Professional clarinets? Someone please help!!

[Saxaholic]

I recently put up a post that I was interested in professional clarinets. I've received a nice amount of offers, and I'm interested to see what others think of the models.

One Buffet "Master Model", supposedly quite close to the R-13. Fully overhauled, valentino pads, Vandouren B45 mouthpiece, new case. $550.

#K7700 Selmer model, Center Tone but not designated. "Expertly banded years ago." Complete rebuild. $450.

A "sleeper" made in Paris, heard they were Buffet stencils. Made of wood. It's a "Jeffrey". Needs full rebuild. Pro keywork, no cracks etc. $60.

Selmer 10G model. As new condition, played less than 3 hours total. $1000.

Any opinions/comments? I'm not buying it for myself, it's a "gift" for someone else, although trial periods are already established. Thanks for any insight guys.

[paulwl]

What kind of music does the giftee play? The Selmer K is big-bored, as all clarinets used to be. That means it's brighter than today's classical playing allows, and has different intonation tendencies. The price is reasonable for a good vintage horn with a full rebuild on. The banding is probably the reason.

FWIR on the Clarinet Bulletin Board ( http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/ ), the Master Buffets (sometimes called Buffet-Evettes) were basically R-13s with minor cosmetic flaws and non-undercut toneholes. Never played one myself, but seems like they'd be a very viable option.

For jazz or general purpose doubling with only occasional chamber work, the Selmer K should be excellent. For the more more "serious" (ahem) player, I'd go with the Master or at a higher level, the 10G.

Check out the clarinet board for more info, but realize that they have their prejudices, as do saxophonists, only more prevalent. For many, it's Buffet or nothing, and altho many collect and talk shop on vintage instruments, fewer seem to actually use them.

(written with a glorious 1936 Selmer Balanced-Tone 18/7 on my lap :wink: )

[NiceOldHorns]

The 10G was a tremendous instrument in the first few years (X, Y & Z).

Anthony Gigliotti test played EVERY instrument in the X years, to make certain that the design met his spec (He was the 'G' in 10G).

These sell on eBay at $500, regularly.

The Master Models can be very good, but $500 is about 2x what they should cost, with a complete overhaul.

I would avoid banded instruments, they have terrible resale potential.

I note the distinct absence of two tremendous models, the Selmer 9 and LeBlanc 'LL' (aka double L)...
niceoldhorns "AT" yahoo.com for more detail

[Dr G]

The current 10G is an orchestral horn - big voice. If $1k is in the budget, that's a fair price. Check the price on new ones - I'm betting they sell for over twice that at the discount houses (e.g. Woodwind and Brasswind, Music 123, etc.).

The other horn that is missing is the R-13. I bought a new one at eBay for considerably less than $1000 (and sold my Leblanc "LL", Selmer 10G and Series 9).

If you are buying a "vintage" horn, I'd suggest buying one that has already been overhauled and comes with a brief warranty or at least an approval period during which you could get it played by someone that knows their way around the clarinet.

Bands? I don't care to consider banded instruments but several pro's around this area think that, done right (big caveat there), the clarinet should not play any differently. They should know since the humidity is nonexistent, temperatures fluctuate wildly, and cracks are the norm.

[AMASAX]

stick with tried and true, that is, Selmer/Buffet, fairly current models, too.
Selmer 10G, Recital, 10S, very nice horns, stay away from the really old stuff, as they're usually more out of tune, and with wooden horns, too much age can really make a difference(unlike metal saxes, where you can find a mint condition 70 yrs old horn that's great).
Nothing wrong with Buffet horns, either, probably best to
stay with the mainstream R-13, unless you have specialized
needs or really know your clarinet playing to notice the
diff in models.