 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: KSCop
Date: 2016-10-25 09:03
Attachment: Buffet1.jpg (32k)
Attachment: buffet2.jpg (12k)
Attachment: Buffet3.jpg (29k)
Attachment: Buffet4.jpg (14k)
Attachment: Buffet5.jpg (1k)
I've been looking for info on this clarinet but can't seem to get a clear answer.
It is stamped 'Evette' with 'Sponsored by Buffet" below that and "Paris" below that, all in an outlined oval. The serial number is 6 digits with no letter prefixes, although there is a F stamped AFTER the serial number.
It appears to be wood with a plastic bell but I could be wrong.
It plays fantastic and sounds much nicer than my vintage Bundy.
Anyone out there have any info or point me in a direction to find out?
Thanks!
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2016-10-25 18:05
This was Buffet's student model before the B12. The F denotes a pitch of A=442.
-Jdbassplayer
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Author: KSCop
Date: 2016-10-25 20:15
I'm sure it was before the B12, but from what I can find out, it was the E10 based on on the brochure and construction; Wood body and resin bell.
Anyone else?
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Author: mmatisoff
Date: 2016-10-25 23:46
I have an Evette and Schaeffer Modele wood clarinet made in Paris. As you noted, it plays incredible good. Here is what Steve Sklar told me about my clarinet (I didn't send it to him so this is just a guess). It might provide a little insight in the provenance.
If throat Bb does not have an adjuster screw, it is probably an older model. OTOH, if the the lower spatula keys has double pivots, it is likely a newer model. Mine, has a slotted barrel key which indicates a non-Buffet made in Malerne, though a couple days ago I noticed a "Buffet" logo barely peeking through. Mine also has a an inscribed serial # that further suggests it was probably a Malerne made stencil clarinet sold by Buffet.
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2016-10-26 00:26
It may be the picture but that body doesn't look like wood, it's too polished. It's definitely either plastic or hard rubber. I'm not saying it is a B12, just saying that it's a Buffet student model. What else do you want to know?
-Jdbassplayer
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Author: KSCop
Date: 2016-10-26 03:55
I suppose it could be rubber or such, but it's hard to tell. I could do a hot-pin test I guess.
From the old brochure I found, it seems to indicate it is an E10. From other research, the E10 was wood with a resin bell that appears to look like mine.
I'm just wondering if anyone else out there has one similar and could shed some light. In any case, it plays well and sounds more like a wood instrument if that makes sense
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2016-10-29 09:47
The Evette was Buffet's student model from the 1930s (or perhaps earlier) until sometime in the early 1980s. For at least part of this period, it was made (concurrently) in both plastic and wood versions. Sometime during the 1980s, the plastic model was re-branded by Buffet as the B12. At the same time, the wood model became the E11.
Prior to 1960, the Evette logo specifies "sponsored by Buffet." This has suggested to some people that Buffet did not make these instruments but rather another manufacturer (Malerne is the most often-cited suspect) stencilled them for Buffet. As the brochure states, Buffet claimed that these instruments were made in a different factory from the one where Buffet manufactured its professional and intermediate (Evette and Schaeffer) clarinets but that the Evettes were manufactured under the supervision of experienced Buffet technicians. There was apparently quite a bit of moonlighting among factory workers during this period so perhaps both stories are true. Perhaps at least some of the "... sponsored by..." clarinets were made in the Malerne factory by moonlighting Buffet workers. I don't think there is anyone alive now who was working in the factories back then.
In 1960, Buffet changed the Evette logo to an oval with simply EVETTE stamped inside. AFAIK, the change was made for both the wood and plastic model at the same time but that may not be the case. The shine, the ring, the shape of the bridge link on the lower joint, and perhaps most importantly, the 6-digit serial number suggests to me that your clarinet is plastic. I am not aware that Buffet ever made hard rubber clarinets. From your pictures (including the pictures of your case), it looks to me like you have one of the later "sponsored by..." Evettes, probably made sometime during the 1950s or possibly the late 1940s. I doubt the F in the serial number specifies a 442 pitch. AFAIK, Buffet only used the F for that designation on its professional models and only sometime after your clarinet would have been made.
BTW, the brochure was produced not by Buffet, but rather by Carl Fischer, Buffet's U.S. distributor. It appears to be from the 1940s. As near as I can tell, Evette and Schaeffer succeeded Buffet's original founders sometime in the 1890s. The design of the clarinets in the pictures (somewhat older than KSCop's clarinets) and the prices are also consistent with that estimate.
Best regards,
jnk
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Author: KSCop
Date: 2016-10-29 18:21
That was a lot of info! My instructor took a look at the clarinet and while we concur that it is plastic, even up close it is hard to tell. The only thing is the shine and no visible grain, but it is heavier than other plastic ones she has seen.
I would tend to agree on the dates and btw, it turns out it is not an F stamped after the serial number, it is a P.
Not sure what the P means but I certainly have more information now than I did!
It's currently in the shop having corks replaced. In any case, I love how it plays and I'll be keeping it.
I'm curious to see how it stands up to the YCL-52 I have on the way..
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-10-29 19:54
If it's all plastic, it became the B&H Regent II and then the B12.
If it has a plastic barrel and bell but wooden joints, it became the E10.
If it's all wood, it became the E11.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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