 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: catrx
Date: 2008-01-19 05:20
Hi everyone. Been reading these post wholeheartedly. I just got an evette master model SN# D43382. Does anyone have any resources as to when is it's manufacture date? Looking at the Buffet site gives only the E&S clarinet manufacture dates rather than evettes (as per this forum). Also the Boosey site doesn't seem to have an instrument look up. Any help would be appreciated.
My guess, from trolling this forum and web dealers, that my master model dates around 1974 or 1975. Am I right? Its made in france. I'm assuming the keys are overlapping, but I don't really know too much about clarinets. I got it for my son to play in HS concert band. He's been asking for a wood clarinet ever since I upgraded my daughter's violin because the teacher couldn't stand the tone of the violin. I guess he feels he deserves an upgrade since he's still playing on his plastic Selmer CL301 since 5th grade! He never complained about the tone or intonation of his clarinet, one of the few (if there are any other) Selmers in the sea of plastic Yamahas 20s. Just that it plays a little flat from middle G to the C (this is with the original equiped mouthpiece).
Well anyway, I googled as to what would be a good step up model for high school students...and behold on allexpert.com a clarinet teacher named Malcolm Dickenson is touting everyone to get an evette master model and extolling its merits. Looking up on ebay, there where alot of them going anywhere from $250-450. Not bad compared to about $1000 for a used R13. So I found mine on shop goodwil and won it for $130.
It didn't look too bad, but it was hard to tell from the pictures. Corks are fine, some pads where yellow and brittle, some plating lost on 3 keys and on the rings. Plus it came with a Selmer C* mouthpiece (which doesn't fit the barrel) and a vandoren B45 mouthpiece (what he was recommended by the band director). After I cleaned it up, it didn't look too bad at all. I tried to have my son play it just to see how it sounded like. But he was so adament that it was an old, dirty horn and refuse to do so untill it was throughly sanitized!! How do you sanitize a wood clarinet?!! I just fooled him by saying I cleaned it out with wood soap when in actuality, I just rinsed it with water and scrubed with a long handle, small diameter bottle brush (with the pads covered with plastic, of course).
It's with the repair technician right now. Seem to need only 3-4 pads and a needle spring (I accidently broke one while cleaning). Will cost about $50 to get it playable. The tech said it was a "nice" clarinet. We'll get it back on Sunday, I'll post an update on how it plays and sound
Sorry for my long, first post.
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2008-01-19 13:16
Your dates are, I think pretty close. Buffet used to have a serial number list that included the D-series Evettes. I have an Evette Master Model with the serial number 39xxx. My recollection is that I dated it to 1976 thought that may be the date the original owner bought it new, which could make it a year or two earlier. Yours was probably made a year or two after mine so it almost certainly falls somewhere between 1975 and 1978 (which was, if memory serves, the last year Buffet made Evettes in France -- BTW, I assume you are basing your comment that the instrument was "Made in France" on the marking in very small letters on the back of the upper joint rather than the markings on the logo on the front of the instrument. If it was made in France it will have the pin-and-socket linkage on the lower joint rather than the overlap, which I think is what you are talking about.)
Given he refers to D- and K- serial number prefixes for Evette Master Models in a number of his posts, I suspect Malcolm doesn't know the difference between an Evette (D-prefix) and the somewhat higher-end Evette & Schaeffer (K-prefix). Adding to the confusion, both Buffet models had a "Master Model" version but it appears, from Buffet's promotional materials, that Master Models were simply regular-production Evettes and E&S's that performed particularly well on final inspection. The Evette eventually evolved into the current E11, the Evette Master Model evolved into the E12. The E&S evolved into the E13. I'm not sure what the current descendant of the E&S Master Model is, if there is one.
Your clarinet is, IMO, a very good student model instrument but not as close to the R13 as Malcolm would have you believe. In the condition you bought it, I would say you paid a reasonable price. It's been several months since I checked and the general increase in Buffet prices may have had some impact but, aside from a couple of anomalies where the buyer obviously didn't know what s/he was doing, prices for instruments like yours have tended to run from $100-$200 on eBay. K-series E&S Master Models tend to run a bit higher and, in newly overhauled condition have reached the higher end of Malcolm's range.
I'm with your son in his reaction to the "old dirty horn." How do you sanitize a wood clarinet? Some repair techs clean wooden clarinets by removing the keys, brushing the outside with a soft brush to remove loose dust and then cleaning carefully with bore oil or almond oil or pure (health-store not furniture store) lemon oil. Others remove the keys then wash thoroughly but gently with Murphy's Oil Soap then oil the instrument. (I do this with all the old clarinets I buy because I don't know where they've been or what they were doing there and I don't want to find out the hard way.) Without commenting on issues of trust, I will just say your approach to "sanitizing" the clarinet was not the best idea. You might have had to replace more pads and you could still wind up with rusted screws, rods and/or springs down the line. Also, you probably missed the tone holes which can be pretty nasty on an instrument that age. Better for the instrument (and potentially less expensive in the long run) to ask the repair person to do the cleaning. Removing the keys and replacing them, when the pads don't need replacing, is usually not a big deal. Some repair techs around here (St. Louis) that I've dealt with have done it automatically (no extra charge) when I've taken an instrument in for some minor repair.
Your son may or may not like the B45. Many students find it too resistant though he's been playing long enough that he may like it just fine. By all means, sanitize it by giving it a soak in cool water diluted about 50/50 with hydrogen peroxide. If he likes his old mouthpiece better than the B45, it should work fine with the "new" Evette. If it doesn't, consider treating him to a new mouthpiece. A Clark Fobes Nova (if you can afford around $70) or a Fobes Debut if $30 is more in your price range might be a good choice.
Best regards,
jnk
Post Edited (2008-01-19 13:23)
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Author: BobD
Date: 2008-01-19 14:24
As usual, Jack, an excellent reply. Personally, I feel the Yamaha 20 makes a great school band clarinet and lots of them in excellent used condition seem to be available out there regularly. "Step up" is for college when the kid is really serious about playing.
Bob Draznik
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