[Johnmcd]

Hi everyone,

I am looking at two Baris to choose between for roughly the same price, and I'd be grateful for people's opinions on each.

Buffet 400 Series Bari
or Trevor James 'Horn' Revolution II Bari

I have no great aspirations to be a great Bari specialist, I'm just looking for an intermediate, reliable doubler's instrument.

Thanks all.

John.

 

[Johnmcd]

Hi everyone,

I am looking at two Baris to choose between for roughly the same price, and I'd be grateful for people's opinions on each.

Buffet 400 Series Bari
or Trevor James 'Horn' Revolution II Bari

I have no great aspirations to be a great Bari specialist, I'm just looking for an intermediate, reliable doubler's instrument.

Thanks all.

John.

PS - I should have added that they're both new.

 

[JonF992]

Hi John

I've never tried a Buffet, but the Horn Rev II are great value for money. Buffets of old used to have a reputation for being good blowers but indiferently made. Where are they for sale? The TJ should be about £2k, I know of one place where you can get them for £1.9k

Jon

 

[Johnmcd]

Thanks Jon,

I had a look round on-line specifically for the Buffet 400 Series Bari and the only place I found selling them (or maybe they only have one in stock) was the '1Stop Clarinet & Sax Shop' in Florida. Very good sale price for a new one (with the current exchange rate working out at about £1.9k). I have gone ahead and ordered it, as, since starting this thread, have seen a few good reviews of the 400 Series both on this site and elsewhere. I know I'll have to pay some duty when it arrives here but I still think it's a very good price for what seems like a good, solid intermediate/professional Bari. In fact, while Buffet themselves call it an intermediate/professional instrument, reviewers elsewhere reckon that it's more on the pro side of that.

Where are TJ Revolution II's selling for £1.9k? The price that they quote themselves is £2.9k and John Myatt sells them for £2.3k so that's a great bargain.

Cheers,

John.

 

[csax]

Johnmcd - watch out, the UK VAT/duty/factoring charge will be well in excess of 20% (VAT alone is 17.5%) on combined purchase cost AND shipping charges.....

A not insignificant amount if you're buying outside the EEC !

 

[Johnmcd]

Johnmcd -

watch out, the UK VAT/duty/factoring charge will be well in excess of 20% (VAT alone is 17.5%) on combined purchase cost AND shipping charges.....

A not insignificant amount if you're buying outside the EEC !

I know. I'm bracing myself for that, but all in all, with the US/UK exchange rate the way it is at the moment, it should still result in a good price.

John.

 

[Johnmcd]

I'm happy to report that my new Buffet 400 Series Bari arrived today. AND, there was no duty to pay! It seems to have arrived into the country from the US and been waved straight through. I couldn't be more chuffed, as I was bracing myself for a hefty charge. This makes the price I've paid even more of a bargain than I had thought.

It's very solidly built and sounds lovely and fruity in the lowest octave and it has come in a beautiful ABS flight case with wheels so I won't have to get a gig bag. I haven't even tried the mouthpiece that came with it yet (looks like plastic and has no name or number on it) but it sounds good with either my Selmer S-80 C** or even more full bodied with my Larsen rubber 100/2/SM. I have a few other mpc's that I'll give it a go on too, but initial feelings are that I've got a nice instrument here. Can't wait now to get down to some serious practice.

Cheers for now,
John.

 

[csax]

John - that's all your luck used up for this year then ? Maybe they couldn't be bothered with manhandling such a big box ? Someone gaffed, unless the seller absent mindedly left a few zero's off the declared value - well done !

 

[Pinnman]

It happens from time to time ... and is always very welcome. Come back in due course, John, with a progress report, please.

 

[JonF992]

It's academic now, but Trevor James Rev II baris are £1.9k from saxhire.co.uk.

Enjoy the new buffet - I love playing bari, I'm sure you'll have a great time

 

[Rowka]

I bought one (Buffet 400 bari) a month ago and I flip-flop between really liking it and thinking of trading it in on a Yamaha YBS-52.

I like the sound of the horn but I find the middle open C# horrendously flat (while the rest of the horn is pretty much in tune. At least as in tune as my embouchure will allow). I can't pinch it up high enough to get it in tune.

At first I hated the supplied mouthpiece and used a Yamaha 5C piece. I found I had to push it far onto the neck to be in tune. Last week I took the stock mouthpiece and cleaned up the inside sharp edges with some sandpaper and it helped a lot.

I'm hoping it's a matter of practice and getting my embouchure into shape.