Selmer Varitone

The Varitone electric saxophone system, manufactured by H.&A. Selmer Inc. (commonly known as American Selmer) and introduced in 1965, was known among some enthusiasts and collectors. However, the number of surviving instruments is extremely low, and complete systems including the amplifier have never been found. As a result, details about it remain largely unknown. Its very existence was on the verge of being forgotten.

THE Used Instrument Store had acquired a complete set of Varitone tenor saxophone systems in pristine condition through overseas channels several years ago. However, the saxophone body itselfNewIt was in near-perfect condition, but the crucial electrical system had been in use for over 40 years, so only some parts were operational.
The system had been in a state of semi-retirement, but thanks to the efforts of our specialized technical staff, we have finally reached a point where full restoration is in sight and have created a special feature page.

We will present the full story of this pioneering electronic wind instrument over two installments.

This is a detailed explanation of Varitone, rare even on a global scale.

※This instrument is featured on p.083 of "PRECIOUS HORN Cafe" in SAX&BRASS Vol.10 (published by Rittor Music).

A. Selmer's Variton electric saxophone represents a bold and unapologetic "modification" applied to the American Selmer Mark VI—an instrument that still shines brilliantly in the history of wind instruments.

The base instrument is an American-made Selmer tenor saxophone from the 140,000 series. The body is in pristine condition. Naturally, it features the characteristic Selmer engraving and natural lacquer finish. The 140,000 series was produced immediately after the Mark VI underwent a minor redesign. The body, neck, and bell shape remain completely unmodified, retaining the exact same form as the standard 140,000 series Mark VI.

Minimal paint peeling and scuff marks. It may have only been used a few times, or perhaps just for inspection and operational checks. All the pads installed are still original.

The key action is astonishingly precise and responsive. It boasts rich, full-bodied low and mid-range tones alongside exceptionally clear, powerful high notes. This instrument stands proudly as a genuine Mark VI tenor saxophone.

First, the neck. This is the late-model shape, immediately after the minor redesign that included the body as a Six. It's in pristine condition, accident-free and flawless. A pickup microphone made from a new material gaining attention at the time—a piezoelectric element—is mounted on the neck. Many might wonder why a microphone was deliberately placed on the neck, such a crucial part for a saxophone. There was a solid reason for this placement (explained in a separate section on the system).

The Selmer Varitone microphone is positioned 50mm from the tip of the neck. It is fixed onto a brass base welded to the neck. Consequently, the neck cork is wound slightly shorter than on a standard saxophone. Its diameter is approximately 19mm. Including the base, the height is a mere 14mm. For a microphone of its era, it is exceptionally compact. Naturally, it does not obstruct the player's view.

The cable extending from the microphone connects to a jack welded onto the upper body via a mini plug. This plug is a plug-in type, allowing the neck to be detached and its angle adjusted freely, just like a standard saxophone.

Therefore, while the thin cable from the microphone to the jack is exposed, it passes through a ring fitted on the neck side, so it does not interfere with the octave key.

Brass rods protruding like veins along the back and sides of the body contain the microphone cable. This design concept serves both to protect the cable and to ensure that electrical components impose no constraints on the player's performance. Naturally, these brass rods are also welded during manufacturing and finished with a natural-drying lacquer coating applied to the body.

The keys are precisely welded to the body, gently avoiding the slight gaps between the tone holes and octave keys to ensure absolutely no cable interference during operation.

To ensure the cable route remains as straight as possible, the rod is slightly raised so it straddles the keyguard's legs. Just before connecting to the U-shaped tube, it is bent to closely follow the body's curve and routes along the front surface of the unit.

The controller measures 100mm in height, 60mm in width, and 35mm in thickness. It is designed to fit the size of the fixed key guard. The controller's position must absolutely not interfere with normal key operation, sound, or pitch, while still being accessible for the player to operate during performance. Compared to the smart mounting of the microphone and cables, the visual awkwardness is undeniable. However, the controller itself is lightweight, making it completely unnoticeable during performance.

The cable running from the lower rear of the body through the inner U-tube passes through the brass rod and through the ring on the bell rim connecting the bell tube. Low B, B♭It connects to the controller mounted on the key guard.

The cable running from the lower rear of the body through the inner U-tube passes through the brass rod and through the ring on the bell rim connecting the bell tube. Low B, B♭It connects to the controller mounted on the key guard.

The neck with its embedded microphone and the cable cover protruding like veins momentarily take your breath away, yet the saxophone itself remains surprisingly ordinary. There's absolutely no sign that the electrification required any special neck shape or design changes to the instrument. Any parts or cable routing that might interfere with the key action has been masterfully avoided.The weight of the controller is barely noticeable. Its operability during normal playing is exceptionally smooth and compact. The American saxophone's signature characteristics remain fully preserved. Without activating the electronic system, it produces the familiar, utterly ordinary (i.e., magnificent) sound of an American tenor saxophone.

Therefore, the key to developing the Variton lay in integrating the electrical system—including the microphone and dedicated amplifier—with the instrument itself, without compromising the highly refined qualities and characteristics of the Mark Six as an acoustic instrument.

※The following system explanation comes from Tomita, the specialist responsible for our popular column "Amplifier Wanderings"—which boasts overwhelmingly high traffic on our homepage—and who has been working day and night to achieve the full revival of this system, which had been in a semi-dormant state.While this explanation may be highly specialized and detailed for those who regularly play wind instruments, it offers valuable insights into Selmer's lesser-known achievements and is well worth reading. It should also help you understand just how revolutionary the development of the Variton was at the time.

In 1965, when H&A Selmer Inc. developed the electric saxophone, its primary concept was to "preserve the fundamental sound quality and performance of the saxophone."For example, unlike an electric guitar, it was not intended to be something vastly different from the original acoustic instrument. While enabling electrical amplification and various effects, the tone was to remain distinctly that of a saxophone. Simultaneously, the electrical functions were to impose no constraints on the player's performance. Furthermore, when not connected to electronic equipment, it was to function as a standard saxophone without any compromise.Numerous attempts were made to realize this concept, involving repeated discussions with many saxophonists.

The initial challenge was capturing the saxophone's sound for amplification. To achieve this, Jean Selmer, an engineer at H. Selmer et Cie in Paris, conducted extensive trial and error when attaching microphones to the saxophone itself. As you know, the saxophone's internal acoustic peak points change depending on pitch and playing technique, making it extremely difficult for a single microphone to capture the entire sound of the instrument.Ideally, attaching a microphone to each sound hole would have been optimal, but this proved impractical both operationally and cost-wise. Consequently, he gathered extensive acoustic samples and determined from the measurements that all frequencies concentrated at the mouthpiece and neck. Since even a few millimeters' deviation from this precise location rendered the placement ineffective, the microphone was designed not as a removable unit but as a permanent fixture, fixed to the saxophone's neck during manufacturing.

H&A Selmer Inc. then commissioned Electro Voice, a major US audio equipment manufacturer at the time, to design and produce the electronic components.At the time, Selmer UK, based in London, was manufacturing amplifiers for Selmer. However, since the amplifiers produced by Selmer UK were primarily vacuum tube models designed for electric guitars targeting rock music, utilizing the technology of Electro Voice, a specialized manufacturer of microphones and audio equipment based in neighboring Michigan, seems to have been the best choice.
Electro Voice was founded in 1927 in South Bend, Louisiana, by Al Kahn and Lou Barrows, around the same time H&A Selmer Inc. was established. Operating under the name Radio Engineer at the time, the company repaired radios and manufactured microphones, reportedly with a mere $30 in initial investment capital.

In 1930, at the request of Knute Rokney, then coach of the Notre Dame football team, the two men built a PA system to amplify the coach's voice across the stadium. Rokney called it "Electro Voice," and they changed the company name to Electro Voice.
As an aside, Knute Rockne, the namesake of Electro-Voice, was a heroic figure who boasted an overwhelming record of 105 wins, 12 losses, and 5 ties during his 12-year coaching tenure at Notre Dame University. His legendary victory over the United States Military Academy (West Point) was later made into a film, featuring a young Ronald Reagan.(Knute Rockne: All American/1940 Warner Bros./Director: Lloyd Bacon/Starring: Pat O'Brien)

Eventually, Electro Voice rose to become the top microphone brand in 1934 with the development of a noise-free microphone using a hum-baiting coil. In 1946, it moved its headquarters to Buchanan, Michigan, and expanded its business to include audio equipment, mainly speakers.Then, in the 1960s, when the world's attention was focused on space exploration, it was Electro Voice microphones that flew into space with astronaut John Glen as part of NASA's Mercury program. Meanwhile, during the heyday of Hollywood movies, Electro Voice also won an Academy Award for its movie sound recording microphones.
Selmer Varitone Thus, H&A Selmer Inc. approached Electro-Voice, which was soaring as the top runner in acoustics and microphones. The request was for the design of a microphone—conceived by Jean Selmer in Paris—that would deliver maximum effect from a single pickup point, and for the manufacture of an amplifier to amplify it.

Electro-Voice attempted to design various microphones based on Gene Selmer's concept.At the time, ribbon microphones (velocity microphones) were known for their natural sound and excellent frequency response. However, ribbon microphones had significant drawbacks: humidity was their worst enemy, and they were vulnerable to wind pressure. Therefore, Electro Voice utilized piezoelectric elements (commonly known as piezo crystals; see the piezo pickup section), a new material gaining attention at the time.This material, which detects vibrations and converts them into electrical signals, was also ideal for capturing the sound of the saxophone. Furthermore, it could be manufactured in a very compact size, approximately 19mm in diameter and 12mm thick. This allowed them to achieve maximum effectiveness with a minimal pickup point, unaffected by wind pressure or unwanted vibrations.

A controller for adjusting volume and other parameters was mounted on the right side of the thumb hook, enabling control during performance. Beyond adjusting volume, this controller allowed the player to select several tone types and use effects like tremolo, reverb, and octave (labeled OCTAMATIC).Considering that reverb began appearing in electric guitar amplifiers around 1963, this gives a glimpse of just how cutting-edge the design was.The octave function used a frequency divider with diodes to halve the input signal's frequency, blending in a pitch one octave lower. While analog synthesizers were beginning to use this technology at the time, it was extremely rare as an instrument effect. In a sense, it's no exaggeration to say it featured functionality even more cutting-edge than that of the electric guitar itself.
The amplifier section, serving as the output for all sounds, was specifically designed with a high-impedance input to handle the output from the piezoelectric elements. It consisted of a preamp and an output stage utilizing FETs. The tremolo and octave effect circuits were also integrated into the preamp section and activated by signals from the controller.

Preamp installed in the enclosure ceiling

The optocoupler in the Selmer Varitone tremolo circuit bears the name of Raytheon, a company also renowned as a defense contractor. Additionally, the rear of the headstock houses a spring reverb unit, also designed for high impedance.

This unit incorporates a spring-type reverb unit.

The main unit can be attached and detached using magnets. The output section is fixed to the bottom.

The FET used as the main amplification element.

You can see the EV (Electro Voice) logo printed on the output board as well.

In this era when vacuum tubes were still the mainstream, the output stage successfully achieved a clear, straight sound with minimal distortion and rich volume by utilizing the newly invented FET (Field-Effect Transistor). It was equipped with a single 12-inch Alnico speaker, the SRO12, considered the highest quality available at the time.

The SRO12 was a speaker model introduced around this time, featuring an output level of 103dB—3dB higher than standard Electro-Voice speakers—and boasting an incredible peak range of up to 300W, unheard of for its era.
This combination of new FET technology and high-quality, exceptionally tough speakers produces a sound that is both crystal clear and incredibly loud. Faced with saxophone tones that literally leap out at you, the sheer sound pressure is astonishing—hard to believe it comes from just a single 12-inch driver.It's unfortunate that no documentation regarding output remains, but the perceived volume is quite substantial. Considering the specifications of the power section and the speaker, it likely possesses power equivalent to modern 100W-class amplifiers. Furthermore, the growling bass when the octaver is engaged is downright ferocious, delivering a heaviness and loudness that even surpasses modern electronic instruments.Of course, when used orthodoxly, it possesses ample refinement to produce expressive, beautiful saxophone tones. Depending on the player's vision, virtually any tone shaping is possible.

Unfortunately, from a sales perspective, it cannot be called a successful model. Yet here lies the crystallization of genuine passion—a product that, in a sense, disregarded cost, featuring cutting-edge technology of the time and unsparing component selection. Selmer and Electrovoice, two companies that remain top brands in their respective fields even today, embarked on a boundary-pushing collaboration riding the upward momentum of the 1960s. That aura continues to emanate from this model.

>> Latest arrivals of great-value saxophones

Meanwhile, the saxophone's electrification was only finally accepted by the music market when it became completely separate from the saxophone itself. Starting with the Lyricon launched by the American company Computone in 1974, followed by Yamaha's WX and Akai's EWI, which acquired its patent. As you know, these are now called wind synthesizers and are used by many players.