Klarinet Archive - Posting 000305.txt from 1996/08

From: Antonio Manuel Perez <boomer@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Buffet festival
Date: Sat, 10 Aug 1996 19:53:13 -0400

Well, first off, I'd like to introduce myself to the whole group.
My name is Anthony Pere and I'm an entering freshman to the University of
Washington and hopefully be an active member of the music department
during my education there.

I myself play upon a Buffet Festival and enjoy this model very
much. There are many advantages and disadvantages I've found to it.
What I liked about it is the features that come along with it, the silver
plated keys, extra barrel, auxillary e-flat key, adjustable thumb rest and
the metal things by the cork, which I can't remember the name of it:).
I also like its ability to produce a larger sound than the R-13.

Some things I didn't like about it is it weighs a little bit more
than the R-13 which is noticable after long hours of play but isn't
really all that bad. Also I found my b-flat to be "stuffier" than normal.
I found out later that the demensions are totally differnt from the R-13.
I believe the octive key is about 5mm higher than on the R-13 and I
believe the bore is a little bite larger as well. I'm not sure but I'd
contact Buffet if you want to get the exact measurments.

Another thing I liked was the auxillary e-flat key. I found it
useful when I had to do some trills and some passage ways like in the
Debussy. But there is also a downside to the extra key. I soon
discovered an annoying clivking sound. To my dismay it was due to the
mechanism of the clarinet. In order to accomadate the extra key, the
C-sharp key is offset a little bit. What I mean by that is, my C-sharp
key hits the alternate C key when I play it.

There are a few possible solutions to that problem. What I did with mine
was put a little bit of tape of where it hits and that brings down most of
the clicking.

Before I did not know of a single person in my area that played on a
Buffet Festival, both students and professionals respectively. Not until
Sean Osborn made a return visit to his hometown to do a masterclass and
concert. He's the only other person I've met that plays upon a matched
set of Festivals and he plays on them very well!!:) He also had similar
problems with the clicking. What he did was take it into a shop and had
the repair guy take out the auxillary E-flat key. Its a great solution
but since the C-sharp key will be hitting the alternate C key, you have to
order a brand new C-sharp key which will run you an additional $130.00 to
$150.00.

All and all, I really enjoy my instrument. It has served me really well.
I would recommend it to anyone that would likes to play on a totally
different set up. :)

"There are three kinds of people in this world: Those that can count
and those that can't."
Anthony Perez - boomer@-----.edu

On Fri, 9 Aug 1996, Patrick Kwan wrote:

Hi I'm planning to purchase the Buffet Festival clarinet. I tried it and the
R-13 I think I like the festival better for some reason. Are there are pros
and cons on this model?