 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: GBK
Date: 2012-05-17 19:25
It's a older Buffet (Paris) clarinet, often called a pre-R13 model, made in 1949.
...GBK
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Author: jcbrown04
Date: 2012-05-17 19:27
Hmmm...well. I was actually about to buy about (4) Buffet E11's for my students....how do you think it would stack up against them? Better? Not as good? Think it might have a good resell value as to use those funds for an E11? Thanks so much!
Post Edited (2012-05-17 19:27)
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2012-05-17 19:29
jcbrown04 wrote:
> Hey there all. Can anyone help me identify this Clarinet? I'm a
> band director that was cleaning out the closet here at the
> years end and came across it. Never knew we had it. Can't find
> a model on it anywhere but it's got the Buffet Crampon emblems
> on all pieces and all serial numbers match (#37532). It also
> says 'Made in France'. Sorry for the one upside down picture :(
> Thanks so much!
The clarinet was manufactured in ~1949 according to the serial number lists here: http://www.clarinetperfection.com/clsnBuffetSN.htm
That would make this a "Pre-R13" model. It was a professional model in it's day but won't stack up too well against more modern instruments.
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2012-05-17 19:34
jcbrown04 wrote:
> Hmmm...well. I was actually about to buy about (4) Buffet E11's
> for my students....how do you think it would stack up against
> them? Better? Not as good? Think it might have a good resell
> value as to use those funds for an E11? Thanks so much!
>
Quality might be camparable or slightly better than a modern E-11 but only after an overhaul. The resale value on pre-R13's is not particularly high. In "as-is" condition you might expect to get ~$300 for it. In freshly overhauled condition it might fetch $500-$600. If you check on ebay you will often find them listed for $800+ but they almost never sell at those prices.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2012-05-19 16:00
I'm an amateur, not a pro, and I still officially deny that I collect clarinets, but FWIW .... While it's true that these older Buffets sell for much less than R-13s, I don't agree that the instument you've got would necessarily compare poorly with modern clarinets. It might be more suitable for an advanced amateur than for a school, but how it would compare with modern Buffets depends on its condition more than its intrinsic quality. Count me among those who think some of the modern innovations, such as undercut tone-holes, are over-rated.
The clarinet you found was the top Buffet model in 1949. A Buffet from 1949 will have been built to the modern pitch standard, not the earlier (higher) pitch. It should play in tune with a modern band or orchestra. My older Buffets in excellent condition play very well indeed. (They'd play even better if I were a better clarinet player, but ....)
A clarinet lost in storage for years probably needs complete re-padding, new corks and some springs. Maybe some other stuff, too -- as a band director, you're probably quite familiar with the phenomenon of outer-space aliens snapping their little green fingers to make screws disappear and so forth. But in your photos, the condition of that clarinet looks way better than the condition of the average garage horn. It looks to me as if it would be worth restoring.
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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