 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: wiclarinet
Date: 2011-01-17 05:13
So, what's the deal with it? Is it being produced? Has anyone played one?
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Author: Ralph
Date: 2011-01-17 14:23
To the chagrin of the official Buffet Crampon USA organization, a business from Denmark (Lohff & Pfeiffer) had an Eb Tosca on display at their booth at the ClarinetFest in Austin back in 2010. This business is one of those that apparently purchases new Buffet clarinets and upgrades the mechanism, pads and things like that. The official Buffet Crampon USA booth did NOT have an Eb Tosca available to display.
I played the Tosca Eb for just a short while but could not discern any major differences between the Tosca, the R13 Eb, and the RC Prestige that were also on display at the event.
It makes one wonder what the demand for eefers is and whether it can support the level of product segmentation that Buffet provides. Perhaps Buffet intends to move the market more upscale by offering the Tosca and potentially eliminating one of the lower priced models.
Ralph
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2011-01-17 14:50
Whatever it is, they've got to price it really high, or you Buffetophiles won't think it's any good and won't buy it.
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Author: gsurosey
Date: 2011-01-19 15:39
My eefer is an ancient Bundy (3,xxx) and I rather enjoy it. After I pull the bell about 1mm and the barrel 1mm-2mm (it's a 40mm barrel), the intonation is great as are the 12ths.
Rachel
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Author: NBeaty
Date: 2011-01-19 19:08
And soon you will read posts saying "it's just another expensive Buffet..." yada yada yada.
If you like the tosca Bb\A, it's worth checking out the Eb. The price difference between a prestige RC and a Tosca is not large. No one seems to have had problems with the RC prestige price point, so the Tosca should fit in just fine.
Whether there's demand for another 6K Eb is perhaps up in the air.
The idea that Buffet's many years of success and acceptance in the professional world means that they're crooks or are trying to scam you out of something because they cost a lot of money is not really valid. They are the standard and have been for many years while other companies were producing sub-par instruments. There's no conspiracy at work, they've just got a longer track record of superior products than most other companies.
No one should scare someone into buying a product or favoring a brand. I don't think the majority of Buffet owners were pressure into buying Buffets. Selmer, Leblanc, Yamaha, and others have their own professional models that have been seen, tried, and heard by many and the fact that a large population of the clarinet players will still buy Buffets is a testament to the product they produce.
At the end of the day, the Tosca clarinets have been widely successful at a high price point (for clarinets anyway) in A and Bb. No real innovations had been made in Eb clarinets by Buffet in a while (not to my knowledge anyway), so why not produce a Tosca model in Eb? They've had no problems selling the Bb\A models.
(P.S. I don't play Toscas and if I were buying new clarinets that wouldn't be the model I would be rushing to. I would also consider other makers if their particular instruments suited my playing style and sound concept).
RECAP to OP:
If you play a lot of Eb and have Toscas in Bb\A (or like them at least), the Tosca Eb would be something to look at. And yeah- it's expensive...
P.P.S. The Company in Denmark does AMAZING work with the instruments they service.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2011-01-19 19:25
NBeaty,
Just out of curiosity, which companies "were producing sub-par instruments" for many years while Buffet was producing "the standard" ?
How many reports have you read about cracking of new, expensive Buffet clarinets? I've seen quite a few here on the BB.
I don't believe Buffet is doing anything wrong, in fact I commend them on their marketing savvy. My gripe is with PLAYERS who have deluded themselves into thinking that (a) there is only Buffet, and nothing else will do; and (b) the more expensive the instrument, the better it is, by definition.
End of rant; back on topic. My apologies for going off-tangent.
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Author: Bob Barnhart ★2017
Date: 2011-01-19 19:57
I played Eb for the San Diego Symphony for about 10 years (many years ago), mostly on a Buffet R13 that is now perhaps 30 years old. A friend of mine recently bought a new R13 Eb and asked me to test it for her. It played much like mine, but was a bit nicer in almost every regard (although perhaps an overhaul of mine would bring them into parity). It was certainly a fine instrument and would not impair ones ability to play any Eb part of which I'm aware.
While one may find a better instrument for more than the roughly $3500 this one cost, I would be surprised if the improvement was necessarily worth the money.
On the other hand, I have played the Fobes Eb extension and IT IS a very cost-effective way to improve the playing characteristics (and, IHMO, the tone) of this little beast.
I might also take an opportunity to recommend the Redwine Eb mouthpiece. I played a 5RV for several years, then a Kanter and recently switched to the Redwine (Zinner, 1.05 tip). The Redwine has great intonation, response and allows me to achieve a big, round sound.
I haven't played a lot of Eb models, but I would be happy playing on the R13+Redwine+Fobes combination and save the $$ for another instrument (for me, perhaps a bass-clarinet).
Bob Barnhart
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Author: NBeaty
Date: 2011-01-20 03:23
David,
No doubt people played other brands besides Buffet in the 20th century. I'm not going to list off makers and models which I would consider sub-par to an average R13. My point is that Buffet has enjoyed immense popularity with clarinetists for many decades and it's been many the last 20 years or less that other makers have really hit their stride to compete.
I agree that people should not just go find the most expensive and popular clarinet when looking for the "best" clarinet. There are many that are fine instruments and are accepted and used by many. You don't have to like Buffets to see that they've been very popular for a very long time above many other makers.
-Nathan
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