It was made much, much earlier than 1985. I have a 96,XXX made in the sixties.

 

Check out the serial # list at clarinetperfection.
You may be able to get an idea about the 'real' date of manufacture there.

 

It predates the R13s

My 1955 R13s, which were the official first year of production are 51xxx and 55xxx

Check this section out, and check the visual identification of your clarinet.
http://www.clarinetperfection.com/clsnBuffet.htm#Identification

This is a full serial number range
Your serial number is around 1948 - 1950 I would guess, which would predate the R13s
http://www.clarinetperfection.com/clsnBuffet.htm#BuffetSN

Buffets website only goes back to around 1959

 

Ok, wow. Thank you so much for all of your help (thats to everybody). It seems like I have a pre R-13, which I think is cool. Or at least I hope it is. When I bought it I thought it was a regular R-13 and the guy who sold it to me honestly thought so too. I don't know much about these pre R-13's. Is it worth keeping. For me it plays nice and sounds nice so I guess I will keep it. Are these considered to be worse or about the same as an R-13? I ask all these questions because I am really a sax player learning to double and brand new to the clarinet world.

 

First thing is that the pre R13 instruments are not worth as much as an actual R13, so you may want a conversation with where you bought it, depending on how much you paid for it. If it was sold to you as an R13 at an R13 price, then it has been misrepresented (albeit in innocence)

As for the quality - others know better than me. There are significant bore differences. There are keywork differences. When it comes down to value for money, then a pre R13, at the right price, can give you excellent value. Of course , so can an actual R13 give excellent value for money, but more money!

 

ok. i purchased it for $900 (USD). I thought I was getting a good deal for an R13. Is this not so much a good deal for a pre R13?

 

What you paid for it used is probably more than twice what it sold for NEW.
My old clarinet teacher has a 1961 R13 that he purchased new for $600.

 

It depends on its condition.
See the link below:
http://www.clarinetperfection.com/ClarinetValue.htm

 

Pre-R13s on eBay were regularly gonig for the mid $400s
R13s will go for at least about $900 on ebay
assuming no repais to each

In a online store or retail store you can basically at least double the price for the selling price after a full overhaul and warranty.

The pre R13s are very nice instruments. They blow a litle easier in a way than the R13s and generally (when setup up properly) have very good tone. These were the top of the line Buffet rpo instruments back then.

now, loosely speaking, in the university setting with professors and all, they generally sell them for more than the gonig ebay rate. They seem more akin to price comparison to the retail pricing of things, so they generally sell instruments for more money. Their instruments are usually in very good repair too and can be reviewd, playtested, etc before purchase.

So ... comparison-wsie .. if you went he ebay route you would pay say $500 for one. Then have an overhaul done for at least $250 then a total of say $750 or more (top notch retail overhauls can cost upwards to $700). Compare that to the $900 price you paid and it all depends ....

 

sweet. this is some great info. thank you so much. i understand what you all are saying about prices changing over the years, and what ive concluded from what you all have told me and from looking at that chart on clarinetperfection, it seems that i have over payed a bit. if the clarinet had been overhauled and was in pristine playing condition with new pads and what not, i would say i payed what i needed to pay. the pre R13 I have needs some repadding and key work which was not included in the selling price. the clarinet itself does play well and sound well and would be worth keeping (I think) if i can get some money back or have an overhaul done for the price i payed. but i will take that up with the guy i bought it from, who did honestly make a mistake and thought it was an R13 and wasn't trying to rip me off. thank you again. i really really appreciate your input and help.

 

I paid $320 for my top of the line R13 in 1969 ( I was in jr high school and it was my complete life savings from years of mowing lawns and shoveling snow). I haven't played on a clarinet mouthpiece costing less than that for years.

 

I have this price list from 1982 which was put together from a Woodwind mailling and a NEMC catalog. (this is WoodWind before it became WW & BW .. they marketed them separately back then it seems). You can see the retail and the mail order prices. back then it was more taboo to order mail order .. and look where we are at today.
http://www.clarinetperfection.com/clPriceList.htm

 

haha wow. that is too funny. how i wish those prices still held today. im sure the popularity of the R13s really cranked up the price as well as inflation. i actually don't like mail ordering instruments because its easier to try them in a store. however, here in nashville we don't really have any good horn/instrument stores (other than drum and guitar stores) so i have used wwbw's instrument trial program a few times. still not as good as being at a store tho

 

Sticker price for the standard R-13 in 1955 was $325.00. (both A, Bb and also Eb). Full Boehm ( model R16 3/4) was $465.00. As they added features (eg and articulated G#, model R13 1/2) they would increase the model no.

 

I've been curious about that. I have two 1955 standard boehm models. a 55xxx which cost me $800 several years ago and a 51xxx which i got for free in a way.

 

First of all my knowledge level would be along the lines of bone stupid, so please bear with me.

I recently bought a Buffet Crampon clarinet at a yard sale as a speculation (I was looking for Omega and Rolex wristwatches), and I bought number clarinet 765990, wood, made in Germany.

I took the clarinet to the best music store in town and they could not tell me the year of manufacture, or if it was an E11 or an R13. I have e-mailed a few of the people on the Buffet web site contact page, and I am awaiting responses.

The music store said the thing needed an over-haul, but a friend at a pawn shop (with 30 years of dealing in musical instruments, and a one-time professional guitar player himself) said it was okay. He suggested that since the music store made their living from over-hauls . . .

The music store said if it was an E11 it'd be worth about $400 as-is, and about $600 if it were an R13. They also said the mouth-piece and ligature were high quality.

Other than through the manufacturer, does anyone have a suggestion as to how I can find out what I've really got?

Thank you for your kind attention . . .

 

This would be a good place to start. Good luck.

 

This just in from BUFFET CRAMPON USA, INC. in Jacksonville, Florida . . .

"After researching your serial number, it now shows that clarinet as an "International" model, originally sold in 2001. The International is essentially the same clarinet as the E11 with a slightly higher quality wood grain; it was also a clarinet only sold through select Buffet Crampon dealers."

I'm not sure if this is good or bad, but at least I have the history . . .

 

Hi guys,

I need your help. I'm tryng to determine the model of a Buffet Crampon clarinet and the price range of it. The serial number is F161737. When I enter the serial on http://www.buffet-crampon.com/en/instruments.php I get this:

Brand : Buffet Crampon
Instrument : N� 1 D Sib
Serial number : 161737
Year of manufacturing : 11/03/1975

But from above, I'm not sure what model it is. Im guessing its RC. Interesting thing is that, on the upper joint of the clarinet there's only engravement of the logo, but not the model. If its RC does anyone know how much is worth?

The keys of the clarinet are silver plated, its in excellent condition, with no cracks. Some of the cork pads might be damaged but thats all. It has been oiled once in a while.

Overall, it's very little used.

 

I recently purchased a Buffet with a serial number of #37004. I've looked around and found a general idea on the year of manufacture but was hoping someone might be able to help me pinpoint this a little more accurately then my findings. I am reading some conflicting things and would just like to be a little more sure. Any ideas? I was not going to purchase this, but I got a great deal on it making it difficult to pass up. Am going to be putting some money into it on a re-pad, but there are no cracks in the wood or any kind of other visible damage.

I know all horns play differently but would this be considered a decent year for buffet?

 

Based on the chart I found at http://www.woodwindforum.com/clarinetperfection/snbuffet-serial-numbers/, that's probably from 1949. That's going to be pre-R13, which probably means that its collector value is lower (or higher if you find the right buyer, I suppose). That means it might not have the polycylindrical bore that the R13 is known for, but hey, Buffet just introduced a new line of clarinets that has a cylindrical bore and called that a feature. So maybe you are just ahead of the curve!

I recently bought a 1948 Buffet that I still need to get overhauled. It seems like a nice horn, but needs too much work to tell much about it specifically.

I am not a clarinet collector or someone who buys and sells tons of instruments, so maybe someone who's done an extensive survey has more to say about this than me can chime in here, but I don't think there's been a time when Buffets were categorically good or categorically bad. Individual instruments are different and I'd say there's a good chance that any professional quality Buffet from any era will play well if it's properly set up. Whether or not that instrument is suited to you, your body and your playing style is another matter altogether.

 

Buffets from the late forties have a good reputation. Of course they came before the R13, so that is reflected in the prices. But that doesn't mean it cannot be a nice instrument.

Especially if you do not want to play in a clarinet section, but for instance in a jazz combo, it can be a great clarinet.

 

That year is supposed to be correct, but in general, Buffet (and maybe all) clarinets are too variable to say whether any year is decent. I've checked many from almost any decade. I guess I could say that statistically, the 40s seem to have less excellent clarinets than newer ones. Most have been average or less. On the other hand, one of the best clarinets (of any brand) I've played was a Buffet from the late 40s. Even intonation was as good as any new clarinet with excellent full tone.

 

Thanks! I have played far less clarinets than you (even if I am primarily a clarinet player). Probably you are right that every period has its lemons

 

This is an interesting find from Wichita Band and what they say on Buffet Clarinets:

It's important to note that Buffet's current website informs us that the "model R13" was introduced in 1955.
Regretfully, this is not correct.
I have, in my library, copies of Buffet's 1946 and 1947 catalogs, the latter clearly showing "model R13" clarinets.* The 1946 catalog is similar, but there's no indication of model number.** Which means....even though we consider this clarinet to be the same as a 1947 R-13, we cannot prove it from our records.* "Modele 13" Buffet called them before the war, so that is, in our opinion, appropriate.


So this and a several other readings on the subject have me scratching my head here in terms of conflicting stories

 

I've seen that as well and don't totally know what to make of it. I have a modern R13 and the aforementioned 1948 "pre-R13" and they are definitely different. The older horn has much larger toneholes and some of the keywork is distinctly different.

 

I think R"number" was used by the USA importer already a long time before Buffet Crampon (the company) introduced the R13?

 

Well I have also read some other things in terms of the older vs some of the later R13's that stated even though there were subtle changes during some of the different periods that they were still considered R13's and the top of the line that Buffet had to offer at the time. So it sounds like there have been changes and little tweaks that were made through the years.

Whatever the case I see some of the so called pre R13's in immaculate condition on the Wichita band instrument site going for anywhere between 1,800 and 2,000. Someone must like them from this time period as they are selling from the site for sure. Was just looking for an answer to the year dilemma. Very interesting what everyones concept is and what everyone else hears or reads. Bottom line is if its a good clarinet, then its a good clarinet I suppose. As it has been mentioned there are lemons in all different periods . All I have to do it keep my fingers crossed that once it goes in for a re- pad that it turns out to be a good player and not a dog