 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-11-18 06:44
I happened to notice on my oldest Buffet #262xx (1939) there is a letter "P" marking stamped on the underside of the right pinky E/B key. As far as I can tell, without taking the clarinet apart, no other keys have this marking.
All of my other Buffets are R13's from 1962 and later, and there is no marking on the underside of any keys.
Any ideas as to why it is there, or what it signifies? Is it an assembler's marking? ...GBK
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-11-18 07:01
My Selmers (except my A series full Boehm Series 9 Bb which has nothing) have these letter stamps on the underside of the RH E/B keys - J,Q,R,S,T,X on these (though the 'J' is stamped on the low Eb key on my 'K' series full Boehm Bb).
My old R13 Eb (717xx) has 'A' on the underside.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: donald
Date: 2006-11-18 10:12
some repair people leave a mark, such as their initial, hidden on the instrument (in particular, i have heard of this done by a major craftsman in Paris who specialised in Flutes). It's a long shot, but maybe that's what this is?
donald
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-11-18 10:31
These are either foundry or factory stamps, though the older Selmers do also carry either the keywork mounter's or the finisher's stamp on the body hidden under the keywork. One of my CTs has a U and another has a Y stamped into the wood which doesn't correspond with the letter stamped on the E/B key of the same instrument.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2006-11-18 13:18
Kal Opperman told me that a single maker would sculpt all the keys for a particular Buffet clarinet, filing them down out of blocks of metal. There was no stamping or bending. He (they were all men) would then stamp his initial on an inconspicuous place - sometimes on the bottom of a key, sometimes inside a pad cup.
In comparing my older Buffets, I've noticed slight differences in key shape, probably characteristic of the particular key maker.
The ultimate clarinet geek activity would be to compile a list of initials and key makers.
Ken Shaw
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Author: crnichols
Date: 2006-11-18 14:13
Ken, that could be a doctoral dissertation in the making!
A group of players will definitely be needed to "test" the various products and record the results.
Then we'll all be looking for that clarinet with handmade keys by Jean-Pierre that had the most perfect key shape, action and feel...
P.S. I've read dissertations that were granted degrees that were actually more ridiculous than this.
Christopher Nichols, D.M.A.
Assistant Professor of Clarinet
University of Delaware
Post Edited (2006-11-18 14:14)
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Author: BobD
Date: 2006-11-18 15:24
I have a similar stamped mark on one key of an old Pedler I have.
Bob Draznik
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Author: EuGeneSee
Date: 2006-11-18 17:56
Also, some makers stamp the serial number on the bottom of a key. For example, some of the older clarinets by Selmer USA and their puppy, Bundy, have the instrument serial number stamped on the bottom of the LH F/C or F#/C# lever spoon. Eu
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-11-18 19:02
If I remember rightly (as it's been several years since I've stripped them down) my Selmers had part of the serial number (some of the digits) scratched into the insides of the pad cups - not entirely sure why as it's unlikely they'd have been mixed with any other keys as they weren't plated, though it does mean they are specific to the instrument.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: pzaur
Date: 2006-11-18 19:22
My '62 R13 (74xxx) has an "L" stamped under the left hand C#/Db key. No other markings. I've got some time before the games I want to watch start. Google....
-pat
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Author: susieray
Date: 2006-11-18 19:45
My 1956 R13 has a "K" stamped under the left hand F#/C# key.
My 1959 Selmer CT has either an A or a V (it's hard to tell for sure)
under the right hand E/B key. I have owned several other older clarinets from the early 1900's up to the 1950's and they had letters stamped on them also, although I do not recall which keys or what letters.
Sue
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Author: pzaur
Date: 2006-11-18 20:21
Buffet's site has nothing listed and I tried to google on a few different combinations of keywords. No such luck.
It's also interesting that my serial number does not pull up any information on Buffet's website serial search. It always comes back with something to the effect of "No serial number found."
Does anyone have an email address for Buffet? I tried emailing the USA branch from the website and it was bounced back by the mailer-daemon.
-pat
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Author: pewd
Date: 2006-11-19 14:05
hm, i wonder how many of us disassembled old clarinets this weekend.
i have a "G" stamped on a late 1940's model Buffet (418XX).
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-11-19 16:27
I'll be having a Q-series Selmer bass (to low Eb) next week for a complete rebuild. Definitely sometning to look forward to doing.
This weekend I have been mostly working on...
Cor anglaises!
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Bill
Date: 2006-11-19 16:55
Neither of my 1930s Buffets have these markings. But my Selmer L makes up for it. I've got a large X under a pinky key and engravings under the keys - in the wood - on both joints. A combination of numbers and letters each over an inch long.
Bill.
Bill Fogle
Ellsworth, Maine
(formerly Washington, DC)
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2006-11-19 21:19
Bill -
Sometimes the Buffet keymaker's mark is inside a pad cup. Did you do the OCD thing and take all the pads out?
Ken Shaw
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