 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: TomS
Date: 2017-03-21 23:54
Quality of wood, keywork (locked key posts everywhere), mechanical fit and finish, more complex bore geometry, precision of construction. I don't think the R13 is 2-3 times better, as the price suggests, but significantly "better" ... Also, the E11 is a little too free-blowing for many ... I just about fall through this clarinet ...
Tom
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2017-03-22 01:10
All the E11s I have tried played like "so so" wooden entry level intermediate instruments.
The German made ones were at least mechanically superior to the French made ones I saw.
The R13 is at least entry level professional, and if you are lucky, and/or search hard enough, they can be very good.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2017-03-22 20:23
The E11 isn't made by Buffet, it has a lacquered finish, inset plastic tonehole chimneys and is an entry level wooden clarinet.
The R13 is made by Buffet and is a professional level clarinet, has a stained finish and integral wooden tonehole chimneys.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2017-03-22 20:47
Chris P wrote:
> The R13 is made by Buffet and is a professional level clarinet,
> has a stained finish and integral wooden tonehole chimneys.
>
Chris, is there a reason other than a cosmetic one for staining a granadilla/mpingo instrument? Does it provide any sealant advantage? Or has the woodwind world just gotten used to the very dark, ebony-like look?
Karl
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2017-03-22 21:48
It's only to make the joints all look uniform instead of having the natural grain and colour variations you'd expect to see from joints made from different billets of grenadilla - no other purpose than purely cosmetic.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: dorjepismo ★2017
Date: 2017-03-22 21:55
Used to have a set of Prestige Elites. One of the selling points was that they didn't stain the wood. Nice instruments, not worth the enhanced price, arguably not as nice sounding or projecting as R-13s, but did really like seeing the natural wood. Wish they were all that way.
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Author: TomS
Date: 2017-03-23 00:27
Also, depending on who/where/when made the E11, the intonation is usually much poorer than the R13.
Buffet uses different grades of wood, depending on the price point, and stains or paints the poorer grade of wood to conceal more open grain and imperfections.
Backun, on the other hand, claims to use the same grade of wood for his student clarinets as he uses for his professional. And, he does not stain the wood on any instrument.
I just ordered a Greenline instrument, so I guess there must be some dye in this composite to make it uniformly black ...? I'd rather Buffet just "bite the bullet" and use hard rubber or Delrin plastic ...
Tom
Post Edited (2017-03-24 05:25)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2017-03-23 20:36
Typically the Buffet-built Buffet clarinets that have stained joints are the E13, C12, R13 and RC. The prestige models from the Festival upwards generally have unstained joints.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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