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Re: F-serial number Buffet RC Prestige clarinets

Author: John Peacock
Date: 2017-09-13 12:46

I do agree that it would make sense if the F/non-F models were different in design - I also had wondered why you would bother adding the F if the joints were identical. But I'm still not sure:

* There may be a marketing issue. For a while in the 1980s, the RCs that you saw in Britain had a "UK" stamp on them. Then they stopped, but I never heard anyone suggest there was a change in design - Buffet just wanted the Brits to feel loved. So could it be the same in reverse today? It's a lot easier to add an "F" than it is to redesign the instrument.

* I got access to two RCs from 1978/79 - one F, one non-F. I measured the length of the top joints and they were identical as far as I could tell - no more than 0.1mm difference. Scaling by pitch, 442/440 would give you a 0.8mm change.

It's possible that things have changed with time. Perhaps Kloc's statement referred to the pre-computerised days, but now it's easier to change the parameters of an instrument at the flick of a switch. It would be nice to hear from someone who works in the Buffet factory and actually knows.

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