Author: Geronimo
Date: 2017-05-01 18:15
Jeff,
Thought I would throw in my opinion, some of the history might be a little off. If anyone wants to correct me please do so.
When I was in high school, all of my teachers recommended buffet as the "golden standard." When I said I wanted to audition as a performance major, Buffet was pretty much the only option. I was not made aware of Selmer, Leblanc, Yamaha, or Backun much at all so I have a general sense of what you are going through.
I think it is important to consider the origin of the Buffet R13. I want to say that the R13 model came around in the 50s and it was very popular among teachers and performers. At this time the R13 was Buffet's only top professional clarinet. Since it was popular with the current teachers and performers, it became popular with their students and so on and so fourth.
If you look at the market now, several things have changed. Buffet now has new top models that replace the R13 on the priority list: prestige models, Tosca, Divine. As such the common R13 is not being made with the best wood (put aside for the new top models) or the best technicians. I don't think it is realistic to compare the modern R13 to the original for those reasons. Additionally, the old R13s are quite different from what you will try in stores today. They were much freer in sound and were very flexible "behind the wheel".
(end of history lesson)
When talking about all-state yes I do remember a sea of buffet clarinets there, E11-Tosca. However I agree with the above comments, good judges judge the performance, not what clarinet you play on. I think that notion is ridiculous. You can argue there is a "buffet sound" however, it still sounds like a clarinet. Yamaha/Selmer/whoever else also make instruments that sound like clarinets, so don't let that argument hold you back.
And as for college, I did make it into a great university's clarinet performance studio on my Buffets. I stayed on that track for two years and am now a music education major (different longer story). However, what I would like to point out is that the buffet mindset pretty much evaporated for me. Many of my colleagues started on buffets, but I cannot think of a single person who upgraded and stayed on buffet. Many are on Selmer Signatures or Yamaha CSVRs and sound phenomenal. They were not sponsored to purchase these instruments. They all went around trying clarinets from different companies and eventually found what they were looking for elsewhere.
That's not to say Buffets are bad. I am still using my set, and I have a friend who has a great Tosca. But if I were financially capable of getting a new set, it would not be a Buffet.
Do not buy an instrument because you were pressured into it. I also wouldn't get an instrument if its outside of your budget. I think the Yamaha CSVR is probably the best performing instrument at the cost but if you are going to minor in music it might not be necessary, that is for you to decide. I do know people who buy a old used buffet R13 on ebay or in a shop and pay the money to have it completely restored. Much cheaper. I have a friend from high school who did and was recently doing his college auditions got accepted into some great schools.
Sorry for the long post but I hope at least some of it was useful. Good luck at all-state!
|
|
The Clarinet BBoard
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
