 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: coasten1
Date: 2005-07-27 15:37
Hi all,
Just looking for opinions. I live near a Sam Ash music store and they advertise a special made to order Buffet exclusive to Sam Ash stores. I was in the store yesterday and spoke with a couple of the employees and asked about the clarinet. Basically it is an E13 body with R13 barrel and bell. It also has the left pinky Eb lever and an adjustable thumb rest.
Sometime down the road I want to try the clarinet and see how it compares to my Yamaha Allegro. The cost of the Buffet is $999.
Any comments?
Tony
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Author: hartt
Date: 2005-07-27 18:19
irrespective of where made, it's a 'put together' clarinet for $1,000 + tax.
included is a stock R13 bbl.....for which you, like many, may end up replacing with a Fobes, Moennig, Chadash, etc......for an additional $125-150.
Eb lever key ?...ugh
Perhaps you can find a decent used R13 and have a full o/h done for the same price......or, as you mentioned, try the Yamaha.
dennis
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Author: Bob A
Date: 2005-07-27 18:25
Bradley, in part you said the sales folk,
"were trying to make it something it's not- a professional clarinet."
I've always wondered about the snobbish R13 people. How much "R13" would have to be added to qualify it as being a "professional" instrument? If Tony Pay were to play this instrument, would that qualify it as a professional instrument? I've got an old B&H2-20, cleaned up and reconditioned. If Tony, or some other card carrying member of the local were to play it, would that qualify it as a "professional" instrument?
Define please.
Bob A
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2005-07-27 20:47
Bob: The good parts of the R13 would have to be added, i.e. the parts where your left and right hands push keys. That's the only part of my clarinet that is still R13.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: clarinetmaniac101
Date: 2005-07-28 01:26
Hi,
My name is Rashad and I tried the exact clarinet out just like two days ago and it is not worth the money trust me you will be better off getting the R-13 clarinet, the clarinet you are talking about does not respond with the ease like I want it and it was just not what I was looking for so I realy REALY would not recommend the clarinet you are thinking about purchasing.
Rashad
*clarinet
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Author: msloss
Date: 2005-07-28 01:54
Disclaimer -- I am a Buffet dealer.
I'm not going to express an opinion one way or the other on this one. I will just point out that $1,000 is a far cry from the price of a new R13. As with any make, including Yamaha, Selmer, Leblanc, and others, there is a you-get-what-you-pay-for factor. In this case, you get 1 kilobuck worth of clarinet for 1 kilobuck. You have to judge it in that context.
Used is certainly a reasonable alternative, but many people don't want the hassle of trying to find the right used instrument at the right price, and possibly have to get it worked on to make it playable. The beautiful thing is that there is an alternative for just about every interest, need and desire at every price point. You go, you find what your choices are within your budget, you try (or have a pro try for you), you buy.
In the end, nobody here can spend your money for you and nobody here has to live with the decision post-purchase but you.
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2005-07-28 04:22
With the plethora of aftermarket tuning barrels for Buffet R-13's --including some provided by Buffet itself, one could imagine that they are not the most desireable part of an R-13.
So, if the R-13 barrel is a turkey, what is its value to a kilobuck Buffet "semi-pro" instrument?
OR, what is an E-11 barrel like?
Bob Phillips
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Author: BobD
Date: 2005-07-28 13:44
....and if you bought it and then wanted something better who would want to buy a used "Sam Ash Buffet"? New E-11 buffets go for around $550 and are recognized as a decent horn....and that's half the price of what you're looking at. A new clarinet for $1,000 is sort of a never never land, in my opinion.
Bob Draznik
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2005-07-28 13:52
This makes me wonder what will happen to the Buffet brand. We know that the more expensive Buffets were made in France by Buffet, and the cheaper ones by Schreiber in Germany. That was fine when both companies had the same owner.
But now Buffet is independent again. Will they start making the cheap Buffets in France? Will they still contract them out to Schreiber, even though it's an entirely separate company? Will Schreiber cut the link with Buffet and start making Boehm clarinets branded as Schreiber? Or is it the case that Schreiber can use the Buffet brand name without paying royalties to Buffet (unlikely, I would think)?
Bradley, you wrote "it's made in Germany I'm pretty sure". Why did you say that? Is it marked with its country of origin?
-----------
If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2005-07-28 14:22
I have tried the Buffet Limite that Buffet makes for the Brook Mays Music chain, and have to agree that it is not as good as the R-13 when played side by side on an extensive testing situation. The Limite is more expensive than the Sam Ash model you mentioned (I think it's about $1,795.00 as the SA mentioned was $1,000.00). True, the Limite came closer to the R-13 than probably the SA does, but still the R-13 was worth the extra $300.00 for me.
Another thing I've found in my 46 years of playing and owning clarinets (lost count of all I've owned over the years), the Buffet R-13 remains a work horse in the arena. There are lots that are more expensive and lots that are less expensive, but it stays very near the top as a choice for students, semi-pros and pros.
I thought Buffet's quality would drop when they sold out to the Music Group, but the last Buffet I bought for myself was in October of this year and it is a really good instrument. I've also play-tested many Buffets this year (including 3 greenlines) and found them to be an over all good choice.
As with anything, finding a good one is a matter of patience and time.
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2005-07-28 14:52
I just noticed that our friend and sponsor of the bboard, Walter Grabner, is a Buffet dealer. That's good news because he's so conscientious about his work and will set them up before sending them out to you. If you're looking for a really good Buffet R-13, I'd think about getting one from him. His price is reasonable as well.
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Author: kal
Date: 2005-07-28 17:25
Re: Brook Mays' Buffet Limite
I just ran across a BM flyer that came in last sunday's paper in which the Limite is listed at $1899. Funny thing is, the Buffet name is nowhere to be found... is it supposed to be some sort of secret? Every other horn on the page has the brand name and logo prominently displayed (including the C13), but the Limite is described simply as a "clarinet".
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Author: The Doctor ★2017
Date: 2005-07-28 18:24
Nothing against Brooks Mays ($1899 price) but I have been auditioning R-13's from WWBW for students near the same price. Local music stores will also come close in negotiated price - before the beginning of the school year when new shipments at higher prices arrive.
L. Omar Henderson
Post Edited (2005-07-28 18:26)
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2005-07-28 21:07
I auditioned 3 Greenline R-13s from wwandbw at $1,929.00 each. I found one really, really nice one. If you call them you get a better price than shown on their website.
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Author: Bob A
Date: 2005-07-28 21:30
Bradley, I guess the marketplace rules. Never buy something that has a limited resale value even though it just might sound better,(or as good in your opinion) plays better, feels better. "R13 Rules".!! !Ugh, So much for us poor folk.
Bob A
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Author: coasten1
Date: 2005-07-31 21:15
My Yamaha is an Allegro model. It is a hybrid. Advertised with qualities of their professional line at a more affordable price. At the time, only authorized Yamaha dealers could sell them. I don't know if they are still made. I did have the horn overhauled by the Brannens and Linda (not seeing one before) said it was a nice horn. It had a good sound and it played well.
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