 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: LostInFrance
Date: 2025-06-12 20:53
Hey all,
Just an opinion…
I’ve played clarinet for 45 years and grew up on Boosey & Hawkes 1010s.
I’ve dated Buffets on and off over the years but never lead to a serious committed relationship. 😉
Since moving to France, after a brief break from playing I thought I’d better comply with the Buffet trend, playing 1st clarinet with the community band it made sense for blending with the tuning oddities.
So I laid the cash on the table and got a BC RC prestige.
It was great to start, until the felt and cork buffers started falling off.
Then the intonation went to pot. Keys binding, screws self removing.
Sent it back to BC, said the bore wasn’t finished correctly, replaced screws etc.
Came back better, but who stole the altissimo??? No simplified fingerings worked over Eb5. Ok it’s possible to use more complex ones but why is that the only option?!
Had more work done and decided to sell it as the dream bubble had been burst.
With the remaining money 😕 I reinvested in a Selmer Presence II 2024.
What a difference! It’s really in tune and the scale is so good it nearly brought a tear to my eye!
Lovely build, real glue and corks, adjusting screw for LH long F/C.
Sound is rich and open, great throat notes rich and full sounding akin to my 1010s.
This is the ‘entry level professional’ clarinet!
It batters that RC Prestige into the ground in almost every way.
Well done Selmer! For the price I’m still not sure I didn’t rob someone!
Just my opinion 😵💫
Middle aged clarinet player
B&H 1010s pair (yep still play em)
Buffet RC Eb (plays really in tune - off day at the factory?)
Yamaha CSGIII A - needs tuning a bit
New Selmer Presence II Bb Delta latest model 2024
Yani SC991
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-06-12 21:57
I've been adding that same style LH F/C adjuster to clarinets (Howarth were using that back in the late '90s) as it makes for a much snappier action as it's adjusting the key foot, whereas putting the adjusting screw on the overlever and especially how Buffet do it only creates far too much movement in the LH F/C touch as they set it too far from the RH F/C key barrel.
Well done Selmer! Now they need to respring the throat G# key with the spring in the upper pillar - you know, like what they used to do. As well as proper point screws and reinforced nylon pins in the LH levers as they've been swayed by too many Buffetisms.
You can see the LH F/C adjusting screw on the 4th photo down - I personally prefer to use a nylon tipped screw instead of a plastic screw as there's less chance of people mangling them up when using the wrong size screwdriver:
https://www.selmer.fr/en/products/clarinette-sib-la-presence-2?srsltid=AfmBOorY-dnXwz6VR51EdPR3K10keJPrsDntTQ1eLOCtieoWVfAYwxJ3
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: halen45david
Date: 2025-06-13 15:48
After disappointing quality issues with a Buffet RC Prestige, a long-time clarinetist found immense satisfaction with a new Selmer Presence II (2024 model). They praised its excellent intonation, superb scale, solid construction (unlike the Buffet's falling parts), rich and open tone reminiscent of their vintage Boosey & Hawkes 1010s, and overall superior performance, especially considering its "entry-level professional" price point.
Post Edited (2025-06-14 08:37)
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Author: m1964
Date: 2025-06-14 00:02
I am not seeing "the Buffet's falling parts" on Buffet clarinets from 50s and 60s, and I do not think their construction quality has declined.
I think Selmer stepped up both construction and tone/sound quality.
Regarding inconsistency between the same models:
About two years ago I played four RC Prestige Bb clarinets. Two were definitely better than others.
Recently, I played five Selmer Muse A clarinets. They all played differently.
No manufacturer can control how the wood is going to change after the instrument is finished. There will be issues/problems with any maker, IMO.
When buying from a shop, you get personalized attention and all the apparent problems (however small) will be corrected.
If buying off an internet site, you will be on your own.
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Author: Fuzzy
Date: 2025-06-14 07:09
Hi m1964...I'm pretty sure halen45david is an AI bot. Today quite a few posts have shown up with "@torridcard.com.co" in their account e-mail addresses - they've all been bots from what I see. (Sadly, the bots are getting better.)
Fuzzy
;^)>>>
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Author: kdk
Date: 2025-06-14 18:06
Fuzzy wrote:
> Hi m1964...I'm pretty sure halen45david is an AI bot. Today
> quite a few posts have shown up with "@torridcard.com.co" in
> their account e-mail addresses - they've all been bots from
> what I see. (Sadly, the bots are getting better.)
Me, too. Yes, the bots are better, although they still don't generally offer anything specifically useful. But Mark's original instructions to me back when I started co-moderating included that I shouldn't delete any posts with replies under them, in case I'd be deleting something useful in the replies. So, for now I'm leaving it up, but I've deleted the link, which seemed harmless enough. The external links are in my view the main reason for deleting these messages.
One way to tell a bot post is to check on how many previous posts there are from the same user name - it's often 1. If there are more, you can check in the other very recent posts and find all of the the others. They always come in bursts if there are multiples. Best way, if you suspect a bot, is not to reply to it.
Karl
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-06-14 18:52
While Selmer do use natural key corks glued on with shellac, there are far better alternatives than using mid 19th Century conventions.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2025-06-14 21:15
Selmer has made great instruments for many years, although many players overlook them in favor of Buffet
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-06-14 22:02
Same with Leblanc - people are effectively bullied into believing Buffet are the ONLY clarinet maker that gains them respect when there are loads of others out there that get completely overlooked.
I know many disappointed Buffet players who only followed the herd to save face or were told by their teacher to buy the one recommendation (many times with no choice of a selection of instruments or bought untried) instead of going for something that suits them better.
Recently I fully overhauled a set of Leblanc LL clarinets and the seller only just broke even when they sold them for a fraction of the cost they'd have got had they been Buffet R13s or RCs - they were a very hard sell and the seller caved in and got what they could get for them which is a real shame.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2025-06-14 22:56
In general, if a bot posts on the thread and there are children already on the bot post that aren't just other bots, we won't delete the bot post but just edit it. The bot gets ip banned (often a whole isp is banned if the isp is in a country known for spam).
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