 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Janet
Date: 1999-11-11 03:19
I would like to find out the value of a clarinet I have and I was wondering if someone would point me in the right direction for help.
It is a Buffet, serial no. 1P357, I think. Those are the only numbers on the instrument. I bought it from a man about 15 years ago who said he "bought it to play in band when he
was away in the war." At the time I was 12, so he appeared to me to be about a hundred years old. He paid $100 for it originally and that's what he sold it to me for.
It may have some issues affecting value: It has a repaired crack on the barrel, hasn't been played in about 6 years, was oiled infrequently durring that time, and has had 2 pins put in to keep some keys stable.
I've tried talking to music people where I live, but they can't even figure out what year it was made, let alone what it's worth.
If anybody knows someone I can talk to, or any of you have any opinions, please let me know.
Thanks,
Janet
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Author: Mark Weinstein
Date: 1999-11-11 03:54
Hi, Janet. Based upon the serial number of 1P357 this clarinet was manufactured in 1923. There is a "What year is my .." List for Buffets under the EQUIPMENT sub-heading here at Sneezy.net. While the clarinet has had some problems fixed, I don't believe that lack of play or lack of oil (of & by themselves) are "problems" that can't be overcome. <<Cracks in barrel are no big deal. They can be fixed. Many Buffet owners opt for after-market/3rd party designed barrels anyway>> Talk to a qualified repair technician if you want to fix this up. I would highly recommend Aaron Hayden, a member of the List to assist you, as can many other people here. Off the top, this instrument wouldn't have a tremendous value. However, at recent eBay auctions, clarinets like you describe have been auctioned for approx. $250-750 depending on particulars. Anyway, you've come to the right place for answers. Good luck.
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Author: Mark Weinstein
Date: 1999-11-11 04:00
Had a parat of my response not make it through to posting.
I said:
Many Buffet owners opt to purchase after-market/3rd party barrels made by well known designer/artists, amaongst others. So barrels are easy to come by depending on the sound you want and the bore of your clarinet. Also, as you mention the barrel was fixed. You may al;so be able to find a used, older Buffet barrel where the rest of the clarinet DIED. This part of your "condition narrative" doesn't have any real negative affect to my ear. I'll lkeave the restto any expert. They say that cracks through tone holes are the HEAVY stuff to concern oneself with. BUT, even that is no more than a generalization.
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Author: Ane Pedersen
Date: 1999-11-11 14:39
Hi!
Maybe this could help; there`s a clarinet repair- man in Paris called Cyrille Mercantier and he`s the nicest guy in the world. I think he can answer all you questions about Buffet clarinets. He also has contact everyday whith the factory.
Good luck
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Author: jim lande@ erols.com
Date: 1999-11-12 01:08
Most important question: high pitch or low pitch. If low pitch, I would agree with Mark on the value. (Value meaning what you could sell it for on eBay. Fixed up, it might well blow the pads off of any comparably priced student instrument.) If it is low pitch -- and sadly, I know that Buffet made low pitch instruments at least through 1930 -- than the value goes down by at least half. [[ If anyone disagrees with this, contact me off line at lande@erols.com and we can discuss a Bb/A pair of full boehm Buffet clarinets in absolutely georgous shape, wonderful tone, etc. but high pitch :( ]]
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Author: Janet
Date: 1999-11-12 14:48
Jim,
What do you mean by low pitch?
And thanks to everyone for their responses.
Janet
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Author: Dee
Date: 1999-11-13 03:53
Low pitch is our modern pitch of A=440 herz. Instruments marked as low pitch can be played in modern ensembles even if they are a hundred years old.
For a long time there was no standard pitch. It varied from country to country and even city to city. According to lists that I have seen this variance was quite dramatic. Slowly pitch standards evolved and around the turn of the century, two standards were dominant even though there still existed a range of standards. These two standards were A=440 herz and A=456 herz. The former is called Low Pitch and the latter is called High Pitch. Eventually the Low Pitch won out as the pitch of choice. High Pitch instruments cannot be played with a modern ensemble as you can't get in tune.
This variance in pitch standards is a major reason why you have to be careful and understand what you are buying when purchasing very old instruments.
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