Buffet, Plateau, B Flat Clarinet
This is an ultra rare Buffet Crampon plateau Bb clarinet, so rare in fact, that it is possibly unique. This Grenadilla wood instrument was made in 1905, most probably as a custom order. Fortunately there is some provenance with this clarinet, it was made for an Army musician who later joined the French Foreign Legion, a photo of him, with instrument, in the band that he played in, based in Algiers, is included with the sale.
Perhaps due to its time in North Africa the clarinet has cracked: There is one long, pinned & sealed repair to the single piece upper joint, see photo 5. There are also two further minor cracks to the receiver tenon of the lower joint, both of these do not go through to the bore, and are tight hairline cracks, see photos 6 & 7. The instrument is a plateau, apart from the rear thumb which is standard open hole. It plays extremely well across the range at A=440Hz with a modern standard French bore m'piece, a Vandoren B45 is included. This fine and unique clarinet has just had a full and complete restoration with Clarinets Direct, including all new pads, the majority of which are fish skin, it is sold with our full 1 year warranty. It comes in a modern, new, light weight case. This is a chance for someone to purchase a clarinet specifically designed for the younger player, doubler or even the arthritic player who may have difficulty covering the standard open-tone-hole. Alternatively this clarinet might well appeal to a collector because of its' rarity.