 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-04-09 23:25
Limited Edition Mopane Tosca Clarinet
With only 200 numbered pieces, this B-flat and A clarinet, crafted from the finest mopane wood, embodies elegance and rarity.
Its warm hues, ranging from medium brown to reddish-brown, its silver-plated keywork enhanced by rose gold-plated ornamentation, and its exclusive «200 ANS» logo make it a masterpiece worthy of the most demanding musicians.
Beyond its elegance, this Tosca «200 ANS» in mopane reveals an unparalleled harmonic richness, a velvety tone, and unprecedented playing comfort, offering passionate musicians an infinite sound palette and boundless creative possibilities. Playing this rare instrument means embracing 200 years of Buffet Crampon's history and craftsmanship.
The B♭/A Tosca «200 ANS» Limited Edition clarinets come in a brand-new thermoformed case, available in single or double format, highly impact-resistant and enhanced with a cognac leather accent on the front. The interior is made of high-density polyurethane foam.
And it could be yours for ONLY €8792.40! What a bargain.
https://eu.buffet-crampon.com/bc_GB_en/tosca-clarinet-limited-edition-19-6-bc1150mla-2-0.html?geoloc=1&_gl=1*195nruc*_up*MQ..*_ga*MjcxODczNTUxLjE3NDQyMjYxOTk.*_ga_X0P6MB5D1G*MTc0NDIyNjE5OS4xLjAuMTc0NDIyNjE5OS4wLjAuMA..
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repairer
Single and Double Reed Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2025-04-10 21:07)
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Author: David H. Kinder
Date: 2025-04-10 02:44
Yeah I saw that.
They're smart by appealing to collectors, a lot like other luxury brands like Ferrari and Gucci, etc.
Did they sell all their "limited edition Mopane" clarinets yet? I think there were just 100 split up between 4 different variations.
I think these might just sit for a while.
Ridenour AureA Bb clarinet
Ridenour Artist MT36 mouthpiece
Vandoren Optimum black ligature (plate 1)
Vandoren Traditional #3.5 reeds
Brad Behn HR adjustable barrel
ATG System and Cordier Reed Trimmer
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-04-10 16:01
Only none of them were 200th Anniversary models.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repairer
Single and Double Reed Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2025-04-10 20:00
Chris P,
Thank you for correcting me. I believe I simply went by the title of your thread.
So those Buffet Mopane clarinets first introduced in 2021 were made during Buffet's 196th year of operation.
I believe David H. Kinder is right...these Buffet "200 ANS" Mopane clarinets were most likely made for collectors.
JMO
Post Edited (2025-04-10 20:11)
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Author: David H. Kinder
Date: 2025-04-11 23:40
Limited Edition Tosca Bass Clarinet with rose gold:
https://eu.buffet-crampon.com/bc_FR_en/tosca-bass-clarinet-descending-to-low-c-bc1195ma-2-0.html
Ridenour AureA Bb clarinet
Ridenour Artist MT36 mouthpiece
Vandoren Optimum black ligature (plate 1)
Vandoren Traditional #3.5 reeds
Brad Behn HR adjustable barrel
ATG System and Cordier Reed Trimmer
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-04-11 23:43
At least it's got a switchable F#-G# link which is something Buffet basses have been lacking for aeons.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repairer
Single and Double Reed Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Neysither
Date: 2026-03-27 10:47
"This exact topic has been discussed before on the BB just a few years ago:
http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=492528&t=492528ragdoll drop
Also, Pro clarinetists review newly introduced Buffet 2021 Mopane clarinets: (different models)
https://www.prosono-hardwoods.com/blog/buffet-crampons-introduction-of-mopane-clarinets-reactions-and-demos/"
The older BBoard thread shows early curiosity and skepticism, while the ProSono article suggests many pros actually found the mopane clarinets warm, stable, and promising, not just a marketing experiment.
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Author: ruben
Date: 2026-03-27 13:50
Mopane is cheaper than African blackwood. Thus, this clarinet should be less expensive than an "ordinary" one.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: Reese Oller
Date: 2026-03-27 14:23
Hm. I find it unlikely that Buffet would do anything but charge more for a wood they can get cheaper than grenadilla.
I also find it unlikely that they will lower their prices by that 7%, when the US tariff is inevitably found to be illegal and removed.
Reese Oller
Clarinet student (performance major at Millikin University)
I can play bass clarinet, Eb clarinet, BBb contra, alto saxophone, bassoon at a decent level, and flute in a pinch.
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Author: kilo
Date: 2026-03-27 16:25
Quote:
Thus, this clarinet should be less expensive than an "ordinary" one.
Their resin/sawdust clarinets are priced at the same price as their grenadilla models! I wonder how much the actual cost of body material factors into the selling price.
I'm not opposed to composite clarinets – I own three, including a Greenline soprano – but really, any acoustic quality inherent to aged grenadilla is not going to carry over into a product made of plastic resin and even the most carefully selected and refined grenadilla wood dust. From a recycling perspective, it's a great idea but advertising it as something special is a marketing ploy.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2026-03-27 16:58
In the automotive world, the issuance of 'special editions' is a sure sign that the model's sales are down and rather than improve or replace the product, the manufacturer is trying to put lipstick on their pig and continue selling it without making a long-term capital investment in something objectively better.
Clarinets are not and should not be treated as Ferraris. Clarinets are tools to be used by musicians to make music, not "collector's items" to be purchased, hidden away and not used for years until their 'value' has increased an absurd amount, then 'flipped' (sold for a huge profit).
Ferraris are supposedly wonderful cars to drive; but nobody ever drives them, they store and resell them. Clarinets should be played, every day if possible. The hard fact is that a 30-, 50- or even 80-year-old Buffet, or other high-quality brand, sounds every bit as good as the latest releases, and is probably made of better wood that won't crack within the first year. I don't understand why players buy new clarinets at all, when the market is flooded with excellent older instruments costing an order of magnitude (or several!) less.
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Author: SecondTry
Date: 2026-03-27 19:24
Trying to turn instruments of less quality (Mopane versus Blackwood) into collectors items.....
I have a "lipstick on a pig" anecdote...
Roche Bobois, (pronounced "Rochay Bobwah" I think), a high end furniture store, the quality of whose wares I do NOT seek, unlike in Buffet's case, to challenge here, use to operate a retail location in an upscale mall near my home.
As a child, when I'd drive my daughter past it, and asked her, "what's the difference between a furniture store named 'Rochay Bobwah' and one named 'Roachy Boobies'?"
I trained her to respond...
"about 1000 dollars." 
P.S. I had not read David's prior post before writing mine, also using the expression "lipstick on a pig" lol. Funny how we reached the same conclusion!
Post Edited (2026-03-27 19:30)
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Author: ruben
Date: 2026-03-27 23:31
I worked for 15 years for a small clarinet maker that used all sorts of wood. Mopane was nice, but had a smaller, brighter sound. My impression was that nothing quite matched African blackwood. That said, his grenadilla was 40 years old and incredibly dense ; a far cry from what is being used today.
Boxwood was wonderful, but warped too much and needed constant reboring.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
Post Edited (2026-03-30 18:30)
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Author: m1964
Date: 2026-03-31 03:16
Then is it a good thing I did not buy a 200 year Anniversary Mopane Tosca for close to 10000 Euro
I wonder if it would warp if placed into a fine china display cabinet, not being played.
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Author: JamesOrlandoGarcia
Date: 2026-03-31 04:46
The title of this post implies there is something maybe wrong or problematic about Buffet making another variation of a clarinet they already make.
They are in the business of selling clarinets. They are simply making instruments some people want. It's a smart move too since another maker started making clarinets with all sorts of woods and key plating options which was a big hit.
Something I learned a while ago... and something I wished I had learned sooner is that being critical of equipment or someone's playing doesn't highlight how sophisticated or good you are. It just makes you look mean.
James Garcia
Bass Clarinet/Clarinet III, Des Moines Symphony Orchestra
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2026-03-31 11:24
>> They are simply making instruments some people want. <<
Yes, and people are free to criticize it or the reasons behind it.
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Author: ruben
Date: 2026-03-31 13:28
There are so many limited editions that they are actually unlimited!
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2026-03-31 15:56
The fact of the matter is Buffet have tons of pro level clarinets in their lineup that they're dominating the entire market, so they're thwarting the competition from other makers and specifically preying on the Buffet loyalists so they don't stray to Selmer, Yamaha, Backun or elsewhere.
And the build quality of their top end models is questionable as a Tosca, Legende or Divine is still using cheapo peel'n'stick (and slidey-offy) precut foam key 'corks' instead of being finished with better and higher quality materials you'd expect of clarinets in those price ranges. Even Selmer still use natural key corks all hand trimmed on their clarinets (even though natural cork glued on with liquid shellac is woefully outdated).
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repairer
Single and Double Reed Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: SecondTry
Date: 2026-03-31 18:27
JamesOrlandoGarcia wrote:
> The title of this post implies there is something maybe wrong
> or problematic about Buffet making another variation of a
> clarinet they already make.
>
> They are in the business of selling clarinets. They are simply
> making instruments some people want. It's a smart move too
> since another maker started making clarinets with all sorts of
> woods and key plating options which was a big hit.
>
> Something I learned a while ago... and something I wished I had
> learned sooner is that being critical of equipment or someone's
> playing doesn't highlight how sophisticated or good you are. It
> just makes you look mean.
>
I respectfully disagree with some of your thoughts here James.
While I agree that the purveyor or goods and services would be nothing short of stupid and insensitive to not provide offerings desired by its customers, Mopane wood is not only a second choice to Grenadilla, being marketed as something special when in fact scarcity of the latter fuels this material choice, but the ideal that Buffet seeks to add cache to this model by limiting its production strikes me as trying to make up for shortcomings in material by adding ambience in ways that don't improve play, or to quote myself and David, who independently surmised similarly: to put lipstick on a pig.
Were a vendor to simply improve their wares to meet players needs I'd completely agree it appropriate for players to make fair, not overreaching judgments.
Honest assessment/critique though of a marketing strategy with more fluff than substance, which is what this whole limited edition strategy is, as I see it, is not only fair game, but incentivizes suppliers to emphasize an instrument's abilities over its potential collector's item attributes.
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