The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: clarinetfello
Date: 2011-12-18 18:57
I have an opportunity to purchase a 1960 Buffet Crampon with serial number 62,522 which puts it correctly being an 1960 model however the seller said it doesn't have the name Buffet Crampon on the bell or barrel. Is this common for the company not to put it's brand on the instrument. It does have the companie's name on the mouthpiece. I looked up the serial number and it is correct for a 1960 model though which model I don't know. Would this be a wood model ? Does this sound correct to you? Thank you for any help you can offer.
regards
cf
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2011-12-18 19:42
The Buffet name should appear on all 4 sections of the clarinet.
Assuming the name is on the body sections then this would be an R13 model however without the correct barrel and bell its value would significantly reduced.
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Author: DAVE
Date: 2011-12-18 19:58
I wouldn't worry about it. If the horn is at a good price then buy it. Replacement barrels and bells are easy to find.
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Author: clarinetfello
Date: 2011-12-18 20:15
I just spoke with the seller and asked if the clarinet was wood or plastic. He told me, plastic which makes it a student level Buffet Crampon. He's asking for $75.00 New cork, and pads. Looks to be in great shape for a 50 year old instrument. Is this a good deal? Thank you
cf
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Author: donald
Date: 2011-12-18 20:46
hmmmm i'd be very careful here- it's very common for sellers to sell and instrument using the name on the mouthpiece. Here in NZ there's a clarinet up on the internet labelled as "Yamaha" but which is clearly not... plus made of hard rubber with junk keys and at least 60 years old. It does, however, have a Yamaha 4C mouthpiece!
dn
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Author: clarinetfello
Date: 2011-12-18 21:30
It does have the Buffet serial number on the lower key piece and says made in Germany. Did Buffet make their clarinets in Germany at that time, not France? Thanks
cf
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2011-12-18 21:39
clarinetfello wrote:
> It does have the Buffet serial number on the lower key piece
> and says made in Germany. Did Buffet make their clarinets in
> Germany at that time, not France? Thanks
>
> cf
Most likely it's newer than the serial number would indicate. I believe the commonly available serial number lists are only for Buffet's professional models and don't correspond with the student and intermediate models. If it is plastic and says "made in Germany" then it is likely that it is an older B12 from the period that they were being made by Schreiber and it is likely less than 20 years old (else it would say W. Germany or GDR).
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Author: C.Elizabeth07
Date: 2011-12-18 22:32
Is it possible the buffet stamp wore off? I have a buffet barrel that is older and you can't see the Buffet logo on it anymore, but it is the original barrel that came w my clarinet.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2011-12-19 02:28
plastic and made in Germany are clues it is not a Buffet pro model (which would have been mkadein France), but a student-level instrument made by Schreiber for Buffet.
Jeff
“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010
"A drummer is a musician's best friend."
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2011-12-19 04:29
I'm not sure what the instrument might be. Does it actually say "Made in Germany"? Or is it "Made in W. Germany"? If it says "Made in Germany," I doubt it's a Buffet B12. I have a B12 made in West Germany, which should put it in the late 80's at the latest. It has a 400000+ serial number. Buffet shifted production of the E11 to Germany about 10 years earlier. I think they shifted the B12 there about the same time. If that's the case, the serial number sounds too low to me. If it's marked "Made in Germany," that would have to be more recent -- after the fall of the Berlin Wall and reunification. FWIW, the logo on my B12 is stamped in. It is not a decal. Even though the "gold" is gone the logo is quite prominent.
If the clarinet is plastic, the Buffet serial number list does not apply to this instrument -- as Steve suggested above. There is no published serial number list for Buffet student models AFAIK. In any case, a serial number alone is not sufficient to identify a maker.
There is a possibility that the clarinet might be a B10. This was introduced considerably later than the B12 and I don't know how the serial numbers run on that model. A lower serial number and a designation of "Made in Germany" might be possible. In any case, however, there should be a model identification on the upper joint below the Buffet logo. If there isn't, there is a very good chance the clarinet inot a Buffet. Ask the seller for a detailed description of any logo on the upper and lower joints. Also ask if there is any model identification below the logo
Best regards,
jnk
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2011-12-19 13:21
Buffet B12 (and E11) clarinets have the Buffet logos stamped on the barrel, the top joint (with B12 beneath it) and on the bell. The lower joint doesn't have a logo on it.
Evettes only have the upper joint and bell stamped with the Evette logo, likewise with the B&H Regent II - all were made by Schreiber for Buffet and B&H (and then became the B12 in the mid '80s).
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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