 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: moolatte
Date: 2020-07-03 02:06
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Hi, all.
I was in need of a clarinet for outside playing (because we can't play indoors anymore), and now that I have an actual job, I have money. I have an R13 clarinet, and I wanted to stay within the Buffet family, and so I decided to purchase a B12 student clarinet.
There are a few things amiss with it, and I'm thinking perhaps I've purchased a counterfeit B12.
- The case it comes with is more often seen with some of the Prodige models
- Nowhere on the clarinet does it say "Made in Germany" like I'd expect.
- The serial number starts with a C
- The box it came in looked pretty authentic from what I've seen in some YouTube videos.
I tried researching on here prior to making this purchase if it were one of the fake Buffets, but I'm thinking I still managed to get one. The logos all looked to be in the right place and not super warped like in some pictures I saw. The thumbrest looks like the one on my R13, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary about the keywork. See attached images.
I tried basing my decision on the photos shown here: https://www.kesslerandsons.com/product/buffet-b12-student-clarinet/
Nothing looked too out-of-the-ordinary from what I expected.
Post Edited (2020-07-03 03:48)
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Author: m1964
Date: 2020-07-03 09:43
Where did you buy it? EBay?
Where did it come from? If off eBay and from China then it probably is counterfeit, but from 1st two pics it looks like Buffet. The rest of the pictures do not show the details.
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Author: moolatte
Date: 2020-07-03 10:01
It was purchased on eBay. The seller was based in the US, but the instrument is used, so there's no telling where it's from before then. The seller did mention to me that they bought it from eBay 4 years ago.
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Author: moolatte
Date: 2020-07-03 10:20
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Attaching some additional photos...
One thing that seemed a little off to me was the bridge mechanism. On the product listing from the OP, I saw that the bridge on the bottom joint was rounded, whereas it's straight on this clarinet. It's rounded on the top joint like the R13 that I have.
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2020-07-03 15:39
It’s not fake, this was just the “transitional” model as Buffet was getting ready to move to the production of the Prodige. Fake Buffets come in cheap cases and have obviously counterfeit logos.
-Jdbassplayer
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Author: Steven Ocone
Date: 2020-07-03 17:52
Not a fake. It looks life the rod for your thumb ring may be coming out.
Steve Ocone
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Author: m1964
Date: 2020-07-03 21:19
I am not a Buffet expert, but the clarinet itself looks like real deal.
More important is how it plays. If it seals well and is in tune, then I would not worry too much about anything else.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2020-07-03 22:00
It doesn't look fake. Some of the Buffet plastic models weren't made in Germany, from vague memory...
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Author: moolatte
Date: 2020-07-04 01:40
@Chris P
I just checked a few of the Prodige models on eBay, and interestingly enough the serials for those begin with C. Indeed, every B12 I can find on eBay does not seem to have the leading C; they're always numeric strings.
* [Example 1]
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Fk0AAOSwT1Re13F5/s-l1600.jpg
showing the inside of the case, which is the same as mine
* [Example 2]
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/yhEAAOSwmMBe13F9/s-l1600.jpg
showing the outside of the case, which is the same as mine
* [Example 3]
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/8EMAAOSwDCxa68mJ/s-l1600.jpg
showing the bridge mechanism, which more closely resembles the R13 I have.
* [Example 4]
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/~h0AAOSwvvJdkpoH/s-l1600.jpg
showing the serial from the back of a new Prodige
This seems to be a B12 sporting some features of the Buffet Prodige clarinet, which is incredibly strange. Would Buffet really manufacture their final B12s using the assembly seen on their soon-to-be-replacements? This whole thing just seems a little strange. The picture of the clarinet on the box is also pixelated, which when I saw that made me think that this really was a very elaborate counterfeit.
Post Edited (2020-07-04 01:47)
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2020-07-04 02:18
> Would Buffet really manufacture their final B12s using the assembly seen on their soon-to-be-replacements?
Absolutely! Having worked in manufacturing as a process engineer I can tell you that switching over a production process is a very long affair. There are tons of transitional models in the world of clarinets. There are even transitional R13s.
Honestly you got really lucky, with an upgraded barrel the Prodige is much better that the B12. If you don’t want it please let me know because I will gladly buy it from you, that’s how confident I am it’s not a fake.
-Jdbassplayer
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Author: Djudy
Date: 2020-07-04 03:56
If it might interest you, there is a counterfit instrument group on fb that deals with these types of questions : https://www.facebook.com/groups/392707677823174
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2020-07-04 08:03
Just to add to my previous post, I don't remember the exact shape of B12 keys to say if anything specific looks different... it's just a very general look. So Chris P might be right. However, some Buffet plastic models were partly (or completely) made in China, so parts might look different from the German B12. I think I remember that I got confirmation to this from Buffet, but still can't say it's 100% correct, it's in my old email that I don't think I can find...
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