Selmer Reference 54 Kookaburra Alto Sax

Description

Selmer Reference 54 Kookaburra Alto Sax

Rare Selmer Reference 54 Kookaburra Alto Sax in very good condition. This limited edition reference 54 dates from 2006 and comes supplied in its original Kookaburra case and with the original Kookaburra cleaning cloths.

In 2005, Selmer Paris debuted a special “bird” series of saxophones, to commemorate the life of Charlie Parker (2005 being the 50th annivesary of his death). A total of 5 series were produced over 7 years, each with unique engraving. This here is an rare example of the 2nd series from 2006, The Kookaburra.

The ‘Reference’ range has emerged out of the accumulated experience gathered over the course of one century of instrument making and an ongoing exchange with the musicians of legend who played the ‘MkVI’ and ‘Balanced Action’

The ‘Reference’ design integrates acoustic and mechanical characteristics from the most celebrated Selmer Paris models, in instruments which benefit from today’s manufacturing techniques.

The reference 36 develops a rich tone, open, in the spirit of the ‘balanced action’ which was launched in 1936

The reference 54 readopts the design of the MkVI dating back to 1954

This instrument is being sold on commission and our normal guarantees do not apply.

“The saxophone was developed in 1846 by Adolphe Sax, a Belgian instrument maker, flautist, and clarinetist born in Dinant and originally based in Brussels, he later moved to Paris to establish his musical instrument business. Prior to his work on the saxophone, he had made several improvements to the bass clarinet by improving its keywork and acoustics and extending its lower range. Sax was also a maker of the then-popular ophicleide, a large conical brass instrument in the bass register with keys similar to a woodwind instrument. His experience with these two instruments allowed him to develop the skills and technologies needed to make the first saxophones. As an outgrowth of his work improving the bass clarinet, Sax began developing an instrument with the projection of a brass instrument and the agility of a woodwind. He wanted it to overblow at the octave, unlike the clarinet, which rises in pitch by a twelfth when overblown. An instrument that overblew at the octave, would have identical fingering for both registers.” – Wikipedia