 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: downunder
Date: 2014-12-04 14:30
I bought my buffet [used] in1957 It has artic G#. keys are NOT PLATED,maybe
German silver,no wings onlink between upper and lower halves, no screw adjustment on G# over A key.
Production no. is very indistinct but appears to be 20020
Can anyone help me identify this instrument?
I think I read somewhere that 'no screw' G# key was produced for a very
limited time.
Thanks reply 1 and 2 . As zeros in no might be "6" "8" or"9" I'm hoping
that someone might be able to date it from the other features.
Post Edited (2014-12-05 01:48)
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2014-12-05 01:11
From the serial number this clarinet dates to 1937.
I don't know what model name is , though in the USA Buffet clarinets were designated R13 etc long before the "modern" polycylindrical model was released in about 1954.
In the first half of the 20th century Buffet, Selmer, Leblanc and many others offered the same basic model but with a large permutation of extra keywork up to a full Boehm system. So I guess your model is exactly what the Buffet professional model was in the 1930s just with one extra mechanism.
Post Edited (2014-12-05 01:15)
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2014-12-05 01:31
Hello,
Your clarinet is what most people today call a "pre r13" model. In its day it was a professional clarinet but by today's standards it is an intermediate clarinet. These clarinets play very well and are definitely worth holding onto. Treat it well and it will serve you for many years.
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2014-12-05 05:46
Sorry to sort of hijack this thread. Jdbassplayer, I inherited a Pre-13 and I'm thinking about getting it overhauled. Why would you consider it to be an intermediate clarinet? I understand the bore is not a polycylindrical design and it doesn't have some of the extra keys of a modern professional clarinet (like the alternate Eb key); is this what you would say defines it as an intermediate instrument?
@ the original question: if the serial number is 20--- then it's from 1936, and if it's 29--- then it's from 1946-ish, so you can put it within that 10-year range. Can you tell if the second number is definitively a 0, 8 or 9?
Post Edited (2014-12-05 05:53)
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2014-12-05 06:15
Serial numbers in that era were stamped very lightly. Scrub the area with a damp toothbrush to get out the crud.
Ken Shaw
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2014-12-05 06:22
maxopf-
I would say that as long a your clarinet is in good physical condition it is definitely worth having restored. The extra ab/eb key that some professional clarinets have is not a necessary feature and many professionals get along fine without it. The only reason I consider it an intermediate clarinet is because of the sharp lower register that these non poly-cylindrical clarinets have. On my personal pre-r13 the low B, A and G are quite sharp and I usually have to compensate by pulling out a the middle joint. In every other respect it is a professional level clarinet.
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2014-12-05 06:23
On paper, the specifications of the "Pre-R13" correspond to some of the intermediate clarinets being made today. In practice, it is an old professional clarinet quite capable of facilitating very high levels of musical expression.
Extra key work has nothing to do with the performance level of a given clarinet. The overwhelming majority of today's pro instruments are of the basic 17 keys/6 rings configuration.
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2014-12-05 07:57
I'll have to test the low notes against a tuner when I get the chance. The clarinet is in excellent physical condition - it was only played for a few years when it was purchased around 1946 or 1947, and has only been played a couple of times since then. There were some more recent repairs done to it.
As for the extra keywork, I know it doesn't determine the performance level of an instrument, I just notice that it's become pretty standard with modern pro instruments.
My teacher removed the Eb keys from her R13 Prestiges because she found they got in the way. When she sold me her old A clarinet I added it back on since I find it to be useful.
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Author: downunder
Date: 2014-12-06 03:14
Hi,
Second digit very hard to nail down.
May need to confirm production time of G# key withoutscrew adjuster
to eliminate 1936/1946
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Author: chris moffatt
Date: 2014-12-06 03:40
the absence of an adjustment screw on the G#/A key indicates to me 1920s or earlier.
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2014-12-06 07:24
My 1946 (or possibly '47) Pre-R13 has an adjustment screw on the G# key, so I'm guessing yours is more likely to be from 1936 instead.
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Author: Pastor Rob
Date: 2014-12-06 08:13
Attachment: image.jpg (1105k)
Mine (series #182XX) appears to be just a bit older than yours. I have played many intermediate clarinets and they're not nearly as nice as this preR13. I bought mine last year because I wanted the Charles Bay Ithica, NY mouthpiece that was included. I now use that with my RC. I use a Rice Reserve XO with the preR13 and it sounds pretty good, I think.
Pastor Rob Oetman
Leblanc LL (today)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2014-12-06 17:22
My 1962 Buffet Eb didn't have an adjusting screw on the throat G# key - not sure if that was across the board at this time or they didn't fit them to the smaller clarinets. Anyway, I fitted one to it instead of buggering around with bits of cork that only end up getting chewed up or compressed.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: downunder
Date: 2014-12-07 02:42
Definitely 5digit serial beginning 2 so I can't see it being earlier than mid-30s.
I'm sure I saw somewhere that after introducing G# screw adjuster it was
deleted for aperiod then re-introduced
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Author: Pastor Rob
Date: 2014-12-07 15:35
Mine are solid German silver, or whatever. They aren't plated. Also mine has a plow shaped register key, not the typical spoon shape.
Pastor Rob Oetman
Leblanc LL (today)
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