 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: michaelS
Date: 2012-05-30 15:32
Hello
Looking for some wisdom. I've come across a very nice buffet E45. Very difficult to find much info on these. The serial # is D51078. If I plug that in on the Buffet site it comes up as a 1985 E12 master model. It is definitely an E45. Anyone who can shed some light on this and also an opinion on the quality and history of the E45 I would greatly appreciate. Thanks
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2012-05-30 19:15
There is an explanation but, first of all, is your clarinet marked "Made in W. Germany" on the back?
Best regards,
jnk
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: michaelS
Date: 2012-05-30 19:30
Hello
Thank you for responding. The clarinet is stamped Made in France above the serial # on the lower joint.
Mike
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2012-05-30 21:23
Before I totally confuse you, let me give you the short answer. In the Buffet serial number list, at the time your clarinet was made, E12 Master Model was the factory designation for an E45.
Sometime in the 1980's, before your clarinet was made, there was a change in the labeling (designation for marketing purposes) of Buffet's student and intermediate clarinet models. The "table" below gives the old and new designations"
Evette became E11 (made in W. Germany and, after reunification, Germany)
Evette Master Model became E12 (made in W. Germany then Germany)
Evette & Schaeffer became E13 (France)
Evette & Schaeffer Master Model became E45 (France, now discontinued)
So, while it was made, the E45 was Buffet's highest-end intermediate model clarinet. It's predecessor was the E&S Master Model which, by the end of its model life, was a production E&S that performed particularly well on final testing.
I should probably stop here because the rest becomes quite confusing. The confusion arises because the internal factory model designations Buffet used for these clarinets are not the same as the designations used for marketing purposes. In the serial number look-up, the designation for E13 clarinets is actually E12 (and, in earlier years, the designation for Evette and Schaeffer clarinets is "Evette").
The Buffet serial number look-up only includes clarinets made in the main French factory. Thus, the model we know as an E12 is not even listed in the look-up because it was made in the Schreiber factory in Germany. (It's predecessor, the Evette was also never made in the main French factory. It was made in a separate factory in Paris for many years and then, for a few years, in Germany.)
From the late 1950s or early 1960s until the change in designation, Evette & Schaeffer clarinets had a K-prefix to their serial numbers. Roughly during the same time period, Evette models had a D-prefix. After the change in designation, Buffet retained the K-prefix for E13s but apparently assigned a D-prefix to E45s (yours is the second I've seen). I did not know that. That's why I asked if your clarinet had been made in Germany. Now that I think about it, though, I'm reminded that the company dropped the D-prefix from Evette (and presumably Evette Master Model) clarinets, either when it moved production of the Evette models to Germany or when it changed the designation to E11 (E12).
Clear as mud, right?
Best regards,
jnk
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: michaelS
Date: 2012-05-30 21:35
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. Your information was actually clear and concise. I'm very glad there are folks like you out there in the music world. My best to you.
Mike sutton
Mountainmusicsc.com
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2012-06-02 01:57
Mike,
If you found this information useful, please consider using the link at the top of this page to make a donation to help keep the website up and running.
Best regards,
jnk
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: paker
Date: 2012-06-17 20:42
JNK,
I just got an E45, also made in France in 1985 D51xxx. Your post was the only google hit with explanation. I donated $10. Thank you.
Rupert
Post Edited (2012-06-17 20:48)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2012-06-18 03:27
Hi Rupert,
I'm glad you found the info useful and that you donated to help keep this site up and running. I wish you the joy of your "new" clarinet.
Best regards,
jnk
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: bruceH
Date: 2019-02-18 23:20
But I have a Buffet Crampon e45 that does say made in w germany and which has no letters in front of the serial number. Any further insight to offer me? Thanks in advance.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
