 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: johnwesley
Date: 2021-11-17 01:14
I see these on ebay and reverb from time to time. Question is, is there any way to tell if the mpc is Chedeville? Someone said there are 3 lines on the bottom and one on top, but many have that and are not listed as Chedeville. Are these just blanks? Also what's a C crown? Look forward to your answers. JW
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2021-11-17 21:16
Yes, the mouthpieces you describe are made from Chedeville blanks. There are also examples of these branded as Evette & Schaeffer.
Using the Search feature here should turn up several threads about Buffet's Chedeville-blank mouthpieces.
I have both a Buffet C Crown and an Evette & Schaeffer C. Both needed a light refacing to be playable, which is the case with nearly all extant examples of these mouthpieces. Once refaced, they can be very nice indeed.
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2021-11-17 23:27
Yes, the C Crown is from a Chedeville blank.
I've encountered these inscribed with A, C, and C Crown. The ones with an A look to be older than the C and C Crown. As far as what the differences might be, I haven't found a definitive answer.
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Author: sonicbang
Date: 2021-11-18 00:45
The best Buffet mouthpieces have the logo below the 3 ligature lines. Those ones were made in the first half of the 20th century. The material is excellent and the baffle is usually high enough for customization. Once they are refaced and voiced, they can play incredibly well.
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Author: johnwesley
Date: 2021-11-18 02:38
Sounds like there aren't any really good Buffet branded MPCs, unless you go to the expense of refacing, etc. To me that's like buying a name brand car and having to rebuilding the engine/transmission so it's good enough to carry the name brand. Defeats the purpose when you can buy other MPCs that are good to start with. I don't know. Maybe I'm not looking at this the right way.
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Author: super20dan
Date: 2021-11-18 02:53
dont get your hopes up with these. they dont play well at all unless you get an expert to work on them. i have the original mpc from my sister in laws 1960,s buffet r13. it plays lousey
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Author: genekeyes ★2017
Date: 2021-11-18 06:57
I had a close friend who was one of the top repairman in NYC. During the years that CMI had the Buffet franchise for the US, he was at their headquarters in Chicago as the head of their service dept. According to what he told me, the Buffet stock mouthpieces were not made by Chedeville. He was not saying that they were bad quality blanks and in the hand of a good refacer, they could be fine mouthpieces............but, according to him, they were not made by Chedeville. I will say that from my own experience, I have never played one that I liked unless it had been completely reworked. Just passing along what I have heard from what should be a reliable source.
GK
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2021-11-18 10:38
Quote:
Sounds like there aren't any really good Buffet branded MPCs, unless you go to the expense of refacing, etc. To me that's like buying a name brand car and having to rebuilding the engine/transmission so it's good enough to carry the name brand. Defeats the purpose when you can buy other MPCs that are good to start with. I don't know. Maybe I'm not looking at this the right way.
Think of the C Crown as an interesting classic car that's not in running condition. You buy it because the styling and/or driving experience of new cars just doesn't excite you. But, you really won't know what you've got until it's been fixed up--and the end result may not meet your expectations.
If you're just looking for an affordable classic hard rubber mouthpiece, a Selmer Paris or Vandoren is much more likely to be playable in as-found condition.
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2021-11-18 20:24
Brad Behn's lengthy response in the thread Ed just sent says it all. The Cheds the golden age players liked so much were on blanks from long ago--the 1920s and 30s. The best of them had simple block lettering identifying the mouthpieces as H. Chedeville or C. Chedeville. People selling these rarities today usually ask at least $800 to $1,000 and up. And there is still no guarantee that the mouthpiece will play well. Most of those Buffet mouthpieces from the 1950s that you can buy for $100 or less were made on later Chedeville blanks after Alelandais took over the company. By then, mostly, "the thrill is gone."
Post Edited (2021-11-18 22:07)
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Author: Ed
Date: 2021-11-18 22:31
Yes, Seabreeze hit the nail on the head. Just because it is reputed to have been a Chedeville blank does not mean much. The blanks, designs and rubber changed a great deal over the years. Those that are considered highly desirable were from long ago.
That is not to say a good mouthpiece person could not make a successful player out of one, but many of them could make a fine playing mouthpiece out of many different blanks, both modern and vintage.
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Author: donald
Date: 2021-11-19 01:32
I have a few of these around, and 2 of the "Evette Schaeffer" ones.... some of these MAY be great, my old teacher had an E+S refaced that was amazing...
Also I remember playing in the Traverse Symphony many many years back, and the E flat clarinet I borrowed had a refaced Buffet mouthpiece- it was amazing, a really good mouthpiece.
However, my experience with these has mostly been disappointment, and as a mouthpiece re-facer I've encountered many of them with flaws that are very hard to rectify.
- tip rails with widely varying thickness (sometimes easy to fix, often way too much work).
- the side rails of different lengths, so the tip profile is offset (essentially on a different axis than the rest of the mouthpiece geometry)
- baffle crazily asymetrical.
I certainly wouldn't pay big money on Ebay for one of these, but if I find one in a drawer I always take the time to look it over, and maybe play test.
A few years back I bought a couple of E+S from a well known Chicago player that turned out to be garbage. I'll reface them eventually, but there are so many problems with the geometry that they'll take a LOT of work.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2021-11-19 01:58
Good points. The key with any blank is whether the dimensions are good. If there are issues or flaws or if the baffle, bore, chamber are too big there is not much that can be done.
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Author: super20dan
Date: 2021-11-20 05:44
my experience with these is unless you send them for extencive work -better off just buying a selmer or vandoren or hite
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Author: johnwesley
Date: 2021-11-20 07:40
Thanks friends for the input. Pretty much what I thought. Why buy a mouthpiece that needs refacing when there are plenty of great MPCs out there that are playable right out of the box? Which leads to my next query. Why are there so danged many Vandorens for sale? I'm talking pre-owned. Market flooded or folks just not happy with them?
Post Edited (2021-11-20 07:40)
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