, serial #6732, made in France.

What makes this one especially unique is that it predates the factory Selmer K-Modified, which came out in 1954, but was later professionally modified by respected brass technician Charlie Melk in much the same idea as the K-Modified.

Melk modified the mouthpiece receiver, first-valve slide thumb hook, valve alignment and original Bb/A stop-rod system.

So while this is not an original factory K-Modified, it is basically an earlier French Selmer that Charlie Melk later modernized into a much more practical Bb trumpet.

I jokingly call it the “C-Modified,” with the C standing for Charlie. Obviously that isn’t an official Selmer model, but it fits this horn pretty well.

HISTORY & THE K-MODIFIED CONNECTION

Selmer introduced the K-Modified in 1954 with Keith Ecker, which is where the “K” came from.

One of the issues with the earlier French Selmers was the mouthpiece receiver. They were designed around the older Selmer mouthpieces of the time rather than the standard trumpet shank most players use today.

This horn originally had that earlier Selmer receiver. Charlie Melk converted it to accept a standard modern trumpet mouthpiece, so you can now use basically whatever normal trumpet mouthpiece you want.

The original Selmer mouthpiece that fit the horn before the conversion is actually now too small for the modified receiver.

The trumpet also originally had Selmer’s old Bb/A quick-change system. The stop rod allowed the main tuning slide to be pulled to a preset position for A.

Melk repurposed that system and moved the stop rod to the third-valve slide, where it now works as the third-slide stop. Technically you could still manually pull the main tuning slide far enough to play in A, but nobody really uses these horns that way anymore. For all practical purposes, this is now a Bb trumpet.

FEATURES & SPECIFICATIONS

• Henri Selmer Paris
• Serial #6732
• 1948
• Bb trumpet
• Made in France
• Receiver stamped BB / MB / LP / 22
• MB Medium Bore
• LP Low Pitch
• Charlie Melk K-style modification
• Receiver converted for standard modern trumpet mouthpieces
• First-valve slide thumb hook modification
• Valve alignment by Charlie Melk
• Original Bb/A stop rod converted to third-valve slide stop
• Beautiful original Selmer engraving
• Very distinctive substantial bell rim and bell profile

The bell is extensively engraved with Henri Selmer Paris, Made in France, Déposé and the Selmer Grand Prix award markings. The engraving is still in excellent shape and really makes this horn stand out.

CONDITION

Good

This is a 1948 trumpet, so obviously it isn’t mint. There is lacquer wear, scratches and normal cosmetic wear throughout, especially around the valve section and contact areas.

The pistons show some visible wear, but compression is still good. The valves, slides and everything else are working as they should.

The bell is one of my favorite things about this horn. It has a really unusual, substantial rim and profile that you don’t see on most modern trumpets, and the engraving is still beautiful.

Please look closely at all of the photos. I’ve tried to show the horn exactly as it is.

PLAYABILITY

I’ve personally played this horn and it still plays great, especially for a French trumpet built in 1948.

Compression is good and everything is functioning properly.

Being medium bore, it’s also more versatile than you might expect from a trumpet this old. It would be great for older-style jazz and traditional playing, but depending on the mouthpiece you use, I could see it working for quite a few different styles.

And because Charlie Melk converted the receiver, you’re not stuck trying to find an old Selmer mouthpiece. It takes a standard modern trumpet mouthpiece.

This isn’t just an interesting old Selmer to put on a shelf. It’s still a very usable and great-playing vintage trumpet.

WHY THIS HORN

This one has a pretty cool history.

It started as a 1948 French Selmer, about six years before the factory K-Modified appeared, and was later professionally updated by Charlie Melk with several of the same ideas that made the K-Modified useful for modern players.

Between the Melk modifications, medium bore, beautiful engraving, unusual bell and the fact that it still plays great, this is a really unique vintage Selmer.

It isn’t a factory K-Modified and I’m not representing it as one.

It’s basically a Charlie Melk modified early French Selmer, or as I like to call this one, the unofficial “C-Modified.”

INCLUDED

• 1948 Henri Selmer Paris Bb trumpet, serial #6732

ABOUT ARCH CITY BRASS

Arch City Brass is a veteran-owned small business based in Columbus, Ohio.

As a lifelong trumpet player, I personally inspect and play-test the instruments I sell. My goal is simple: accurately represent each horn, disclose anything a buyer should know, and offer quality instruments that I would be comfortable playing myself.

Exceptional Instruments. Unmatched Value.

MESSAGE ME ANYTIME

Questions about the horn, condition, additional photos, measurements or playing characteristics are always welcome.

Thanks for looking!

SEARCH KEYWORDS

Henri Selmer Paris, Selmer Paris trumpet, Selmer K-Modified, K Modified, Charlie Melk, 1948 Selmer, vintage Selmer trumpet, French Selmer, medium bore trumpet, Selmer Depose, Selmer Grand Prix, vintage Bb trumpet, Made in France