Selmer Présence Bb/A Clarinet - EVO

Originally branded "SeleS" back in 2014 (a sub-brand Selmer created for more affordable professional-grade instruments), the Présence shares acoustic DNA with the Privilege but costs significantly less. Selmer achieves this through more automated production — CNC machining handles operations that would be hand-finished on the Privilege. The Présence was designed from the ground up for the SeleS line, not "dumbed down" from existing models. Selmer's proving that machine precision can approach hand-craftsmanship at scale. Full transparency: I had not planned to carry the Présence, but Selmer accidentally sent me two and I figured, might as well try them. Katherine and I were both surprised. It has a delightful, tight core of a sound that can fill a room. It's just a happy-sounding clarinet. (I guess that means if you're going to play something that's a bit of a downer like Max Reger, you may want something more somber. Sorry Alan Kay — while you're one of my top-ten favorite clarinetists, I'm not a Reger fan. I still love you though.) If you're cross-shopping in this range: the R13 is the industry standard — darker and more resistant. The Polaris is free-blowing like the Présence but with a darker voice. The Uebel Rêve is German-engineered with a tighter scale. The Backun Q is the boutique option — more resistant, very focused. The Présence sits in the free-blowing, brighter corner of this group. Try them side by side if you can. Resistance: 6/10, Medium In general, added resistance in a clarinet design usually keeps the louder dynamic ranges from spreading; the clarinet "holds its core" and focus, but will provide a smaller dynamic range (on both ends, loud and soft) and smaller color palette. A less resistant clarinet typically provides a much wider tonal palette to choose from, but will require more control from the player to control pitch and sound consistency. When listening for how a clarinet responds to added air pressure and embouchure control, listen to the Weber example (wide dynamic range and color range), then the Berlioz excerpt (wide dynamic range, but narrow color range), and finally the Gershwin excerpt (narrow dynamic range and narrow color range). You will hear how these clarinets respond — for better or worse! — to my input as a clarinet player.