CLARINETS DIRECT

020 85811113 or 07787 770071

BUFFET S1 Bb CLARINET, £1395

A very good condition Buffet S1 enhanced Boehm clarinet in Silver plate, which is a commission sale for Clarinets Direct. Indeed this special order clarinet from Buffet has all the attributes of a Full Boehm, apart from the low Eb: Fork Eb/Bb, articulated C#/G# and LH, Ab/Eb. When the American investor Martin Tolchin bought Buffet Crampon in the mid 1970's 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. In the case of the S1 this is partly achieved by much less undercutting.
This Bb has matching serial nos. F69219, which dates to 1962, an exceptionally fine period of manufacture at Buffet Crampon, commonly referred to as "The Golden Era".   There is only slight wear to the plating, mainly on the rings, the plating is approximately 96%. The clarinet has just been down to our workshop and the key regulation is tight, there is no joint wobble.  The wood is in good condition, with only minor surface scuffs, there are no cracks or repairs. This clarinet has recently been re-padded in fish skin pads, the condition of which is perfect. The S1 clarinet plays with a robust, focused sound and excellent evenness and intonation. In the past players such as John McCaw and Mitchell Lurie played S1's. The hard shell case is in fine shape, and the mouthpiece is a stock Buffet.