 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Anon
Date: 2009-06-27 15:50
A student showed up the other day with an instrument off Ebay. I hate when they do that - after I've asked them to let me help them find an instrument.
It is a Buffet B12...I think. Something about it isn't right. It didn't come in the Buffet case that I think the B12 usually has, the keys feel cheap and it came with two incredibly short barrels: 61 and 63 which seems crazy to me.
It also has some very bent keys (bridge key mechanism is a mess) and all the ring heights are very bad and inconsistent...In it's current condition, I had a hard time playing it myself.
Are there fakes out there? I seriously don't know because the majority of my students are playing E11's or R13's and I help them pick them out from reliable sources.
Thoughts? He paid $175 for it and my fear is that his repair costs will overshadow the "bargain" price.
Thanks
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2009-06-27 16:24
Well...the case doesn't say anything. If I put my - shudder - Klingon(TM) brand honker into a Buffet case that doesn't make it automatically a Buffet, does it?
Even a brand instrument can have bent keys and all - expect no miracles just because it does have this stamp on bell and body.
The bad thing is that even in a sorry shape like that they're $100 more expensive than a good Vito or Noblet.
--
Ben
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Author: Anon
Date: 2009-06-27 16:40
I realize the case doesn't mean anything and obviously I'm aware that keys get bent on any brand of instrument...
I just spoke to the repairman who looked at it (but his colleague did some work on it not him) and he told me that usually Buffet pads are stamped with the logo on the back of them (?) and these weren't...I don't do my own repairs so I knew nothing of that. He also mentioned the "brush strokes" to make the plastic look like wood were not as good as other B12's he'd seen and it has (in his words) "the smell" that some plastic Chinese knock-off's have. I didn't personally notice an odor to it but I didn't sniff it either.
Are B12's usually stamped "B12" somewhere? I can't remember...
My question hasn't been answered yet though: does anyone know if Buffet instruments are being "knocked off"?
Thanks
Marianne Breneman
Faculty - The College of Mount St. Joseph
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-06-27 16:56
B12s are usually stamped with "B12" on the top joint beneath the Buffet logo, the barrel and bell also carry the Buffet logo.
If it is a B12, it won't be made by Buffet anyway, but by Schreiber in Germany (as was the E11 until very recently) and may not have pads with the Buffet logo on the backing card.
If you could get some detailed photos of this clarinet, we could determine if it is or isn't a B12. Compare it with an E11 (which is in essence a wooden B12) and see how similar (or not) they are.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2009-06-27 17:41
> My question hasn't been answered yet though: does anyone know if Buffet
> instruments are being "knocked off"?
I have seen apparatuses (I avoid the term "instrument") on That Auction Site that were labelled "Bufeet" or "Selmar" or "Yahama" (not to mention the hilarious "Canomatic" cameras). Those of course are just bad knock-offs.
If the logo *does* read "Buffet" (with no typos), however, it may be a counterfeit item (then report it to the authorities) or indeed a Schreiber-made clarinet in bad shape.
--
Ben
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Author: susieray
Date: 2009-06-27 17:41
There are some Chinese sellers with fake B12's and fake Yamahas.
Does it by chance say Bufeet rather than Buffet?
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Author: Anon
Date: 2009-06-27 18:22
I looked at it but I'm going to double-check again because sometimes our eyes "see" things they way we're used to seeing them, you know? It certainly didn't "feel" the way I remembered B12's feeling in my hands.
Sorry I wasn't clear in my first email about the bent keys - my reasoning for mentioning that was that it was described as "brand new" in the Ebay listing (I never saw it - but that's what the dad told me)
If it is indeed a fake, I'd like to report it to the authorities.
I'll get some photos from the student's dad...it's just a bummer because these are hardworking parents who just tried to get a good deal for their kid (who is a very polite, enthusiastic, talented kid) and I'm fearing they got screwed in this case.
Thanks for your help
Marianne
:-)
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2009-06-27 19:17
I don't know if that one is fake or not, but I can tell you two things.
First, there are fake Buffet clarinets. Also Yamaha and maybe other companies. These are fakes that have the actual name Buffet or Yamaha, not a very similar name.
Second, B12 or (AFAIK) any other Buffet model is no longer made in Germany by Schreiber (does anyone know something else?). There are probably still a lot of B12 and other Buffet models made by Schreiber for sale new in stores, but the latest ones are not made by them anymore.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2009-06-27 22:48
Marianne,
this just from an avrage (read: mediocre) band player:
Stay away from "big name" things on that auction site as they are overpriced. Go for "lesser" items such as wooden Vitos or Noblets. For my best clarines I paid less than 20-odd dollars, plus a bit of touching-up.
--
Ben
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Author: Anon
Date: 2009-06-28 01:41
My preference would have been that they let me find something for him in the first place instead of doing it on their own on Ebay!
But they showed up with this and the dad had the best of intentions...now I just want to help make the situation better for them.
Thanks everyone for your suggestions - I will post some pics when they get them to me and maybe we can bust some counterfeiters!
:-)
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2009-06-28 11:56
Several years ago, I saw a couple of atrocious-looking plastic clarinets labelled "Baffet" at large flea markets (the kind where many of the dealers offer bulk quantities of low-quality, new merch such as athletic socks and no-name cosmetics). Nobody who knows anything about clarinets would mistake a "Baffet" for a genuine Buffet, but the "Baffet" logo imitated the style and lettering of Buffet and probably would fool a non-clarinet-playing parent. I've forgotten the asking prices now, but they were cheap enough to tempt bargain-hunters. Though I haven't seen these knock-offs for sale lately, no doubt some people who got stuck with them have put them back on the market through auction sites, flea markets, yard sales and so forth. Beware.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-06-28 15:10
Was this same place selling 'Roy Bon' sunglasses (without any UV protection for the unfortunate wearer) and fake Rolex watches as well (they look like gold, but make your wrist go green)?
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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