jamiefoxer

I've been offered a Selmer Claude Gordon for $400.00.

No dings, no dents, but some noticeable finish erosion (however, I've been assured that the horn has no corroded metal). Valves are in working order and the horn is playable.

Sounds like a good deal to me, but I wanted other's thoughts.

What do Selmer Claude Gordon's go for these days, and, is it bad to play on a horn that maybe 25+ years old? Should I go for it?

Serial #001613

Can someone give me some information on this model (age, tone, quality, etc).

trickg

A Selmer Claude Gordon for $400? I'd buy it before they change their mind about the price or about selling it.

__________________
Patrick Gleason
email me at: trickg1@hotmail.com

"What we do in life echoes in eternity"
"At my signal, unleash hell."
- Maximus Decimus Meridius

Wildman

That's a BIG horn.

trickg

He doesn't have to play it, although it would probably play very well. He could hang on to it for a while and then re-sell it for profit. That's what I would do - however, he can neither play it nor re-sell it if he doesn't buy it.

__________________
Patrick Gleason
email me at: trickg1@hotmail.com

"What we do in life echoes in eternity"
"At my signal, unleash hell."
- Maximus Decimus Meridius

MahlerBrass

I've been looking for either one of the CG horns for quite some time, the only one I've found is that Selmer that's been on ebay for the past two months that seems really fishy. I'd jump on it, even if it's too big for you, you could easily sell it. Best of luck!

__________________
Music isn't a career, it's a way of life.

jamiefoxer

More info guys,

I called Selmer headquarters and inquired about the Serial Number. This is the data I got back.

It's INDEED a Selmer Claude Gordon, Model 57, made by Bach. It was last sold in August 2003 (however, this model has been discontinued for the last 5 years). It is professional quality.

I couldn't get an actual year it was made nor an estimate in price (i'm hoping some of you guys can provide that info.

And I DID buy it already (good ol' Ebay!)

I had a feeling this horn was worth way more than $425.00. You can see it here.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWN%3AIT&rd=1

Does anybody know a general price estimate for Selmer Claude Gordon trumpets? The only indicator I could find on the net showed a used CG horn for $975+ shipping, but I wasn't sure if that was a general price for the horn.

And what did you mean by "BIG" horn? Is it too large to play? I'm 5'7, 130 pounds. Is it heavy or too long to play?

I sure hope the Ebay you thought was fishy is not the one I got. Why did you think it was fishy?

The seller assured that the lacquer finish corrosion was not reflective of a corroded metal (which is bad). Either way, I'll see what I can do to repair whatever may be wrong with it. I'm thinking this trumpet is probably worth a lot more than it was sold for.

MahlerBrass

Hey there, that actually was the one I was looking at, it seemed fishy at first simply because it was up for so long, I figured with as rare as those trumpets are to find, someone would've already jumped on it, he had it listed at $600 for a long time, also, I don't recalls ever seeing an adjustable third slide ring on any modern (I know Olds had a lot of these on their horns) pro horns, though I could be very wrong, but if you called Selmer and asked personaly, then by all means, they know their horns a lot better than I do. As far as beeing a "big" horn goes, it's a .470 bore, that's a lot of tubing to fill up, it doesn't really matter what size you are, as much as how efficient you are with you air, which you'll need to be to play this mammoth of a trumpet, best of luck, I hope you like it!

__________________
Music isn't a career, it's a way of life.

jamiefoxer

i called a local dealer of Selmer and he told me that it's probably an old trumpet, given that it has the Selmer label on it (apparently, all newer Trumpets have Bach on the side). I got conflicting information. Selmer Headquarters say that the trumpet I have was "made by Bach". However, the dealer tech mentioned that only old trumpets would have the Selmer imprint on them (it does), and that it might have been before the Selmer - Bach transition.

The dealer mentioned that at its peak, the trumpet I own was worth retail $2,500. Obvioulsy, the value would go down with age, but the trumpet is a professional model and it's definitely playable. He needs to appraise to give me an estimate for the trumpet's value, but I'm sure it's above $425.00 (Heck, i'd be happy if it retained $800.00 worth of value!)

I'm not looking to sell it. I was looking for a trumpet that would be at least a step above a student model so I can learn to play trumpet and have an instrument I can use to play. For the price I paid, I'd be happy if this trumpet had at least "intermediate" level tone and sound. I'm not much for buying student models...when I bought my percussion instruments, I bought professional models and later learned how to play them and was happy to have good equipment.

If anybody has any more info on a Selmer Claude Gordon, Model 57 Trumpet, with serial 001613, I'd appreciate it. I can't seem to find a lot of more info on the internet, and the Selmer people seemed surprisingly ignorant of a lot of the details (they just gave me few info on it).

GordonH

Although it is .470 bore it has a choke in the bell to increase the resistance...

John Mohan

Hi there,

The horn in question was built around 1995 or 1996. I bought my second CG Selmer from Patty Gordon in late 1996 or early 1997 and the serial number on my horn is 001724.

With a serial number in the 001600 range, it is a good horn. There was a problem in the early days of the run when some moron working at the Bach factory took it upon himself to "correct" what he thought was a flaw in the design. These not-to-specification horns (I think from around 000300 to 000500) didn't play well unless they were rebuilt back to spec. Not sure what was changed, but some of Claude's students brought some of these horns to Claude and he hit the ceiling about it. Whatever the problem was, it could be corrected - if Claude measured the horn and found the problem. Once corrected, the horns played great, like all the other CG Selmers. Anyway, the horn in question today was built long after the problem at the factory was solved.

Anyone who thinks in terms of these horns feeling "big" because of their bore size doesn't know what they're thinking about. CG Selmers, like CG Benges, don't feel "big" when you play them. They feel open and easy. And as my students and I have found out, when playing them above High C, you practically have to aim one step low or you'll overshoot notes because of the easy upper register on them.

You've got a fantastic horn! Enjoy it!

Sincerely,

John Mohan
Freelance Trumpet Player
Former 1st Trumpet "Cats", "Phantom of the Opera", "West Side Story", "Evita", "Hunchback of Notre Dame", "Grease", etc.
14 Year Claude Gordon Student