 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Kenny
Date: 2000-05-20 07:30
I would be grateful if anyone would be able to tell me anything they know about the buffet festival. I understand that it is an "offspring" of the r-13 (whatever that means) but what i really want to know is how it compares to other clarinets since I am being offered a new in for about the same price as am R-13. Is it a good deal?
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-05-20 16:44
Search on the BBoard for Festival - we've had discussions before. The register tube has a slightly different placement, the keys are silver plated, and it has an auxilary Eb/Ab lever. There are other minor changes to it.
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Author: Alphie
Date: 2000-05-21 11:17
According to the same friend that I mentioned in the topic "Buffet Elite" below, the Festival is an offspring of R-13 in the sense of being cylindrical. The bore is a tiny bit wider. For the rest I think Mark covered most of it in his thread. The Festival is very popular in Europe besides the RC. It is higher in pitch (A=442) than the R-13 (A=440). I don't know if they make the Festival for the American market. If the instrument has the higher pitch it should have an "F" before the serial number.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-05-21 13:55
Alphie wrote:
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It is higher in pitch (A=442) than the R-13 (A=440). I don't know if they make the Festival for the American market.
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My son's Festival (Bb) was modified slightly by Francois Kloc - cork upper pads and a slightly different register tube than stock. The A was reamed out slightly to lower the resistance. My son's using Chadash barrels on both so I don't know if it's a 442 pitch anymore - he can tune well with American orchestras.
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Author: Ginny
Date: 2000-05-21 17:32
I am not a pro-clarinetist, but I have a festival and its very nice. I tried out about a dozen Buffets, Festivals and R13s. I strongly prefered the Festival. Mine came with two barrels and the intonation is good against a tuner. Since I play with some fixed pitched instrumentatists, with 444 pitch, the short barrel helps. There are detractors, you'll find all this if you search as Mark suggests.
I like the extra key, I find the silver to be extra work.
Which ever clarinet you get, I am sure that you'll be happy. Around our house, we always joke that Benny could have played it better using a Bundy with a popsicle stick for a reed :-}
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Author: Sara
Date: 2000-05-22 02:20
I'm far from a pro but I have a Festival too. I went through about a dozen different r13s and various buffet and leblanc models but I liked the sound and intonation of the festival the best. I got two barrels with mine too, but I have no idea why. My teacher just says that he'll explain it later and to just concentrate on the music or whatever I happen to be playing at the moment. Anyways I prefered the festival over the regular r13 b/c of the different sound, and it was well worth the extra what was it $250 more than the r13 cost.
Sara
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Author: paul
Date: 2000-05-22 14:54
Okay, I'll join in the chorus on the Festival.
Yes, it's offered in the US market to selected retailers only. It has the left hand Ab/Eb key, which comes in handy sometimes and sometimes it's a pain. If you get this horn, learn how to use this key properly. It has the polycylindrical bore and many other features of the R-13. The register key is slightly higher up than the standard R-13, the wood in unstained, the keys are silver plated, and it's definitely a pro grade horn through and through. It does cost a bit more than the R-13, but the goodies you get with it are very nice.
My Bb Festival tunes to A=440 with the "standard" 66 mm barrel (with some normal adjustment as you would expect) and A=442 on a 65 mm barrel (ditto on adjustment). The A=440 is a well recognized tuning standard here in the US. The A=442 is a well recognized tuning standard in Europe and is used in music with lots of stringed instruments and some classical music.
Make no mistake, as I mentioned above, the Festival is very much a pro grade horn. Expect to put the work into it to get the higher performance out of it. Believe me, I've had pros play my Festival and they really liked it. It has a superb touch and response in the keys. The horn is as flexible as you could ever hope to be. It can take you as far as you want to go. After much debate through my friends on this BBS, I decided to invest in an equally pro grade mouthpiece for my Festival. The money I believe was very well spent. So, consider fetching a good third party mp when you have the chance and the money to do it.
If yo want to discuss whether to choose an R-13 or a Festival off line, please email me.
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Author: Kenny
Date: 2000-05-23 10:42
Thanks everyone for your help! I've decided to take the plunge and buy the festival!!
I'll let you all know what I think in a moth's time when the shop gets a few more in for me to try. Thanks again
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