CLARINETS DIRECT

020 85811113 or 07787 770071

BUFFET RC Bb CLARINET, £1295

An extremely fine Buffet RC clarinet in Bb. This instrument is a commission sale for Clarinets Direct. When the American investor Martin Tolchin bought Buffet Crampon he felt that though the R13 sold well in the USA, different models would be more successful in Europe. The S1, Continentale and BC20, which became the RC, were all attempts to make darker, more focused sounding clarinets. The RC model did sell very well: It had a more relaxed warm tone than the R13, which attracted many UK players. This instrument would pair well with no.12 on the "clarinets" page.
This Bb has S/N 425454, which dates to 1999, there is no damage to the wood, which is in superb condition. The Silver plate is also in excellent shape, with only one slight patch of wear on the Thumb Bush and register key, see photo 11. The instrument has tan leather pads throughout in excellent condition. And at our workshop, the key work has been swaged, to remove play, and realigned and regulated. This clarinet plays with a dark, focused sound and excellent evenness and intonation. The mouthpiece is a Vandoren B40 in excellent used condition, as is the original Leather Buffet case.