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Buffet Divine: mini review

Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-03-05 08:16

I had the opportunity to play about 20 minutes on the new Buffet Divine and it is a wonderful horn. I have to say that I am not a fan of the Prestige and Tosca models which play too bright for me. In addition I am currently noodling away on a Buffet Vintage (that's the model called Vintage, not a classic, old horn). So it makes sense that I would find the Divine falling right in line with my current aesthetic since the Divine (like the Vintage) utilizes the RC bore design (acoustic).

The RCs for those not familiar are a bit more subdued in sound, but I find the intonation smoother throughout the registers. So I will take the trade off of an even scale for a horn with just a little less punch.

The Divine features faux cork on the top joint tenons. I wish I could play with this horn for a bit more to see just how well the artificial cork does during harder playing. There is a really wonderfully odd accessory with this horn. It comes with two wooden (they look wooden anyway) tenon caps for the top joint tenons. They are pretty cool looking but I can see this as an item that gets thrown into a drawer of mouthpieces when you get tired of putting them on and taking them off (if there IS a reason to use them for anything other than shipping).

I've got to say I have NEVER tried a clarinet with the left pinky "Eb/Ab" lever that I did not immediately pull off. However, for some odd reason I would (if I had the opportunity to play this clarinet for a while) be willing to familiarize myself with it on this horn. There is also the low "F" correction key just like the Toscas. This does take a little getting used to so that you DON'T hit it just going for your "F/C."

In summary, I don't find the Divine to be any different sonically from the Vintage model (odd to me because the lack of metal rings on any part of the horn would have made me guess that it would resonate more) so the $3000 difference in price seems excessive. But it is fabricated without the stain used on the wood of their other horns making it look more impressive and it does have the extra keys, the leather and cork pads, and the funky faux cork on the tenons. So if the law of diminishing returns does not bother you and you don't already own a Vintage, this may be your Buffet.

................Paul Aviles

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