 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Mark Horne
Date: 2008-01-16 19:26
I've managed to acquire an excellent Buffet Bass (to low Eb) with serial 194XX, and I would like to determine the age and model designation (if they had one).
According to the serial number list, Buffet harmony clarinets start in 1950 with #19506 - this would put mine before 1950. This would conflict with information published about Stephen Freeman's (of NY Philharmonic) Buffet bass - serial 19230 - which he believes to have been built in 1955. His instrument, and the one discussed in the following post, appear to be the same model as mine:
http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=219122&t=219052
The previous owners did not know much about the instrument history except that it came from a now-defunct community orchestra and they thought that the late 50's or early 60's was a reasonable range of it's age.
Now comes the interesting part - this thing looks like it's no more than a few months old and hardly used - the wood is unmarked and not so much as a scratch in the metal. Even more interesting is the metal - the neck, bell and keys are all silver - I'm assuming plate, but I can't find anyplace on the horn where any of the plating is worn off, scratched off, or missing and hardly a hint of tarnish. I've looked at the thumbrest, the mouthpiece tenon receiver, the tenon rings - and they all show the characteristic luster of silver plate but no signs of being worn off anywhere.
I don't know when Buffet started silver plating their bass clarinets, but I thought this vintage would be too old for that. Anyone ever heard of a sterling silver bass? I checked for hallmarks and didn't see anything like that. I suppose someone could have disassembled the instrument and silver plated the whole lot.
From what I can tell so far it plays beautifully. I'll need to adjust a couple of keys and the DRK mechanism in order for it to play the full range, but I like what I hear so far!
Mark
Post Edited (2008-01-16 19:50)
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Author: C2thew
Date: 2008-01-16 20:28
are you sure it's not german silver plating? i honestly don't think that buffet would put a pure silver plate on their bass clarinets for reasons of oxidation and tarnish. their current plating is a german silver if i recall correctly, which doesn't tarnish as fast.
did you get a killer price?
Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. they are but improved means to an unimproved end, an end which was already but too easy to arrive as railroads lead to Boston to New York
-Walden; Henry Thoreau
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Author: Mark Horne
Date: 2008-01-17 00:39
I have a couple of 1930's vintage clarinets that have keywork of unplated german silver (nickel silver, or brass with nickel added), and when polished these keys look very much like the nickel plated keys I have on several other instruments including a Yamaha bass. The Buffet is clearly different and is the same color and luster as the silver plated keys on an oboe I have, as well as the silver flatware, jewelry and (old) coins I have around the house.
According to the Buffet website, their current Presige models have silver plated keywork. With proper maintenance, sterling silver plate will last for years as I understand.
I got this horn for about a third of what a current Buffet model would be.
Thanks, Mark
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Author: Mark Horne
Date: 2008-01-20 00:26
I've looked a lot closer using magnification and I believe it to be silver plate. Looking at some of the solder joints on the bell I can see that the soldered portion is the same color as the rest of the metal, meaning that somebody disassembled the entire horn, including the tenon support rings, and silver plated the whole lot.
Looking carefully at the adusting screws - there are seven for the double register mechanism alone - they are quite worn, indicating that this would be an older horn, although I'm skeptical that it would have been made before 1950 as the serial number table indicates.
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