CLARINETS DIRECT

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BUFFET R13 FULL BOEHM Bb CLARINET, £1395

A very fine condition Buffet R13 Bb, which was probably a special order instrument from Buffet. This instrument was originally owned by an Italian professional player, who hardly played it. The second owner, a British jazz player, now prefers a wider bore Series 9 Full Boehm. The barrel cracked as did the top joint shortly after it was brought into the UK. The instrument was then repaired and serviced, and a Buffet Festival 64mm barrel reamed out to suit the R13, all of the work being carried out by Howarth & Co. This is a rare and highly prized Full Boehm model with all the " Bells and Whistles": Fork Eb/Bb, alternative LH Ab/Eb, articulated C#/G# and low Eb.
The wood is in good condition with one repaired, pinned surface crack. It does not go through to the bore, or into a tone hole, see photo 6. The instrument has fish skin pads,in good order, and the key work is well regulated. The Silver plated key work is in pristine condition, with no wear. The matching serial nos. are F92145 which dates to 1966. This period is commonly referred to as the "Golden Era" of R13 manufacture. Back then this was the finest professional instrument Buffet made, with unstained, matched wood. This was before the introduction of the ""Prestige" range, which effectively downgraded the standard R13 considerably. These days R13's are made from inferior quality wood which is stained to hide imperfections. Buffet are currently attempting to recreate this Gold standard of manufacture in their current "Vintage R13" range please go to www.buffetcrampon.com for more details. This instrument will not disappoint; the quality of scale and intonation are everything one has come to expect from this period of careful hand manufacture. The case is the original, again in excellent condition.