 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.
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