 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: ker139
Date: 2006-04-27 01:05
I have a used Buffet Clarinet that was bought for me in High School. I am trying to find out what maodel it is.
It is Plastic (I believe) has a serial number of 293414 (on both the upper and lower pieces of the body). Above the serial number on the loewr piece it also says "Made in W. Germany". It also has markings on the mouthpiece:
P16.5
116
The logo is also on the mouthpiece.
I tried a serial number search on the Buffet website and I get nothing!
Any info you have would be great.
Thanks
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: pewd
Date: 2006-04-27 05:06
most likely its either a B10 or a B12
the markings on the mouthpiece have no relevance to the make or model of the instrument - mouthpieces are interchangeable
when was high school - how old is this instrument?
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: pewd
Date: 2006-04-28 01:22
b10's have no metal ring on the bell, and b12s do.
b10's have valentino pads, and b12's have traditional double skin bladder pads. valentino pads are a type of plastic - they look like stryofoam.
B10 - body rings are made from black plastic
B12 - body rings are silver plated plastic
at least that's how they are today - not sure about 9 years ago. i think the b10's are a more recent design than b12's but my memory's fuzzy on that point.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-04-28 12:32
The Schreiber-made 'Evette' ones (both in wood and plastic) were the only ones that had 'Made In W. Germany' on the back when sold over here in the UK, then when they became the Buffet B12 in the mid '80s they just had the Buffet logo on the barrel, top joint and bell (and mouthpiece, cap and lig), and no country of origin.
Maybe in the US it is or was a legal requirement to have the country of origin stamped on instruments.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: clarnibass
Date: 2006-04-28 13:10
I assume you meant you bought it second hand during highschool? Since it was made in west Germany it was made before 1989.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2006-04-28 22:18
While it would be nice to be able to verify the date of manufacture of your clarinet, I think it's almost certain you have a B12 from the early 1980's. If you look closely beneath the logo on your upper joint, you may be able to see (at least the remnants of) a B12 imprint. There may have been a period of time after Buffet changed the designation from "Evette" to B12, when the model i.d. was not stamped on the upper joint. I seem to remember a message to that effect on the Klarinet list, posted (again, as I recall) by a long-time Buffet dealer in the U.S. I have never seen such an instrument, however, and the time period would have been relatively brief during 1980 and/or 81. But, there is a B12 listed among the completed auctions on eBay with a serial number almost 20000 lower than yours. Even if it was one of the very first B12's sold, I would think that by the time yours was made, it should have been marked.
Clarnibass says that, if your clarinet was made in West Germany, it would have to have been made before 1989. I'm not sure where he gets that. Perhaps someone from Buffet gave him this information directly? From my recollection of the Buffet serial number search function, the 200000's were made in the early 1980's so I agree that yours was made before 1989. However, B12's have always been made in Germany and still are today. If Clarnibass is basing his dating on reunification, his date is off. "Before 1989" would actually be almost two years before October, 1990 when reunification actually occurred. Also, it's not clear that Buffet stopped marking instruments "W. Germany" immediately after reunification. The highest number I could find with that marking is in the low 500,000's. Without Buffet's serial number search engine operating, it's impossible to check (unless someone on the bulletin board made their own list).
While, I suspect (based on the picture of 2xxxxx that sold on eBay) that your clarinet has a bell ring, there is apparently a period of time when B12's did not have that feature. I have one in the 420,000's that has no bell ring. When I read Paul's comment, I wondered if my bell could have been a replacement (I did not buy the clarinet new). However, a check of the completed eBay auctions turned up too many without bell rings (and at least one with a serial number close to mine) for that to be likely.
B10's are a much more recent model than B12's. According to the John Myatt website, they were introduced in 1998 or 99. Also, the change to plastic rings on the B12, is a relatively recent event. Yours should be metal, Katie.
Best regards,
jnk
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
