Klarinet Archive - Posting 000143.txt from 1995/01

From: CLARK FOBES <reedman@-----.COM>
Subj: Fwd: Buffet
Date: Mon, 9 Jan 1995 03:04:54 -0500

---- Begin Forwarded Message

To: reedman@-----.com
From: dm@-----.com (Daniel Miller)
Subject: Buffet

Clark,

Boosey & Hawkes became aware of a recent post you made to the Klarinet
list. In fact they asked me to post a message from them in response.
Before I post it to the group, it seemed only fair and a courtesy to let
you see the post first. Please e-mail me after you have a chance to
review
this. .........Dan

On December 10, Clark Fobes wrote:
Before I make any comments I want all to know that I am a successful
authorized Buffet dealer and that I perform on a pair of Prestige R-13
clarinets. There, disclaimer made take the following for what you will.

Regardless of the hype around the new Leblanc clarinets and any
conclusions I have made regarding their suitability for me, I think that
Leblanc's attempt to gain market shares has had a very positive effect
on the clarinet industry in general.

The acceptance of Leblanc clarinets by some major players has caused
many people to start looking at the possibility that Buffet's huge
shadow may be eclipsing other good clarinet makers.

There are several up and coming makers in the world that are starting to
be
taken seriously. The English maker Peter Eaton has a very
distinguished proponent in this country, James Kanter. Jim is THE
clarinetist of choice in the LA studios and his playing is probably
heard by many more people than any orchestral musician. Luis Rossi who
makes clarinets in Santiago is becoming very popular in Latin America,
Europe and is becoming known in this country.

Another positive effect is that Buffet is not sitting on their laurels
either. Recently I was able to spend several hours with the head
acoustician from Buffet, Rene Lesieux. He had a prototype of a new R-13
that played superbly. This new instrument retains the poly-cylindrical
bore, but the nominal bore is slightly smaller and the reverse cone of
the upper joint is shorter than before. Also the register tube has been
moved toward the mouthpiece about 1 mm to improve the intonation of the
upper left hand. Several tone holes have been moved slightly and
enlarged for better sonority. I was very impressed with this instrument
and I hope Buffet will take it into production. If they do we will
probably see them in about 18 months. Rene hopes to apply some of the
design to the R-13 A clarinet, which does (in my opinion) need some
serious attention.

I am a Buffet fan. I make no bones about that, but the relative low cost
of these mass produced clarinets, their general high quality and
Buffet's monolithic stature in the industry has discouraged individual
makers. Competition is good for the market place. I hope that we are on
the edge of a new era of innovation in the clarinet world

Clark W Fobes

The following message was faxed to me from Boosey & Hawkes/Buffet
Crampon.
They asked that I post this to the Klarinet list. Apparently they were
made aware of this recent posting regarding their company. .

The following message is word-for-word from Mr. Taylor's fax of December
19:

I find it quite remarkable that Clark Fobes or anyone not directly
involved
with the Buffet Crampon company would make a public statement about what
the company may or may not do with their clarinets eighteen months from
now. Yes, Buffet is involved in clarinet research and development.
They
have been since 1825 because they care very much about the future of
woodwind development. However, rather than speculating on *future*
marketing moves of Buffet with a product that has yet to be refined and
is,
in fact, only in the developmental and testing stage, why not focus on
their current marketing efforts for the revolutionary Green Line?

Serious Buffet dealers, artists, addicts, etc. are totally blown away
by
the concept and production of the Green Line. In view of the recent
efforts of the CITIES convention in Washington DC to include Grenadilla
wood on the endangered species list, Buffet's Green Line will
undoubtedly
change the way we think about woodwind manufacturing. It isn't a
question
of "if" but rather an issue of "when" we will be faced with legal
restrictions on the use of Grenadilla wood. Buffet has wisely postured
itself as the world leader in woodwind technology, not just in creating
an
annual plethora of new clarinets with this do-dad or that gizmo or a new
bore alteration (which Buffet happily does for their professional
artists),
but in taking a broader view of the future and in facing the demands of
the
future today.

It's easy to agree with Clark Fobes that competition is good for the
industry. That's a general statement that applies to almost any
industry.
But I take strong exception to his view that Buffet has discouraged
individual makers. In point of fact, Buffet encourages the keenest
competition in the world by setting the highest standards in the world.

Brent E. Taylor
Boosey & Hawkes/Buffet Crampon
Fax (708) 816-2514

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+OK

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Mesages forwarded by Clark W Fobes Reedman@-----.com

   
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