 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Clarineteer
Date: 2014-08-07 02:59
I wonder what it is that Buffet does to get that ringing tone that no other maker seems to achieve. Must be a trade secret.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2014-08-07 03:37
I think the "trade secret" is the player.
I've heard beautiful ringing tones from top players using a range of makes and models.
Equally plenty of duff sounds on Buffets played by lesser players.
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-08-07 07:24
I bet at least some of it is the expectation of hearing a "ring". Justsayin'.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: brycon
Date: 2014-08-07 07:40
The wood is dyed with sacrificial goat's blood (lamb's blood for the Prestige model). The secret's out!
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-08-07 08:18
Well, ya know I've done my fair share of knocking Buffet. However, the clarinet that I am currently playing is by far the best Boehm I have ever played and it happens to be a Buffet Vintage. Though it is THIS PARTICULAR CLARINET that plays so well for me right now, and unfortunately it is only a 'loaner.' Each clarinet exhibits it's own personality and it does take some searching to match YOUR personality with that of the clarinet.
Qualities that are important to me are: being able to play with as much gusto as I can reasonably put out and not feel the horn is placing limitations on that; RESONANCE - yes, some clarinets just seem to resonant better than others; but in the end the most valuable characteristic is evenness of internal pitch (or the most even that you can find that is). You may find a clarinet that is just FUN to play and then realize (if you don't have perfect pitch) once you put on the tuner, that there is no hope for it.
It does make the search easier if there is more constancy in the end product from a given manufacturer. But it doesn't ensure that you will find 'that perfect match' first time out of the box.
................Paul Aviles
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Author: Clarineteer
Date: 2014-08-07 10:59
The R13 that I am playing currently is a 1970 serial number 113XXX and has excellent tuning and intonation and also exhibits power when pushed. It is in the top 5 R13's that I have ever played which totals about 150 instruments through the years. The best one I ever played belonged to Mr. Ron Hockett of the Jim Cullum Jazz Band which I had the pleasure of doing a complete overhaul for him a few years ago. It was from the middle 1960's. It was his first clarinet that his parents bought for him when he was a kid and knowing the sentimental value I really could not bring myself to ask him to sell it.
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Author: ruben
Date: 2014-08-07 15:08
Dear Clarineteer; I don't understand why people have got sniffy and facetious about your question. I agree with you fully: Buffet does have a "ring" to it that no other brand of clarinet has. This does not make it necessarily better, but its tone is very distinctive and I think "ringing" is what describes it best. That said, I haven't answered your question, which is how do they obtain it. I simply don't know. Buffet has often been copied, including by their biggest rivals, but its tone has never quite been reproduced.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-08-07 15:32
Ok, I skirted the issue without addressing it....ringing.
For me I would describe "the sound" that sets them apart as 'robustness.' Whatever octave you're in, whatever volume level you are playing, a really good R13 has this 'presence' or palpable 'feel' (and I mean as a listener across the room) to it when you listen to it live in a room.
I do think other makers today have produced equally great clarinets, but in the seventies Selmer and Buffet where the only serious contenders for top professional horns. The dealer that sold me mine (I went with the Selmer as a nod to Benny Goodman) told me to play as quietly as I could, as a test to distinguish one from the other. Of course the one that did it best (clearly) was the Buffet R13.
............Paul Aviles
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Author: ErezK
Date: 2014-08-07 19:01
IMHO there can't really be trade secrets for a product that can be *easily* measured and replicated. You don't have effective replicas because if you bother to invest in making something good, you might as well try your own designs. And new designs are actually very good. I have tried a Frank Hammerschmidt clarinets and Seggelke clarinets and they are indeed excellent... but this is not to say I am not happy with my pair of R13, not the least....
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Author: rtmyth
Date: 2014-08-07 19:48
It would be interesting to have some oscillograms of sounds of different clarinets, each playing the same notes. Does the ringing become evident in these oscillograms? I guess these experiments have already been done and reported.
richard smith
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