 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: ClarinetQween
Date: 1999-02-27 22:48
I recently got a Brand new Buffet Festival with an alternate Eb key. I tried out other prffessional level clarinets like the R-13 but I loved this one the most- Did I make a wise desision???
-ClarinetQween!
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Author: Albert
Date: 1999-02-28 05:40
It's a little late to be asking this question because you did already buy it. It just came down to what you liked, right? You do like it, right? Did you try the other brands (Leblanc Concerto, etc..)? I just hoped you shopped around. :o)
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Author: Ginny
Date: 1999-02-28 06:48
I recently got a Festival. It is the nicest thing I've ever owned. If you're happy and sounding good you did well. Some people just hate Festivals though.
Ginny
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 1999-03-01 00:45
You can see what Buffet says about Festival.
http://www.boosey.com/mi/bc1139.html
So,this is a big brother of R-13,which price is set very much higher.Several years ago,I was at a loss what to buy among RC-Prestage,Elite,Festival.All very expensive.The price level was Elite>Festival>RC-Prestage.Each gap was almost 1000$!Then I bought RC prestage,although I really wanted to buy a RC-Prestage before Boosey and Hawks obtained Buffet Crampon.
So,I do not know what a Festival sounds like.
cf.
1.Bore sizes:
Elite has a small bored 0.570"(14.5mm),which may try to compete with Selmer's recital, while RC-Prestage has a 0.574"(14.6mm) bore.I do not know what bore size of Festival but if it is the same basic design with R-13,it has a 0.574" bore.
2.In Japanese orchestras:
Reading Japanese wind players magazines it seems very very few professional orcestra players seem to play Elites or Festivals although after Buffet started to sell those,many bought and played.I do not know the reason.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 1999-03-01 01:21
Hiroshi wrote:
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So,this is a big brother of R-13,which price is set very much higher.
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I think, Hiroshi, that the Japanese prices are crazy! A coupkle of my Japanese friends here have RC Prestige A & Bb, and paid almost $10,000 USD for the set! The same set here in the US is in the neighborhood of $5000.00 USD. The difference would more than pay for your plane ticket (especially if you have someone in the US buy the ticket - round trip Detroit to Narita, non-stop costs about $750.00 USD here :^)
The base R13 goes for about 1800-2000 USD here, the Festival about $2050-$2200.
PS - the Festivals sound really nice. We'll see what schools my son is accepted into after playing his auditions on the Festival. I have unofficial word on his acceptance in 3 schools he's auditioned for, nothing on 2, Cleveland was today (only one undergrad and one graduate opening - fingers crossed) and Curtis in 2 weeks (one opening total - skill and sheer luck if he gets in that one!)
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Author: paul
Date: 1999-03-01 17:01
You made a great decision. Just remember, this is a highly biased personal opinion. Let me explain. I have owned a Festival since Dec 96 and I'm keeping it. It's a very good horn. Now that you are over the initial "buyer's remorse" problem, which is typical for people making such a large purchase, it's time to enjoy your investment.
Just keep in mind that this particular horn demands a lot from a novice (like me), but it can produce a fantastic tone, quick response, a smooth feel, and a very satisfying performance from an accomplished clarinet player.
The best way to learn how to get the most out of the Festival (or any other horn) is to take private lessons from a local pro. Fetch some good drill books, too. Then, work your fingers to the bone learning how to play your horn very well. That's because in the end, being happy with the art of music through the clarinet is all that really matters anyway.
With proper care and frequent playing, your Festival should last several decades, and perhaps longer than that. Here are some simple, time tested tricks you can follow to help keep your horn in great shape.
1. Don't play it in adverse weather outdoors. Don't take it from hot to cold quickly. Don't let it get wet from rain or snow.
2. Take the time to warm up the horn and to warm yourself up before every practice or performance session. Your horn will show its appreciation for proper warming up every time by playing right smack in tune for every note. You will appreciate warming up because you will be able to play longer and better.
3. When you are done with your session, swab out the horn and take a soft clean cloth and wipe down the keys. Store your horn taken down inside its case. Take the reed off the mouthpiece and store the reed in its own container inside the case. Then, store the entire kit inside where it's temperature and humidity controlled.
4. Here are some tarnish prevention tricks. Repeating part of the idea above, always take the time to wipe off your keys after playing your horn. Use a silver tarnish prevention strip in your closed case to keep the keys from tarnishing. Never store soft rubber products in the case with your horn. No rubber bands or soft pencil erasers allowed. Hard ebonite (rubber) mouthpieces that have been swabbed out are okay, but never any soft rubber in the case. Don't let a cheaper metal (such as a nickel plated ligature) touch your silver metal anywhere in the case. Believe me, these tarnish prevention tricks really work!
5. Whenever you travel with your horn, take extra precautions to lock the case and keep your eyes on the entire kit (case, horn, etc.) at all times. Don't pack your kit as luggage, because the trunk of a car isn't air conditioned, and the unpressurized baggage compartment of an airplane is often not heated. Invest a few dollars in a "gig bag" to keep your nice looking factory furnished case from getting scratched and messed up.
6. Only let pros and certified Buffet techs adjust your horn. From my adult novice perspective, this is the only way to go. In the end, it's much quicker, cheaper, and easier to let fully qualified folks do this kind of work on my horn than pay them to fix my stupid mistakes.
7. Take the time to play your Festival frequently. It's good for the horn, and it's good for you. At least 4 hours a week at the minimum, and as much as you can stand as the maximum. The horn can take all of the hard use that a pro would demand of it. However, it won't survive too long being stored in the attic.
8. Ask your home/apartment insurance company if they can cover your new horn either as part of your household contents, or as a separate "rider" to insure against all risks up to the full retail replacement price of a brand new horn. A little insurance here and there helps buy peace of mind.
9. Enjoy your new horn. When it's fun, it isn't work. When it's a passion, there's dedication. Where there is properly focused practice, there's perfection.
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 1999-03-02 00:33
I bought my RC-Prestage at 350,000 yen(converted to about 3500$s at that time).
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 1999-03-02 01:04
About a thousand less here. You could still take that plane trip and have money left over :^)
When I first lived in Japan it was 300 yen/dollar (I lived in Japan 1973-1978)
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Author: Jake
Date: 1999-03-02 02:58
I cannot locate a dealer sell Festival
in Canada, most of them have R-13 only
any one know?
Jake
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 1999-03-02 05:02
Jake:if you like to drop-in a shop and try a Festival,it may be better to clarify your place in Canada.
If you can buy them through phone,fax,and secured internet,you can buy one from muncy or woodwind and brasswind.You do not need to pay commercial tax in U.S.! If your country do not impose tariff on musical instruments.
(ex.Japan do not impose import tariff on them.)
Mark:I at last recognized one thing.I inquired Selmer Signature B-flat pricing to a internet musical shop,they replied 2019$.I doubted it because its list price is some 4500$ even in U.S.I finally it was not wrong!!(What is the meaning of list price? I wonder.)
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 1999-03-02 12:01
Hiroshi wrote:
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Mark:I at last recognized one thing.I inquired Selmer Signature B-flat pricing to a internet musical shop,they replied 2019$.I doubted it because its list price is some 4500$ even in U.S.I finally it was not wrong!!(What is the meaning of list price? I wonder.)
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List price is an arbitrary price set by a manufacturer, more in line with a "not to exceed" price. Low volume dealers will charge you closer to the list price, high volume dealers can afford to discount more.
Most car dealerships here in the US follow the same methods - there's a "Suggested Retail" price that we haggle with; however, there are dealers around who set a reasonable "no haggle" price, something like us buying the clarinet via mailorder.
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Author: Jake
Date: 1999-03-03 05:43
Hiroshi-san:
2019 for Selmer signature!!??
i have heard a famous clarinet man sell that
one for 2900 exclude their customizing
can you tell me which store is it by e-mail?
thanks
Jake
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Author: Rob
Date: 1999-03-13 18:36
Sorry! I hate the Festival myself. I tried it out and it was a BRIGHT MOTHER! There were lots of tonal problems with it too. True, the aux Eb key is nice, but if you expereinced enough with the clarinet, you should know when to use right and left at the proper times. If you are wondering, I'm a Buffet Vintage guy. It was more expensive than the Festival, but soooooo much darker and smoother than any of the other R-13s, Festivals, Concertos, etc... yours might be different, though.
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