As is general with a lot of the Selmer horns, there are a variety of revisions in each model. This can be as apparent as the appearance of the "teakettle" octave vent on the Balanced Action horns, or as subtle as the differences described in the following e-mail from SAXTEK:

"... First there's the Modele 22, and then the Modele 26, which look the same except for the early 22's with no side Bb tone hole. The next Selmer was called the 'New Largebore', according to former Selmer employee Ralph Morgan. This horn really looked like the Modele 26, with the same octave mechanism, but it was a drastically different saxophone with a completely different bore. You need a micrometer to see the difference, but since the bore really defines the saxophone, this was a really new horn.

"The 26's and the Largebores both had the characteristic Selmer sound, and the small bore 22's and 26's were plenty loud enough, but the Largebore could be described as the start of the modern Selmer. The Largebore still lacked the Super's beautiful, sculptured neck receiver that held the neck screw and the lyre screw. The Largebore's lyre holder was a separate piece, like on the Modele 26. The bridge piece was like the bridge on the Cigar Cutter that followed later. They generally didn't have a wishbone shaped back guard like on the 'Supers'. The first alto I ever played was my father's New Largebore, and I'd like to get it back today. I suspect that there was little difference from the Cigar Cutter as far as playing characteristics.

"The eBay horn, s/n 13xxx, is incorrectly identified by the owner as a 'Cigar Cutter': it doesn't have the characteristic Cigar Cutter octave mechanism that inspired the name. It's probably a New Largebore, but it does have the V shaped guard on the back that I thought came only on the 'Supers'. Notice the older style neck receiver with the separate lyre holder. [The lyre holder difference is very apparent in this comparision pic of a New Largebore, Cigar Cutter and a Super - PJT]

"After the New Largebore came the Selmer 'Super' saxophone. As with other Selmer models, this was a blanket term that actually covered more than one horn. Many 'Supers' are Cigar Cutters, a name not actually officially used by Selmer. (I once heard a story that Selmer discontinued the 'Cigar Cutter' octave mechanism because it violated Buescher's patent on their improved octave mechanism. That's hard to believe, because the Selmer mechanism didn't look at all like the Buescher. Too bad, because the Cigar Cutter octave mechanism was completely dependable. If all the corks fell off, it made noise, but it still worked.)

"The next 'Supers' introduced the octave mechanism with the 'rocker' that looked like a tiny teeter-totter. Selmer has made several modifications to this idea, but it still exists on the newest Selmers, and it is the most copied mechanism in saxophone history. The photos of my 1719x horn show the first rocker-type octave mechanism. The ends of the rocker are tiny gears that mesh with the other parts of the mechanism, resulting in perhaps Selmers finest and most foolproof octave mechanism. There were no corks except on the thumb and under the octave spur, and no tubes except where the spur contacted the neck octave key. The mechanism was silent, with no sloppiness and no 'mushiness', and it was a work of art. This horn is finished in burnished gold [looks silver in photos. I might retouch 'em at some point in the future - PJT], and the engraving (lots of it!) features butterflies. I hope you like it."