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Buffet Clarinet Plating Rant

5/18/2018

2 Comments

 
Picture
In my 10 years of clarinet restoration, I've dealt with a lot of old clarinets and, naturally, a lot of Buffets. As one of the most expensive clarinets out there, and one of the most highly regarded, I'm amazed at the plating problems that I've seen in instruments dating from the 1960's forward!

  Buffets from WWII, WWI and even earlier restore beautifully: their solid nickel alloy keys buff to a warm glow and retain it well, even with regular use. The Buffets from the 60's forward on which I've worked show almost unvarying moderate to severe plating wear and, in the case of one from the 80's that I saw recently, even peeling from plating that failed to bond to the base metal - and this on a clarinet in A that must've cost someone the price of a decent used car! 

 I frequently work on Conn Pan American clarinets from the 40's and 50's - you know, the colorful ones made of cocobolo plywood when granadilla was in short supply? They are great playing horns, rarely crack, have locking screws tapped into the posts to help keep the main screws from backing out and, oh yes, plated keys. Except the plating is rarely worn through, in my experience, and this on a 'student grade' horn built 20-40 years before the average Buffet with plated keys! What was Conn's secret and can Buffet figure out how to copy it on newer horns costing far more?

 I'd be interested to hear from others with experience with this problem as to the cause of this and why Buffet has felt justified in doing this level of work on what are advertised and regarded as pro instruments? If I were to sell a customer a recent production Buffet, I'd like to know that it would still look good when I retire. Generally, I recommend a Penzel Mueller instead....


2 Comments
H Karlsson
5/18/2018 09:17:43 pm

A worthwhile question. My best guess is plating solution and chosen alloy of nickel, plus thickness of plating. I've also seen silver peel right off a new Buffet before, so there's that.

Reply
Jeff Rosner
6/16/2018 01:58:03 pm

Mid 20th century American metal working and general craftsmanship was a unique hybrid of the advantages of consistent mass production combined with an artisan mindset. There are pockets of that stilll...

IMO, the French never really got to this hybrid, and the musical instrument manufacturing there was spotty at best, even in the artisan period (early 20th century). While Selmer has been much better with consistency with clarinet, their saxophone manufacture is wellnoted for inconsistent product, even Mk VIs have good ones and bad ones. This has also been true with R13s, with good and bad periods.
Plating is hard to do well, but it is high art in the US.

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  • Home
    • About Us
    • Clarinet Donations
    • Why Vintage Clarinets?
  • Before and After
  • Contact Us
  • Learn
    • Blog
    • Clarinet Lengths
    • Clarinet Makers
    • Fingering Systems
    • Links
  • Shop
    • Clarinets >
      • Vintage Jacques Albert Fils Brussels Bb Boehm Clarinet
      • Vintage Buffet Crampon Academy Model Bb Boehm Clarinet
      • Vintage Fernand Chapelain Bb LP Albert System Clarinet
      • Vintage Siour Chapelain Paris Bb Boehm Clarinet
      • Vintage Couesnon & Cie A Paris Bb Boehm Clarinet
      • Vintage J. Gras Paris Bb Boehm Clarinet
      • Vintage Lacroix C LP Albert System Clarinet
      • Vintage Leblanc CB Bb Boehm Clarinet
      • Vintage Leblanc Noblet Bb Boehm Clarinet​
      • Vintage Rampone Cazzani Bb Boehm Clarinet
      • Antique Henri Selmer Bb Boehm Clarinet
      • Vintage Triebert C LP Albert System Clarinet
    • Flutes
    • Mouthpieces
    • Saxophones >
      • Vintage Dolnet Series II Bb Tenor Saxophone
      • Vintage Holton Model 201 Eb Alto Saxophone
      • Vintage Kohlert Eb Alto Saxophone
  • Services
    • FAQ
    • Services II - Technical Info
  • Testimonials