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Re: Newer used vs. older used Buffet R13

Author: Max S-D
Date: 2019-09-22 01:52

I'll preface this by saying that I'm not an expert in vintage Buffets, nor do I have the experience that some on this board have with a wide variety of vintage and modern clarinets.

With that said, that serial number seems pretty high.

My modern R13 (purchased new in 2006) has a serial of 558XXX. Looking at the serial number chart on Clarinet Perfection, Buffet serial numbers for their professional clarinets seem to have been assigned roughly sequentially since 1928. Their charts end in 2005, but I'd venture a guess that a 649060 serial number is a modern instrument.

Perhaps the shop where you tried it didn't mean that it was a vintage instrument, but rather the Buffet (capital-V) Vintage model of clarinet?

You can check out the Vintage model on Buffet's site: https://www.buffet-crampon.com/en/instruments/clarinets/vintage/

They even have a close up of a serial number on that page and it's a 602XXX number.

The Clarinet Perfection charts for your reference: https://www.woodwindforum.com/clarinetperfection/snbuffet-serial-numbers/

Or is there a typo and the serial actually has 5 digits? If so, the clarinet perfection chart would put that around 1960. Not "golden age" if you ask some people, but definitely "golden age" if you ask others.

Maybe I just have bad taste, but I've played a few other players' beloved vintage or "higher-end" (RC, Prestige, Vintage) Buffets and, for me, I always prefer my plain-Jane modern R13 with nickel keys.

I wouldn't get too hung up on whether an instrument is vintage or modern (or Vintage). Just play a bunch and get the one that plays well. Who knows? Maybe you'll have bad taste like me.

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