 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Tobasm
Date: 2011-09-04 22:53
Hi guys,
Roughly 3 months ago I bought a Buffet Vintage Prestige, and I have been having problems with it: double action on 3 keys, and 2 clunky + squeaky, unoiled keys. This leads me to believe that it may have been sitting in a display cabinet for much of it's life, ageing. It's serial code is 619***; does anyone know how old it is? Due to the high cost of this clarinet, I have been very disappointed, as my Buffet E13 worked straight out of the box. I wish I could swap it, but I don't think that's possible now.
Thanks very much.
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Author: JamesOrlandoGarcia
Date: 2011-09-05 06:53
I have never heard of a Buffet Vintage Prestige. I know the european model is outfitted more like a prestige but still isn't called that.
Have these problems you're having been persistent from the day you received the horn or did they develop over time? If they did overtime then the dealer did nothing wrong. If the horn was problematic from the beginning it was your responsibility to alert the dealer so they could fix it. At this point in, I don't see the dealer being obligated to really help you out unless they specifically state that they do in their guarantee.
Also I see a Buffet clarinet as half way finished at the point of purchase. I then go to Brannen Woodwinds to have them overhaul the instrument and then select custom barrels. Playing perfectly out of the box seems logical, but it isn't how it works.
Older new clarinets can be a great find. I found a leblanc opus at International Musical Suppliers that was much older than the stock at the time (2000) and played much better than every other Opus clarinets there.
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Author: Tobasm
Date: 2011-09-05 13:39
Ok thanks guys; the dealer does a free checkover after a year, so I guess I'll just have to have it early!
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Author: Carol Dutcher
Date: 2011-09-05 22:58
I bought a Buffet Vintage straight out of the box, and it was perfect. I was going to buy one that had been on display for some time "because it was cheaper" but then changed my mind at the last minute, so glad that I did. Have had no problems with it whatsoever.
Carol
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Author: Tobasm
Date: 2011-09-06 12:10
The dealer says on their website how they inspect, setup and test all of their instruments before sale - (so an immediate overhaul should not be necessary). This clearly wasn't the case. Basically what has happened is that I have been sold a demo/display model at the full price, without being told so. In fact, this has happened before with this company when I bought a ligature and was again sold the demo model - but that was because they had no others in stock. However, they were still just as happy to allow me to pay the full price.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2011-09-06 12:53
All reasonably good musical instruments are "demo" instruments. My clarinet, my grand piano, my Les Paul, my sons' trumpets and saxes, were all bought new but had been played by numerous people before we acquired them. They were " right for us " but not right for everyone. We paid "new" (though negotiated sometimes) prices, though I know that my grand piano at least spent 12 months in the store before being sold. The chances are that you were not taken advantage of ... that's the way professional instructs instruments are sold, though why you took possession of an unadjusted instrument is beyond me.u
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Author: Tobasm
Date: 2011-09-06 13:00
My previous clarinet was new and I played it in myself and it's sound developed as I used it more and more. I had hoped to do the same with this one.
I paid the price of a new instrument and therefore I am entitled to a new instrument. The defects only became obvious after I had purchased the instrument. The dealer advertises that they eliminate all the of the problems that I have been experiencing before the instrument is sold; therefore it was safe for me to assume that this was the case with mine also.
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Author: ThatPerfectReed
Date: 2011-09-06 16:30
I would like to understand something.
Do you buy a new (as in you are the first owner, even if the clarinet was tried by many prospective owners before you) or used horn? I think this is the case Tobasm from your immediately prior post.
Using jargon like Buffet Vintage Prestige, although you may not realize, opens a Padora's Box of ambiguity for some of us.
Example: did you buy a new Buffet Vintage model (Vintage here describing a model of clarinet, NOT the condition of the clarinet) ? Or did you buy an R13 Prestige from years back, USED, and hence consider it a vintage (in its years since production--not in its model description)?
Maybe that's why JamesOrlandoGarcia, posted above, was confused too?
To the best that I understand, the Buffet Vintages (vintage being a specific model name to describe one of several model NEW professional clarinets Buffet offers) are marketing and otherwise different in the UK than the US.
(I could cite the email thread of you'd like)
According to this post, the European Vintage models are considered more high end that the US versions, and feature a left hand Eb key.
Anyway---I hope the dealer can service this for you. Wood does change shape with environmental conditions, and maybe the keys need some adjustment to reflect that.
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Author: Tobasm
Date: 2011-09-06 17:08
yeh its a buffet professional vintage - designed in 1996 to have the characteristics of r13s from the 1950s
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