Author: m1964
Date: 2018-07-05 08:02
LGS316217 wrote:
"I have a love affair with the older Buffets. I play a 1950's pre-R13. I have heard much about even new Buffets requiring a lot of setup, not "plug and play." You def have to expect to have a lot of adjustments made to any older horn. But the cost of the overhaul plus buying the instrument in the first place is still very cost effective, compared to buying a quality new instrument. I have learned much from my time spent with my clarinet. First thing I've learned is patience. From wear, history of sketchy repairs, and just age, expect the hardware to need work...
Best advice I can give is, try to locate a vintage clarinet local to you; if you must deal with eBay, only go with a seller that has a reasonable return policy, so you can get the instrument evaluated by a good tech and can send it back if it turns out not to be worth what you paid".
Hi LGS316217,
Thanks a lot for your advice.
I sort of acted on emotion and bought an R13 from a seller that would not accept the return.
The clarinet was described as "being serviced recently and three pads were replaced to bring it into good playable condition".
I was reading the description late at night and misread it - missed the "r", thinking that "the pads were replaced".
After I got it ,I saw it had mostly old pads (probably original), and the 2 new ones were too thick so the rings on the lower joint and the D-ring on the upper joint were too high. Tenon cork on the lower joint was replaced with cheap cork and was out of round.
After I complained to the seller he sent me the receipt showing he paid $100 for two pads and one tenon cork replacement at a chain store in TX. Also, they replaced all key corks but some keys would not open fully...So he refunded me $50 and now I am going to spend over $300 to have it re-padded, thumb rest relocated and other adjustments done.
I am currently playing a 15-18 y. old E12 that was not used much by its previous owner so it is in a good condition mechanically.
It may be difficult for me to go to a 50-60 years old instrument with problems. Sort of selling a new Toyota Corolla and buying and old MB S500: bullet-proof reliability vs. ride quality but the MB may stall in the middle of the road...
So I chose a compromise and bought more recent used R13 (from year 2000). The metal and the tone holes looked decent, it is being serviced and I should get it back this weekend (fingers crossed).
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The Clarinet BBoard
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