CLARINETS DIRECT

020 85811113 or 07787 770071

BUFFET R13 A CLARINET, £1395

An excellent condition Buffet R13 A clarinet. The matching serial nos. are F75558 which dates to 1963. 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. Certainly 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. In fact, this A plays so much better than contemporary R13 A clarinets, which often feel very "stiff": the response is lively, and it is much closer to the feel of a Bb clarinet.
The instrument has just had a complete overhaul in our workshop, in fish skin pads, and is sold with our full 1 year warranty. The Grenadilla wood is crack and repair free, indeed in excellent condition throughout. The Nickel Silver key work shows hardly any wear, which is testament to the quality of older Buffet plating, what slight wear there is, is only to a couple of the pillars. In addition to the original Buffet barrel of 66mm, there is also a modern "Fatboy barrel" of 65mm. The Yamaha double case shows some slight stains to the interior, but it is in very good condition.