 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: namusori
Date: 2012-10-08 20:40
Hi, I'm a high school student, and I've been using this old Buffet...something?... clarinet, and I'm not really sure what clarinet this is. Its serial number is 44163, and from what I hear, it's a clarinet from 1950s. I tried searching through the Buffet website, it only gives me two models that don't really match my clarinet. Its keys lack luster, but it sounds good overall. Any idea on what clarinet this is and when it was actually made?
Seung Hun Lee
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2012-10-09 03:45
Seung Hun Lee -
Don't believe the Buffet website. Its lists are full of errors. The accurate list is at http://www.woodwind.org/clarinet/Equipment/HowOld/Buffet.html. The serial number dating lists from the time your clarinet was made have been lost, but counting the in-between numbers shows that it was probably made in 1952.
At that time, Buffet made only one, professional level, model. It had no official name, but the U.S. catalog number was R13 for a clarinet with the standard keys and no extras.
S/N 44163 pre-dates the introduction of the model officially known as the R13, which came at the end of 1954 or the beginning of 1955 at about S/N 48830.
Pre-R13 Buffets were very good, though any clarinet that's 60 years old can have a lot of wear. If yours plays in tune, sounds good and responds well, there's every reason to keep playing it.
The keys are made of German silver, an alloy which usually contains 60% copper, 20% nickel and 20% zinc (and no silver) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel_silver. I love German silver keys. There's no plating to wear off and the surface has just the right amount of friction for me.
Ken Shaw
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