 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Noah
Date: 2002-10-22 20:33
I have a 1973 Buffet clarinet. I have been playing it for several years, and none of my teachers (I am 17 now) have every complained. Always speculating at first, they try it and find it a dream. Anyway, so noone knows what type of clarinet it is. It is a little smaller bore (I believe) than a typical r-13. It has no marking of any normal sort. Where the prestige has that metal plate, there is an O engraved. There is also one under the insignia on the bottom of the body. It has been in my family for its life, and it was not done privately. If anyone has any idea what this insignia means, please let me know. Thanks.
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Author: Fred
Date: 2002-10-22 21:14
Sounds very much like you've got a clarinet selected and tweaked by Kal Opperman. It is probably an R13 with standard bore (plus alteration by Opperman), unless the barrel doesn't have the Buffet logo. If it doesn't have a Buffet logo, it could be an Opperman barrel and the bore could be different.
I suggest you treasure it highly.
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Author: Fred
Date: 2002-10-24 19:20
Noah, I was hoping that some of the other posters might have more information. But since none chimed in, let me say a bit more. You might even be able to fill in some of the gaps since the clarinet has always been in your family.
If you didn't recognize the name, Kal Opperman is one of the most highly respected names in clarinet-dom. I know that as early as the mid 60's, he was hand-selecting R13's for his students. I got my 1966 R13 from Mr. Opperman while I was taking from one of his students. He may have been doing this far earlier than the mid 60's, but I'm speaking from what I know to be fact.
I don't recall if my teacher's clarinet had an "O" engraved as yours does, and I know mine doesn't. While I believe my R13 is exceptional, I'm rather sure it didn't receive any special modifications by Mr. Opperman. I don't know if my teacher's clarinet did or not.
Skipping to the 70's, I am aware of another player that got an R13 in that time frame that was both selected and modified (probably bore adjustment and/or tone hole undercutting, plus GKW) by Mr. Opperman. That clarinet was marked as yours is. (GKW = God Knows What!)
So, does any of this make sense within the context of your family history? Were any of your family members either students or "grand-students" of Mr. Opperman? If not, it might just be a geography issue - your family member might have been living around where Mr. Opperman was operating and just happened to buy a fine clarinet from him. In any case, I'm really sure that you have an Opperman-"adjusted" R13.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2002-10-24 21:11
Kal begins with an R-13 and makes many changes. Each instrument is different, and all the adjustments interact with one another, so it's always a custom process. Finished instruments have a scale that's very even from note to note, quick and even response and corrected intonation, including the relation between the upper and lower registers. He doesn't like to talk about everything he does, but I know that he works on the bore, especially in the barrel, the upper joint and the bell, undercuts most of the toneholes, adjusts key heights and action and resets pads. This is the same sort of work that Moennig used to do.
He's always finished instruments primarily for his students, but in the 1970s, you could go to his studio and get a mouthpiece, a barrel or even a new instrument on the spot. These days, he does work only for his students.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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